Holy heck, it has been almost 2 years since I have added anything to this thread. SOOOOOO, here goes.
All of the Plecos I wrote about above are still alive and doing quite well. My L240 (Vampire) and the L114 (Leopard Cactus x3) are all growing much faster than the others. They are about 7" give or take.
@DMD123 the green phantom I got from you is still doing great. I have 2 others and all 3 I find once in a while jostling around arguing over food. Since 2022 I have added another L024, and a very small L600. I have not seen the 600 in a while so I am hoping that it is just hiding really well and is growing nicely.
2 months ago I attempted to order a few Plecos directly from Brazil. Some very rare Plecos that I have been wanting for a while. Another L600 but with more orange in the fins, L024 Scarlet Red, L025 Scarlet Red, another L014, L095 and 2x L082. It has been a stressful process. I just received a message that the flight has been booked. I am still vey skeptical but we shall see. I hope that it all does work out and it is just a lengthy process. I would love to buy more directly from the source without the insane mark-ups from the dealers here in the U.S. Lets take the L025 Scarlet Red for example. To buy here in the states one at 5" is about $400, I paid $40. Even if the final shipping payment for just that 1 fish is $200, I still saved a lot.
So we shall see.
I have tons of vids and pics I will have to update here on the thread.