Parancistrus auranticus

Parancistrus aurantiacus, scientific name Parancistrus aurantiacus, belongs to the family Loricariidae (Mail catfish). Also known by the colloquial name – “Chubby” plecostomus. The fact is that in most Plecostomuses the shape of the head is wedge-shaped, and in this case its profile (when viewed from above) is rounded.

Habitat

The catfish is native to South America. In nature, it inhabits the upper basin of the Amazon River (Ucayali River in Peru) and its right tributaries, such as the Tocantins and Xingu in Brazil. It occurs everywhere in places with rich aquatic vegetation among snags.

Description

Adult individuals reach a length of about 20 cm. In addition to the shape of the head, as mentioned above, this catfish is characterized by “armor” from rows of bone plates covering the entire body. The fins are large with thickened first rays, which are sharp spikes, which are additionally dotted with many sharp spines.

The main color is plain grey. However, in some cases, Parancistrus auranticus is able to become completely golden, and then return to its usual appearance. According to researchers, such color metamorphoses are the result of finding fish in an unsuitable habitat. Therefore, the golden color will indicate that the fish is experiencing negative effects of external conditions, for example, poor water quality, lack of oxygen, or it is going through the acclimatization stage.

Behavior and Compatibility

Relatively peaceful. At a young age, they get along well with relatives, but as they grow older, they will need their own territory. With a lack of space and a lack of food resources, skirmishes are possible. In the conditions of a spacious aquarium, they can successfully get along with many other fish, although territorial species should be selected with care. A good choice would be the inhabitants of the middle and upper layer of water.

Brief information:

• The volume of the aquarium – from 200 liters.
• Temperature – 22-27°C
• Value pH — 5.5–7.0
• Water hardness – 2–12 dGH
• Substrate type – any
• Lighting – subdued
• Brackish water – no
• Water movement is weak
• The size of the fish is about 20 cm.
• Nutrition – plant-based feed
• Temperament – conditionally peaceful, with a lack of space, skirmishes for territory are possible
• Keeping alone in small tanks or in groups in large tanks

Maintenance and care, arrangement of the aquarium

The optimal size of the aquarium for one adult catfish starts from 200 liters. In the design, the main emphasis is on the lower tier. At the bottom, it is recommended to place a lot of natural snags and provide places for shelters, for example, artificial grottoes, caves. Considering the vegetarian diet of the Chubby Plecostomus when planting an aquarium, it is worth using hard-leaved plant species, for example, anubias, vallisneria, various aquatic ferns, for example, Thai, etc.

Prefer subdued lighting levels. They do not respond well to overflow. For this reason, it is worth adjusting the operation of the filters to avoid strong water movement.

For long-term maintenance, it is important to provide a stable habitat, which can be achieved through regular maintenance of the aquarium and timely maintenance of equipment.

Food

The basis of the diet is to a greater extent algae, plants and other plant organic matter, and to a lesser extent various invertebrates. In a home aquarium, sinking dry food based on plant components, spirulina in various forms (flakes, granules, tablets, etc.), pieces of vegetables and fruits (cucumber, zucchini, apple, spinach, etc.) should be served. As a supplement, the usual universal sinking dry food, fresh or frozen bloodworm, pieces of shrimp, mussels are suitable.