Oblivion

Is it common for a BN Pleco to show his spiky things from their sides? The spiky things are below its eyes. And what are they?

Dino

Those are suborbital spines.
Unlike the bristles, those are sharp and can cut you.
They are a defense mechanism.

It is common for them to puff them out from time to time.

Oblivion

Oh, okay, that make sense. When I spook him, he usually flares all his fins and those thingies. They don't look sharp but I'll take ya word for it.

Oblivion

I also noticed he looks kinda of goldish. Like he looks kinda shiny. Do I have some special BN or is this something they get when they get older?

Butterfly

Could we have a pic please ?
Heres an example of a really ticked off BN
Look what folowed me home from Dinos fish house.....
Carol

Oblivion

Nice pic.
I'll try to get a pic of him, he's inside one of the decors so I'll have to wait until he gets out. I'll try to describe it more. It's like his armor plates, on the edge of them, have like an orange sparkle. You can see it when you flash a light on him (flashlight). But you still can kinda see it if you look closely without the light. It's quite pretty actually.

Butterfly

Sounds very pretty. Were the bristles on the side similar to what you were describing ?
Carol

Oblivion

Yes, exactly what I was talking about. I find it hard that those things can cut ya because they look soft like his bristles...but I don't want to find out the hard way.

Butterfly

They almost feel like fingernail texture and stiffnes. I've not been cut by them (knock on wood ) but I have raked my fingers on them and they do feel different.
carol

Oblivion

Hm...interesting, I'm waiting for him to come out so I can take pics.

Oblivion

Here are the pics of the orange sparkle thingies...I had to use a LED flashlight for them to show up.

Attached Images

BN Pleco 2.jpg (111.1 KB, 11 views)

Coryd55

Thats kinda cool looking. Mine flared up really bad one time I shined a flashlight in the tank at about midnight and he got super super mad. Everything flared up. Spines, fins, everything....It was kinda scary lol

Oblivion

I don't know what it is but is sure is pretty. Orange sparkly Pleco...

Butterfly

Maybe he's all dressed for christmas
carol

Oblivion

LOL! Well he's still working on the Christmas colors