golden plecostomus

The golden plecostomus, scientific name Hypostomus luteus, belongs to the family Loricariidae (Shell catfish). The catfish is native to South America. It is found in the upper basin of the Uruguay River in the southern states of Brazil.

Inhabits sections of rivers with a moderate or fast flow. It lives at the bottom among snags and flooded trees.

Description

Adult individuals reach a length of up to 40 cm. The fish have a massive body covered with hard bone plates. The head is large, the eyes are located on the top of the head, and the mouth is shifted to the back. Similar morphological features are inherent in all Plecostomuses and allow the catfish to simultaneously look out for danger and feed, collecting food particles from the bottom. Wide fins have sharp spikes, which are modified first rays.

Coloration is variable and depends on age. Young fish are painted black with a pattern of yellow specks and yellow fins. As they grow older, the mottled pattern disappears, the black color gradually fades and lighter shades begin to appear through it. At the third stage, the catfish is painted in a solid golden color.

Behavior and Compatibility

Adult catfish show territorial behavior, so they should be kept alone. Otherwise, everyone will need to provide enough space at the bottom, which implies the purchase of a large aquarium. Young individuals are calmer and can be in a group.

Catfish demonstrate similar behavior not only towards relatives, but also towards other bottom species. Good compatibility is achieved with fish living in the water column or near the surface.

Brief information:

• The volume of the aquarium – from 250 liters.
• Temperature – 19-24°C
• Value pH — 6.0–7.5
• Water hardness – 5–15 dGH
• Substrate type — stony
• Lighting – moderate
• Brackish water – no
• Water movement – light or moderate
• The size of the fish is about 40 cm.
• Nutrition – vegetable feed
• Temperament – conditionally peaceful
• Content alone or in a group

Maintenance and care, arrangement of the aquarium

The optimal dimensions for one adult Golden Plecostomus start at 250 liters. In the design, a gravel substrate is used, on which large boulders and snags are placed.

It feeds on vegetation, for this reason it is not necessary to use aquatic plants in the design.

Being from flowing reservoirs, the catfish reacts badly to the excessive accumulation of organic waste, which it produces in large quantities. When keeping, it is important to replace part of the water weekly (30–40% of the volume) with fresh water and equip the aquarium with a productive filtration system.

Unlike most related species that live in the tropical and subequatorial zone, this catfish lives in a cooler environment. A comfortable temperature is considered to be around 19-24°C.

Food

You will need to provide a large amount of plant food. These can be specialized feed for herbivorous fish in the form of briquettes, tablets, gels, as well as fresh pieces of vegetables and fruits fixed at the bottom. The surface of the driftwood is a suitable environment for the natural growth of algae, which will become an additional source of food.