Can't wait to purchase one of these guys! I sadly ran afoul of a store selling supposed dwarf snowball plecos, and, seeing how tiny yours are, I believe they were actually L201s. Mine was about 4.5 inches long. I got him last week, and he died yesterday of a bacterial infection I couldn't kick. I'm absolutely gutted. It feels terrible for a fish to die on your watch, and it feels equally terrible to have a fish on which you spent a lot of money die without any recourse from the store! after he died, I called every store in my city to see if any quarantine their fish ahead of time. Not a single one. Not only that, but none of them can guarantee sourcing of wild/tank bred, speciation, and more - even locally owned LFS. So, I took to the internet and found your company. I am so pleased to see a fish company making strides to improve the hobby and health of the fish, and you have made a loyal customer.
What you are describing is a big problem with the hobby these days. I remember in the 70s and 80s stores would not sell fish until they had quarantined them for a week, at least. I remember going to stores and seeing fish that I wanted and being told to come back after the quarantine period. Petco and PetSmart will sell fish that just arrived at the store an hour ago. This is too much stress on the fish and results in lots of deaths and people quitting the hobby.
I gotta say, I adore hearing that, "Hello everybody, it's Dan" because it means I get to take a cup of tea break and see some beautiful fish!! I'm currently suffering from that horrible affliction 'extreme lack of expendable income', so I can't afford to order fish yet, but I still watch the vids and streams to make my imaginary wish list! And I was pleasantly surprised to hear about your (?) Get Gills site as the are some great fish there too!
Very interesting….especially how you handle the to check them out. (I’m new to this so I’d be afraid if I touched them I might somehow harm them but watching you gently examine the fish it’s clearly not the case.)
I purchased 2 and put them in my pond and I cannot find my plecos! No idea what happened to them. I also drained the pond and washed the rocks up. They were not little. They were pretty big and now I'm wondering where they're at! 😭😢 I feel like writing to Unsolved Mysteries to see if they can help me! I don't even know if they're alive.
Appreciate the info and here’s a pleco question. I’ve recently had horrible luck with clown plecos. Small established planted tank kept at 79 degrees and they never last more than a week while the rest of the fish (dwarf Gourami, ember tetras, and corydoras) have lived in the same tank for almost two years without issue. Is my main issue that I’m buying from petco? I’d love to spend more with someone like you but don’t want to keep losing expensive fish without understanding the issue.
Clown Plecos are very hardy fish. But even the hardiest fish can have its immune system ground down by this industry's normal supply chain. I'd recommend purchasing from a place which quarantines new arrivals and gives them some recover time before they are sold. If you have a local pet shop that has had a batch for a few weeks and they have clear eyes, good bellies, and generally look healthy, it might be worth getting them from there. Otherwise, we've got you covered here: dansfish.com/product.detail/4582/Clown-Pleco-(Panaque-maccus)
It depends on what is causing the cloudy eye and the bad fins. There are many types of pathogens that can cause either one. The best way to treat is to identify the pathogen and then find the best solution for dealing with that specific pathogen. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for those issues. However, clean water, correct temperatures, a low-stress environment, and time can go a long way towards helping a fish heal up on its own.
Most plecos are by themselves, so we can feed anytime of the day. A lot won't come out and eat during the day though, so we tend to feed closer to lights out.
I think you are referring to Common Plecos. Most hobbyists I know don't keep common plecos, including me. However, there are hundreds of species of plecos which don't pose a threat to the environment, including those in this vid.
