What sort of rubber/rubberlip/bulldog/help pleco do I have?

[Epiphanaea]

Juvenile, about two inches, eating algae, most active 8-9PM even though I have my lighting turn off ~9PM), hides most of the day but darts around and latches on to random stuff like a crazy little adorable weirdo for that active period.  

Bought for a heavily planted 40g that otherwise houses two fancy goldfish and some snails, mostly small - supposed to reach ~5” but the more I look at its little not-spotted snout the more I think it may have been misidentified and may get bigger.  Help?

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Welcome to the forum! 

Could be chubby pleco?

Edited June 13, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

From aqua-imports.com:

Goldfish need cold water, and the pleco needs tropical water temps.  Might not make good tankmates due to the temperature requirements?  The goldfish should really not be kept above 74 degrees max.

Edited June 13, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Biotope Biologist]

That is in fact a ‘rubber-lip pleco’ although kind of like hillstream loaches we use that as an umbrella term to describe the genus Chaetostoma. I think there are something like 20 species of Chaetostoma currently in the hobby.
 

I believe yours to be Chaetostoma milesi which do have variations in patterning between juvenile and adulthood. To make matters more confusing of course.

[Epiphanaea]

On 6/13/2023 at 11:17 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Welcome to the forum! 

Could be chubby pleco?

Thanks for the welcome!  
 

😳on the pleco - I hope not, they get to 8”!  I don’t think it’s so wide of head?

[Epiphanaea]

On 6/13/2023 at 11:50 AM, Biotope Biologist said:

That is in fact a ‘rubber-lip pleco’ although kind of like hillstream loaches we use that as an umbrella term to describe the genus Chaetostoma. I think there are something like 20 species of Chaetostoma currently in the hobby.
 

I believe yours to be Chaetostoma milesi which do have variations in patterning between juvenile and adulthood. To make matters more confusing of course.

I like this answer better!  I guess I’ll have to wait and see.  It’s a cute critter but I don’t have room for another 40g.

[Biotope Biologist]

Plecos in general are a giant headache of a taxonomy especially for hobbyists. You can’t even trust the L number system because it gets changed so much. 
 

And well the most extensive research is of course in Spanish and Portuguese so you either learn the language or hope google translate decides to work that day!

 

But I digress, you have quite the cute pleco and it appears to be living its best life!