Golden Spotted Pleco

[ky*weremiej]

Hi Guys,
 
I am very interested in getting some golden spotted pleco, can they be alone or do I need a pair ?
 
                                                                 

 

[PlecostomusPerson]

Well if you're talking about the Golden Nugget Plecostomus, L-018, Baryancistrus? The Baryancistrus family are very territorial and I would not recommend any of them to a beginner, they require frequent water changes and 5+ feeding everyday.

 

[PlecostomusPerson]

I did a little more research over the internet, and the gold nugget would eat off the leftovers, I think 1-2 pleco pellets would be good, depending on size

 

[ky*weremiej]

Well I am going to get one but like I said I just want to know if they are best alone or not, my water is crystal clear and the conditions are perfect in both my tanks
I change 50 % every 48 hours from my 40 litre and 25% from my 190 litre, I am just in the process of pluming them into my house so water changes mean nothing to me its just like feeding my cat and dog in the morning or mucking out the horses, I appreciate any concern of yours but I am a very proud pet owner / animal lover so getting an animal or fish that is a challenge is kind of exciting, plus them guys look fantastic.

I did a little more research over the internet, and the gold nugget would eat off the leftovers, I think 1-2 pleco pellets would be good, depending on size

well I was going to start of with one and see how he goes then maybe add another.

 

[PlecostomusPerson]

Alright well I am hoping it turns out well. Nice to see a fellow Pleco person.

 

[Sophie]

I have one myself - as they are wild imported you need to ask your LFS how long they have been there and if the water conditions are similar to yours otherwise you run the risk of trying to acclimate them. Thankfully mine had been there for around 6 months and was very much used to my hard water.
One is the best number to have and they are omnivores probably leaning more towards the meaty side of things. Your tank needs to be at minimum 6 months or older as they feed on the biofilm around the tank - obviously this isn't enough to sustain them so bloodworms seem to be a favourite for mine. That and New Era Plec Pellets.
They are mostly nocturnal - I am lucky to see mine out during feeding time. That and he has a 'hiding' spot that he thinks I can't see him but in fact he is in clear view so if you want a friendly plec then you'll be disappointed as they are very shy Beautiful though.
Also very sensitive to nitrates.. I would highly recommend leaving your tank longer to mature. They aren't cheap.

 

[ky*weremiej]

Alright well I am hoping it turns out well. Nice to see a fellow Pleco person.

Thanks, I will get back with a pic when I get one this weekend, i
 

I have one myself - as they are wild imported you need to ask your LFS how long they have been there and if the water conditions are similar to yours otherwise you run the risk of trying to acclimate them. Thankfully mine had been there for around 6 months and was very much used to my hard water.
One is the best number to have and they are omnivores probably leaning more towards the meaty side of things. Your tank needs to be at minimum 6 months or older as they feed on the biofilm around the tank - obviously this isn't enough to sustain them so bloodworms seem to be a favourite for mine. That and New Era Plec Pellets.
They are mostly nocturnal - I am lucky to see mine out during feeding time. That and he has a 'hiding' spot that he thinks I can't see him but in fact he is in clear view so if you want a friendly plec then you'll be disappointed as they are very shy

Beautiful though.
Also very sensitive to nitrates.. I would highly recommend leaving your tank longer to mature. They aren't cheap.

Thanks for the info, my large tank is new  but the substrate and most of the filter is from a 3 year old tank so my tank is cycled already and is showing me good conditions so would you recommend waiting or trying one now ? 

 

[Sophie]

It may be fully cycled but the biofilm (slime coating on the inside tank glass) has had no time to establish itself.
What is good conditions? I read somewhere it's showing all zero - in an established tank needs some trace of nitrate. Again I personally would leave it at least a month or two just to make sure things are settled. But it's upto you..

EDIT: Apologies for the lame English - had little to zero sleep!

 

[ky*weremiej]

It may be fully cycled but the biofilm (slime coating on the inside tank glass) has had no time to establish itself.
What is good conditions? I read somewhere it's showing all zero - in an established tank needs some trace of nitrate. Again I personally would leave it at least a month or two just to make sure things are settled. But it's upto you..

EDIT: Apologies for the lame English - had little to zero sleep!

Thanks for the advice nitrate goes between 0 ppm to 0.25 ppm, but I will leave it for a few months if that's best for them because I scrubbed the tank clear before I set it up. Thanks for the help again lol
 
ps English is fine.

 

[Sophie]

Pleasure - it'll be worth the wait, promise

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Recheck your ideas about gold nuggets and their dietary needs- they are Aufwuchs feeders. Somewhere on this site I have potsed a quote about their dietary needs from Ingo Seidel's Back to Nature Guide to L catfish. Search for it.
 
There are also two different plecos sold under the common name gold nugget: Baryancistrus xanthellus L018 (max. size under 10 inches) 
and Baryancistrus sp. L081 (max size just over 7 inches). The following is the dietary needs of both from Planetcatfish:

 
These fish are grazers, but not in the sense that they eat only vegetation. They actually sift and chew at the film of organic matter on hard surfaces in search of higher protein foods. In the wild this would constitute mainly of algae and vegetable matter, but with a variety of foods from small insect larvae and crustaceans to other animals eggs. With this in mind, a largely vegetarian diet, cucumber and courgette appear on the accepted menu, with treats of frozen foods such as bloodworm and blackworm, along with frozen prawns. Algae and plants are avoided. Accepted food morsel size changes with age in all of these fish. Best results are obtained by offer these foods in a paste. The very long intestine of these fishes indicates a biology adapted to breaking down food high in vegetable content.

from http/www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=153

 

[Sophie]

I was close !
At least I knew it wasn't algae they ate

 

[ky*weremiej]

I like to keep my tanks clear and clean so I scrub the algae of things in a bucket full of water that I drain from the tank, I am defiantly going to get one so thank you all for the advice I am going to wait a few months and do my research from now till then, I have also read that they like driftwood is this true ?

 

[Sophie]

I'm sure wood is a big part of a lot of plecs digestion - this certainly applies to the Bristlenose. I would say it applies to the Gold Nugget also but TTA will confirm either way.
.. Bogwood that is. Not sure of other wood types.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Many plecos rasp on wood. But, more often than not, they are not after the wood but rather what is living on the surface.
 
Wood eating plecos include Cochliodon, Panaque and Panaqolus.