flatfish

what was it sold as: a small spot gold nugget or a flathead gold nugget?

Thanks mate. Great photo and a very nice fish. Has it got a yellow band all the way along the dorsal (top) fin or just on the tip.

I'm writing a couple of Aquarium World articles and am after a good image of a clown pleco (Panaque maccus) and a small spot gold nugget (Baryancistrus sp. L81). Has anyone got images that I could use (with acknowledgements) for the articles. It'd be nice to just pull them of the web but there are copyright issues doing that. And a big thanks to those that have helped out already with other images.

I should add that my royal is approaching 20 cm so a single algae wafer would be plenty if its small. If you want to see it feed during the day you'll probably need heaps of cover and low lighting otherwise it'll likely only feed when the lights are off at night. Try a range of veges. Mine quite likes kumara.

Mine has grown very quickly. Keep on persisting with the algae wafers. Mine eats plenty of them. Seems to prefer Hikari but will eat other brands. Give them heaps of cover (bogwood) as well as they are relatively shy. If you buy another one look for ones that are in good condition, i.e. eating well. They are sometimes imported a little on the skinny side.

I have mainly Panaques, including a reasonable sized Royal. All my plecos get fed in the late evening just before the lights turn off or just after. They will feed during the day but appear to feed mainly in the evening and at night. Their stable food is algae wafers (3 different brands), veges - mainly courgettes, and of course wood. Occasionally I give them small quantities of high protein foods (blood worms, shrimp, etc.) but only occasionally and in small quantities as their digestive system isn't designed to handle much of it. Your royal may take a shine to your plants, particularly swords if you have any, and the results wont be pretty. However sometimes they seem to leave them alone. Mine haven't touched Anubias, or Java fern, and I dont think they ate any crypt when I used to have it. Apparently royals can be fussy feeders (mine isn't) and can go off their food if they are intimidated by another fish. Give the royal at least one place to hide. Mine has taken up residence under a large piece of wood (the base of a small tree) with a large hollow underneath it.

Great shots guys. Very nice plecos. You have to weigh down the cucumber (or zuchini for that matter) to get it to sink. Spear it with a teaspoon (handle first) and that should do the trick. I use stainless staples that I got from smashing the handles of measuring spoons.

nice fish mate. goodluck with them.

nice fish goodluck with breeding them

thanks guys. yeah its definitely condensation. I dont use much in the way of lighting as the plecos dont light strong light. Maybe thats not helping.

Unfortunately had it a couple of years so might not be able to get a new hood. Might drill a small in corner and get a plug for it. Not ideal but it should work.

I have an Aquaone AR850 and water keeps on building up in the light hood. Its a pain unscrewing it and emptying out the water. Has anyone had problems like this before? Just wondering how I can fix it.

Another thing to consider and possibly unrelated is that although they appear armour-plated they have quite soft delicate bellies. That gravel looks like it'd be a little harsh on the stomach. It does look like theres some minor damage to the skin on the rear portion of the belly.

great news. :bounce: how many did she have?

excellent news Mr Pleco. :bounce: :bounce: Keep up the great work and hopefully you'll produce a few more females for all those Queen Arab males in the country. Nice to see another Hypancistrus being bred. Looks like well have a few Hypans in the country for at least a little while.

if it look like a climbing vine with leaves that taper to a pitcher on the end it will be a Nepenthes. http://www.pitcherplant.com/care_sheets ... _care.html if it looks like tapered pitchers with a lid on coming up from the base it will be a Sarracenia.

Look up Nepenthes on the net. If its a climbing rainforest type pitcher plant it'll be a Nepenthes. They are tropical, with highland and lowland species requiring different conditions. Some species and hybrids are relatively easy to keep.

Hi Sid, its most likely to be a clown pleco, Panaque maccus, as this species is small and fairly readily available. I guess you could say its a dwarf species compared to some of the larger more common plecos such as redspots or goldspots. Not sure why it hasn't grown much as it wouldn't need a very big tank anyway. I assume you've had some bogwood in the tank for it to graze on as all Panaques need it in their diet. Although apparently some of the pleco wafers contain it.

Not sure of sex. There are small odontodes in the tail starting to form. Only just picked it up so haven't spent any time looking.

Yeah I'd been told they were slow growing. This one has a very healthy appetite and is in great nick so you never know. I certainly wasn't expecting that sort of growth. Dixon - they can apparently grow over 30 cm, perhaps even to 40 cm. When they get big they are the shape of a football with a small tail so the best is yet to come

Thanks. :lol: I only have one royal. The first pic is of the juvenile patterning. As they grow the lines divide so they become more striped. The other pics are of the same fish getting the adult colour pattern. The fish is really quite docile compared to my other plecs but its certainly the boss of the tank. I can hold him on my hand easily and even with the other plecs they very rarely move.

What a difference a year makes. I've been away off and on for almost a year and a few friends have been fish-sitting. I picked some of my plecs today and was a little shocked by my goldline royal. In just over a year its grown from 11.5 cm to 18.5 cm. Hopefully it'll be well over 20 cm in another year. before after

sorry must be having a blonde moment. :lol: Getting confused with the L-numbers. The flash plecs (L204's) are all looking good and in great condition. They've been at my mates for a while as I've been overseas off and on for the best part of a year. I'll pick them up in a couple of weeks. Hopefully the smaller ones have matured up now and I'll have a few more adults. I've got a goldline royal in the same tank with them which I got out and measured last night. It's grown by 5 cm and is now almost 18 cm and looking stunning.

had my ups and downs with them. I've lost a couple and brought a couple more. Their challenging that's for sure and fairly stroppy. I've been away for several months overseas and are just starting to get back into it. A mate looked after your three while I was away for several months with mixed results but I now a small group including the fattest female I've seen and about 10 cm long.

Thanks for the info guys. I'll increase the protein a bit in their diets. They are certainly delicate and need very high water quality making them difficult to keep. They dont handle being stressed and seem to need their space when they start maturing. I have one female thats in very good nick and theres no doubt that shes a bully. Unfortunately if they fight and one gets stressed and sulks they fall over easily. I think they need more space than some of the other plecs. Flash plecs for example live in wood piles in the wild and seem more happy to live in a group.