TROPICAL
Please could give me some info on keeping a golden nugget pleco in my Juwel 450 aquarium and whether it would get on with my other fish? I have a shoal of 20 or so lemon tetras and about the same number of harlequins, which I think will be okay, but I’m less sure about the adult angelfish I moved across from my 120cm set-up when I upgraded. He’s boss of the tank and while he doesn’t visibly bully any of the other fish, he sure knows his place. Other than that, I have seven bronze corys as well.
The tank has been set up for about six months. It has a reasonable flow from the Juwel filter supplied with the tank and I’ve added an additional Eheim Biopower 240 filter this last week. The temperature is 24°C and decor is just Anubias and Java fern on bogwood. I’m thinking of buying an 8-10in ‘tiddler’ to grow on as the sole pleco. Any thoughts would be welcome, positive or otherwise.
DAN BARKER
BOB SAYS: There are several different fish sold under the common name of golden nugget pleco, all hailing from the Rio Xingu in Brazil. The majority are various regional variations of Baryancistrus xanthellus but have been given different ‘L’ numbers depending on the size or density of their characteristic yellow spots. ‘L’ numbers are a way of identifying loricariid catfish that, when first imported, hadn’t been formally described scientifically.
These are fish from clear, fast-flowing waters and do best when this is replicated for them in the aquarium. They prefer a slightly higher temperature than your tank is currently at, only by a degree or so, and that increase should be no problem for your other stock.
They are notorio
