L27 Xingu Royal Pleco HELP PLZ!!

[QueenFish]

It's a long story but please bear with me I need as much help/advice anyone can give for my new baby L27 Xingu Royal Pleco. Yesterday I went to petco to purchase a pleco. I am new to the aquatic world and only had my small 10 gallon tank for a week now. My top dwellers are 3 guppies and 2 red tetras, I figured for just starting off I wanted something small and easy. That way I can really learn the basis of taking care of my first tank getting the hang of water testing/changing and proper feeding down before moving on to a bigger tank with bigger more bad ass fish. Petco sold to me to what I thought and they presumed as well was a "common" Pleco. After taking him home and falling in love with him and during further research I've come to realize in-fact that he is not a common Pleco but a L27 Xingu Pleco. Any advice on how to properly take care of him? Right now he is only 2'inches, obviously my little starter 10gallon tank will NOT be enough for him but how long do I have to save for 125gallon tank? I know he needs drift wood and can't be with any other plecos. I really fell in love with him and don't want to give him up so please any advice will be greatly appreciated. I want to make sure he lives a long healthy life and I don't stunt his growth in anyway. Thank you in advanced!! ?

 

[phreeflow]

Great pickup for a “common pleco.” Feed them a good quality sinking pellet, some wood to rasp on, slices of sweet potato, zucchini, peas, cucumber, string beans, etc.

Honestly, high quality pellets should be the main diet. You’ll next to upsize their tank in the future but they grow slow

 

[Midwater]

He is going to get right royally big.

 

[QueenFish]

Great pickup for a “common pleco.” Feed them a good quality sinking pellet, some wood to rasp on, slices of sweet potato, zucchini, peas, cucumber, string beans, etc.

Honestly, high quality pellets should be the main diet. You’ll next to upsize their tank in the future but they grow slow

What brand pellets would you recommend?

 

[Rob909]

In my opinion, this pleco looks to be more like the L190 (bright eyed royal), especially if it was a petco find. Still, quite the come-up for a “common pleco”. Typically, these and the L191 (dull eyed royal) are the more common royals, with the L27 xingu being more of a specialty import. As babies the three will have that transparent window in the tail fin that yours shows.
here’s a photo of my L190 for reference, you can see the bright orange eyes similar to yours:

alternatively, here’s a couple pictures of my
L27 xingu, also called the red fin royal. Note the rust colored fins, the lighter color pattern, and the longer nose compared to other royals:

As far as care goes, these fish have teeth specialized for scraping. When I feed watermelon or honeydew, I find they go after the rind well before they eat the flesh. Same goes for the skin on cucumber or zucchini.
I also feed a mix of fruits and vegetables including melons(occasional), green beans, broccoli, carrot, sweet potato, and bell pepper (yes you read that correctly).
I will also make some repashy, as well as offer Spirulina pellets, cichlid pellets, market shrimp, and blood worms.
I also keep two different kinds of wood in the tank which I see the royals frequently rasping on: Malaysian and manzanita. They make quite a mess of the manzanita so be ready for that if you put it in.

I would get yours on food a lot sooner than later though. The eyes look a bit sunken which is a bad sign as far as plecos go. Check the belly to see if it is also concave (pushed in) as this is a sign of starvation. if your pleco is a shy eater, I find broccoli and green beans to be a pretty enticing food for shy plecos.
As far as housing goes, a 10 gallon will suffice for now since these grow extremely slow. But as stated above, these get well over a foot so the sooner you can upgrade, the better.

 

[phreeflow]

What brand pellets would you recommend?

Any good brand like NLS, Northfin, Ebo Aquaristik, etc. You might like Sera Catfish Chips that has willow bark and alder cones in it or Repashy Morning Wood

 

[QueenFish]

He is going to get right royally big.
[/

In my opinion, this pleco looks to be more like the L190 (bright eyed royal), especially if it was a petco find. Still, quite the come-up for a “common pleco”. Typically, these and the L191 (dull eyed royal) are the more common royals, with the L27 xingu being more of a specialty import. As babies the three will have that transparent window in the tail fin that yours shows.
here’s a photo of my L190 for reference, you can see the bright orange eyes similar to yours:
View attachment 1489634
alternatively, here’s a couple pictures of my
L27 xingu, also called the red fin royal. Note the rust colored fins, the lighter color pattern, and the longer nose compared to other royals:
View attachment 1489635View attachment 1489636
As far as care goes, these fish have teeth specialized for scraping. When I feed watermelon or honeydew, I find they go after the rind well before they eat the flesh. Same goes for the skin on cucumber or zucchini.
I also feed a mix of fruits and vegetables including melons(occasional), green beans, broccoli, carrot, sweet potato, and bell pepper (yes you read that correctly).
I will also make some repashy, as well as offer Spirulina pellets, cichlid pellets, market shrimp, and blood worms.
I also keep two different kinds of wood in the tank which I see the royals frequently rasping on: Malaysian and manzanita. They make quite a mess of the manzanita so be ready for that if you put it in.

I would get yours on food a lot sooner than later though. The eyes look a bit sunken which is a bad sign as far as plecos go. Check the belly to see if it is also concave (pushed in) as this is a sign of starvation. if your pleco is a shy eater, I find broccoli and green beans to be a pretty enticing food for shy plecos.
As far as housing goes, a 10 gallon will suffice for now since these grow extremely slow. But as stated above, these get well over a foot so the sooner you can upgrade, the better.

OMG THANK YOU! Everything you said has been super helpful I really appreciate it! ?