My mate has jusy gone and bought a golden nugget pleco. Do these need any special care/needs or do they have the same needs as the common plec.

Also how big do the golden nuggets grow???

Congrats!! I love gold nuggets,but they're a little more delicate than a common pleco

They like a hard current and soft water, not real aggressive eaters so you'll need to make sure he gets his fair share of food. Try cucumber,zucchini or frozen bloodworms (squirted into the tank in a nice little pile on the gravel, I use a turkey baster for this and it works great )

I believe they get about 5-6 inches,not very big at all

Is he in the 12 gallon that's mentioned in your sig?

He's not in my tank, its my friends fish. He has got a 12 gallon as well with 6 red eye tetras and 3 clown loaches.

Would i be correct in saying that his 12 gallon is nowhere near big enough for 3 clown loaches??

when they grow up yes as i believe his tank shud be a 2 ft and the loaches get to 8"++ but i heard sometimes they grow pretty slowly but the tank will still be too small in time to come

Gold Nugget Pleco (L-18)
(Baryancistrus sp.)

Minimum Tank Size: 50 gallons
Care Level: Moderate
Tank Conditions: 73-79°F; pH 6.5-7.0; dH 8-10
Temperament: Peaceful
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 6"
Diet: Omnivore, Herbivore
Origin: South America
Family: Loricariidae


The name "Gold Nugget Pleco" is short for "Gold Nugget Plecostomus." It is a suckermouth catfish which was first captured and exported to Great Britain in 1981. Due to the abundance of stock available in the catfish category, it has become very difficult to categorize them by species. As a result, you may see a reference to the letter "L" for the family Loricariidae, followed by a number. The Gold Nugget Pleco is referred to as L018 or L-18 by most hobbyists.

The Gold Nugget Pleco is a shy bottom-dweller that appreciates plenty of driftwood in its environment.

Unfortunately, the Gold Nugget's breeding habits have not been documented.

Feeding the Gold Nugget Pleco is not difficult due to the fact that it is not picky. Feeding off the bottom of the tank, it gets most of its nutrition from left over food and algae. If there is no algae or left over food present, supplementing with high quality flake food, sinking carnivore pellets, and freeze-dried bloodworms and tubifex..

Ideal tank mates include: Angelfish, Discus and other Cichlids, Tetras, Barbs, Danios, Rasboras, Gouramis, Rainbowfish, Livebearers, Loaches, other Plecos and scavenger Catfish.