Shy pleco :(

[flatfish]

I thought goldspot plecos were probably the third most commonly available in NZ behind bristlenoses and red spots so I'm also surprised at the confusion.

Yeah having a blonde moment. Must be an age thing. I know exactly what a gold spot is but for some reason couldn't place it at the time.

Your right about it being reasonably common. Gold spots (Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus) are rarer than common plecos (mainly P. pardalis), and red spot plecos (P. gibbiceps) but still reasonably common. Its a beautiful fish though and doesn't grow quite as large as the other two species.

As for getting another one. The do grow large and when its an adult it would need a fairly big tank and may be a little stroppy with other plecos, but in the short term if your tanks a reasonable size it wouldn't be a problem. I'd personally get a bristlenose (GBA or normal) as they dont grow large and are a nice looking easy to keep pleco.

[Ira]

I think common plecos are actually less common than gold or redspots. I don't remember seeing any in a while.

My Goldspot is only about 2-3" shorter than my redspot and is about 3 years old vs 6-7. So they don't grow that much smaller.

[flatfish]

I think common plecos are actually less common than gold or redspots. I don't remember seeing any in a while.

My Goldspot is only about 2-3" shorter than my redspot and is about 3 years old vs 6-7. So they don't grow that much smaller.

Hi Ira, You may well be right, although the chocolate or chocolate albino plecos which were commonly available as juveniles recently are an amelanistic form (they lack melanin or black pigment) of common pleco. I suspect that red spots are the most commonly available sailfin pleco at the moment.

As for maximum size, I owned a red spot a few years ago that was 45 cm long (I grew it on from a juvenile in a six foot tank). The reported maximum size for gold spots is 30 cm and I personally haven't seen any much bigger than that.