{"product_id":"red-spotted-sailfin-pleco","title":"Red Spotted Sailfin Pleco","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe red spotted sailfin pleco (\u003cem\u003ePterygoplichthys gibbiceps\u003c\/em\u003e) is a large Amazonian suckermouth catfish with a bold leopard pattern of dark blotches over a tan body, and an enormous fan-shaped dorsal fin that it raises like a sail when it moves. It is an impressive animal. It is also one that gets sold far too often to people whose tanks cannot hold it, so we would rather be direct about that up front.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAquarium care\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGrows very large. Adults commonly reach 40 cm or more.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNeeds a genuinely large aquarium, measured in hundreds of litres, not tens.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduces a great deal of waste; heavy filtration and large water changes are required.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeaceful towards other fish, though adults may squabble with other large plecos.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLargely herbivorous: algae wafers, blanched vegetables and driftwood to rasp on.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBottom-dweller, most active in the evening.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe adult size is the whole story with this fish. At 40 cm or more it is beyond what most home aquariums can hold, so it belongs only in a very large cichlid or monster-fish tank, and never in a standard community aquarium. Buy it for the animal it becomes, not the one in the bag. If you want an algae eater for a tank under about 200 litres, a bristlenose pleco is the fish you actually want.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSailfin plecos must never be released into the wild, into a pond, or into any lake, river, ditch or storm drain.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003ePterygoplichthys\u003c\/em\u003e plecos have become established and damaging in warm regions around the world after being let go by aquarists. If you can no longer house the fish, bring it back to us or pass it on to another keeper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStock rotates with each shipment, and livestock is sold for local pickup at our Lethbridge store. Browse the current \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/pleco\"\u003eplecos\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tank Pets","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44103141228744,"sku":"99290","price":29.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0659\/9724\/2568\/files\/photocomingsoon_8e1fc0ab-fe7c-4c7a-9db8-2e7f196ce92c.jpg?v=1736456325","url":"https:\/\/www.tropicalfishimports.com\/products\/red-spotted-sailfin-pleco","provider":"Tropical Fish Imports ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}