L397?

[Kittiee Katt]

This is a very long post, but please bare with me, I'm potentially about to get the pleco of my dreams.

Questions at the bottom for people who don't want to read an essay on my tanks, but there is also questions through the rest of the post that I would like answered if possible.

Okay, so I've wanted one of these guys for years, I'm always reading about them and always hoping to get a glimpse of one in real life and not on a screen.

Well the other day I was cruising around the fish shops in my area looking for hygrophila corymbosa, when I got to my 2nd favorite shop I was looking at the SA display the guy had set up and I seen an orange stripey tail poking out from under the driftwood... I couldn't believe me eyes! Right there, in his tank was a little (about 5cm) l397! This is the first one I've ever seen down here so I rushed around the side of the tank to see of he was for sale... He was! $60 the guy wanted for him (I'm in Tasmania so I guess that's reasonable? Common bns go for around $10-$15 here at that size) and I've been racking my brain trying to work out if I can keep him.

But before I drop a tenth of our weekly income on him I have a question for, and would like the opinions of, the experts on here.

If I can get him, I plan to keep him in my 120ltr until we get the 170ltr finished (should be starting a cycle by Monday/Tuesday, its been raining so hubbys been doing the tank the past few days instead of the pen) then once that's cycled I'll be moving everyone from the 120 into the 170. My 120 then goes to my sister for her goldfish and I'll be getting her 80ltr.

I then plan to move my minnows, kuhllis and cae into the 80ltr (its longer than my 80ltr qt tank so the cae should be right in there) along with a group of tetras from the 5ft (likely the widows) and build an African river biope in the 170 (with the exception of this pleco if I get him until he can go in the 5ft)

If I can get this pleco I'm going to make my 100ltr qt tank into a permanent home for some of the other tetras in my 5ft and put the pleco in the 400ltr as he outgrows the 170.

Could this work? Am I just grabbing straws in my desperate attempt to keep this fish? Because if my plan sounds stupid, I'll just leave him there. But if you guys think this might work I'll be buying my most expensive fish in the next few days.


My biggest question is is it possible he's a hybrid? He looked nice but idk if I'm willing to drop that kind of money on a mut. How do I tell if he's "pure" so to speak?

Next question is how fast do these guys grow? They're supposed to only get to 15cms but how quickly can he reach that size?

My last question is how much bogwood will he eat in a year? If I just throw a 20cmish chunk in there will that last him 12 months? Or will he need more? I've never kept wood eating fish so this is all new to me.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kittiee Katt]

So I rang the store and asked how long they can hold him for without payment, the guy said he would hold him for 5 days without payment, and up to a fortnight with payment... So I asked him to hold him and now have 5 days to get some opinions on this before he goes back on sale. Please help me mfk!

 

[Kittiee Katt]

So after lengthy discussion with my hubby he's decided I'm only allowed to have him if he has a decent lifespan (and I can take care of him, obviously).. But for the life of me I can't find ANYTHING on their lifespan..

How long (roughly) do they live for? 10+ years? Less? If no one can answer my other questions can someone at least tell me this please?

 

[Warborg]

My biggest question is is it possible he's a hybrid? He looked nice but idk if I'm willing to drop that kind of money on a mut. How do I tell if he's "pure" so to speak?

Without seeing him(or picture) I can only say if it looks the same as pictures then it should be a safe bet that it's pure.

As far as the rest of the questions, it is hard to say. Like what you mentioned, there's not alot of info on them.

From my own experience the smaller the pleco the shorter the lifespan. However, when I was keeping smaller plecos I didn't do a good job feeding them their preferred foods.

Here's what it says on their feeding

This genus feeds on wood, and should have several pieces, preferably several kinds of wood to chew on. Aside from wood, a mainly vegetarian diet is recommended, prepared food such as algae wafers and fresh vegetables, such as courgette (zucchini) and tubers such as potato or sweet potato (yams).

 

[Chockful O Phail]

So I'm bored and decided to search around and seems the have a 10-12 year lifespan. Also super aggresive towards plecos that aren't like them so unlikely to be hybrid. Your plan sounds fine if not a bit convoluted lol. A little more driftwood to make a little branching setup would make him happy. All the info I could find atm.

 

[Kittiee Katt]

Without seeing him(or picture) I can only say if it looks the same as pictures then it should be a safe bet that it's pure.

As far as the rest of the questions, it is hard to say. Like what you mentioned, there's not alot of info on them.

From my own experience the smaller the pleco the shorter the lifespan. However, when I was keeping smaller plecos I didn't do a good job feeding them their preferred foods.

Here's what it says on their feeding

So I'm bored and decided to search around and seems the have a 10-12 year lifespan. Also super aggresive towards plecos that aren't like them so unlikely to be hybrid. Your plan sounds fine if not a bit convoluted lol. A little more driftwood to make a little branching setup would make him happy. All the info I could find atm.

Thanks heaps guys! That's plenty long enough to keep the hubby happy, hopefully I can get him obsessed with plecos too.

I don't have a picture of him yet as he's still at the store, but while I was there I was paying close attention to his shape and colours and he looks like all the pics I've seen, black and orange stripes running the length of his body horizontally from the back of his head to his tail, his fins are orange and black with fine white (kind of clear) lines separating the colours and the base colour of his face is a brownish blackish grey with small squiggly yellowish orange stripes. Sorry if that's confusing, you guys getting back to me has made me super excited.

My 120ltr has two kinds of wood, one I don't know the name of and the other was sold to me as gold vine, most of this can't go in the 5ft because it has plants on it and I'm worried Penny and Change (little silver dollars) will eat them on me, so I'm going to have to buy more wood if I get him for when he goes into the 5ft..

Does anyone know if it needs to be sunken for ages or will just sunken until it sinks do? I want to do the best I can with/for him if I get him, which I likely will now that someone's told me I'm not crazy.

This is how the 120ltr is set up now, will I need to rearrange it? My little nigriventris feels comfortable coming out with the light on while its scaped like this so I must have done something right.


Thank you soooo much guys. I think I've read just about every post about them on planet catfish and pleco planet, and let me say there's not much info out there on these little guys.

Thanks again!

 

[Kittiee Katt]

I've moved him into the 120ltr after just under 3 days of qt (I think this is the shortest period I've ever quarantined a fish) although he came from a good store, if he didn't I wouldn't of been so quick to get him to the display tank...

His name is Sir Elton John II or Sir Elton for short.

Man can he poop!!! He's only been in my display tank for an hour or so and already there's a pile of poop where he's been sitting.. He was only fed one small wafer during his qt period and the qt tank is bare bottom with a sponge filter so I didn't really notice it while he was in there... Put him on white sand and holy hell does his poop show up!!!

He's already kicked my catfish out from under the big wood and claimed that spot as his own, the catfish had been swimming around trying to find a new home with no luck, hopefully they can settle their differences and share the log. Its big enough for two small fish to share.

Also, the sand sticks to his hairs, will it hurt him or can he shake it off if it annoys him?

They're not the best buy anyways, pics:



I love him

 

[Warborg]

The sand will come off over time, however if his new tank has sand as well it could be replaced with new sand.

 

[Kittiee Katt]

The sand will come off over time, however if his new tank has sand as well it could be replaced with new sand.

Oki doki. As long as its not going to hurt him and he can get it off if it annoys him.

I got a semi decent picture of him as well!


Note to self: get smooth gravel for 5ft before Sir Elton goes in it.

 

[Warborg]

I know it would be too hard to change out but darker gravel/sand would bring his colors out. White fades colors