Caring For Redfin Cactus Pleco, Mango Pleco & Sunshine Pleco

Hey Fellow Fish Keepers!

We hope this past weekend went great for all of you.

A newly arrived batch of rare plecos that many of you have been asking for have finally arrived again over this past weekend.  The L24 Redfin Cactus Pleco, the L47 Mango Pleco and the L14 Sunshine Pleco.

The L024 Pleco is one gorgeous plecostomus with awesome coloration that range between yellow to light green.  These beautiful plecos are known to be a bit more shy and can be seen hiding in their caves or underneath driftwood.  But as each fish differs in personality, this can vary because we’ve kept a number of Redfins and some are more “extroverted” than usual.  As a cousin to the L25 Red Scarlet Pleco, they are just as beautiful but are usually just half the price in comparison to its counterpart.  As with most rare plecos, pH and water conditions need to be kept up very well.  pH of between 6.0-7.4 is required for the Redfin Pleco and good filtration as they are sensitive to ammonia and nitrite.

The L047 Pleco is one fish that isn’t hard to miss when you walk past an aquarium (if it isn’t hiding at least)!  Having a particular lime green body and yellow tipped caudal and dorsal fins makes this plecostomus unique.  Also known as the Magnum Pleco, they can grow up to about 11 inches or so.  They can do well within community fish tanks but ensure that good filtration like with other plecos.  They require good aeration along with natural accents (this fish is wild-caught) such as live plants and driftwood.  pH of 6.5-7.5 will suffice for the Mango Pleco.

The L14 Pleco is easily distinguished by its brightly colored body.  Typically having olive to brown coloration and fins that range from a yellow to orange, it is covered with yellow spots around the dark colored areas of its body.  The Sunshine Pleco (or Goldie/Goldy if you prefer that name) is known to prefer a carnivorous diet.  We typically feed them a variety of foods but they simply love to chow down on live or frozen bloodworms from what we notice.  Algae wafers can also be accepted as long as you don’t spoil it too much on one particular food.  The Sunshine Pleco is known to grow to a large size of up to 16 inches so they are a definite “monster pleco” in comparison to other rare plecos in the hobby (we have 2 large sized ones ourselves).  A pH of 5.0-7.5 will suffice and good filtration is a must!

We hope you find this to be helpful towards your decision in finding the right pleco for your tank.  Whether you’re a beginner to fish keeping or an extreme plecostomus enthusiasts, these beautiful fish are a pleasure to keep and will bring you joy, as the satisfaction of having them outweights the cons of the extra upkeep.

Stay tuned with us on ​Facebook or ​Instagram (or ​Google Plus) for more updates to our fish stock and other fish keeping tips and advice!

Happy Fish Keeping,

Roger Ma
​​Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Aside

L014 Sunshine Pleco (Scobinancistrus aureatus)

We can’t believe this year is flying back quick!  It is already April and summer is just around the corner.

We got in some L14 Goldie Plecos (Sunshine Pleco) again, which are some of the rarest plecos out there.  Perfect for you pleco collectors and rare fish enthusiasts.

This gorgeous plecostomus is brown in color (can be olive in color as well), with yellow spots that cover the body.  As they are smaller in size, the fins are more orange and fades away as it grows larger.    Coming from Brazil, it requires a particular pH level (6.0-7.4) and is prone to stress from changes in it’s environment.  An efficient filtration system is required to keep this pleco in good health and happy!

Like other plecos, it is an omnivore but the Goldie loves a carnivorous diet.  Provide live or frozen foods.  Soft wood is also great to have in the tank.

The Goldie does well in a tank with Discus or Angelfish as they all require pristine water conditions.  It’ll add some variation to your aquarium and makes an excellent show fish that many of your fellow fish keepers will envy!

 

Continue to follow us on Instagram and FaceBook for updates on our fish stock and specials!

Happy Fish Keeping,

Roger Ma
Pet Zone Tropical Fish

 

 

Best Pleco Fish Photo Contest!

​Hey everyone,

Show off your gorgeous #Pleco! Our photo contest starts tonight and ends on Monday, March 10th at 11:59 pm PST.
Simply like our Facebook page (​Facebook.com/PetZoneSD), upload your picture on our page and hashtag #PetZoneSD. Prizes will be given to the 3 lucky winner (sinking algae wafers)!

Pictures can be posted either on ​Facebook or ​Instagram (@petzone)!

Note that only one picture will be allowed per participant to make things fair. And it must be your fish.

Good luck everyone, we are looking forward to seeing your gorgeous plecos!

P.S. – Don’t forget to hashtag #PetZoneSD and like our page!

-Roger
​Pet Zone Tropical Fish