Have they been changing stuff on the Pleco info as well???

[Magnum Man73 188]

so I have an L018 Gold Nugget Pleco... & have been trying to find him some friends... at one listing I saw this

"These fish require extremely high temperatures to survive – From 82°F to 86°F. Please do not purchase this fish unless you have a tank that is being run at that high of a temperature!"

I had not seen that on my previous research on this fish... so I hit Seriously Fish...

Baryancistrus xanthellus (Gold Nugget Pleco)

The gold nugget pleco, Baryancistrus xanthellus, is a suckermouth catfish endemic to the rio Xingu basin in Pará state, Brazil. It lives in whitewater rapids in the Volta Grande do rio Xingu, between Belo Monte falls and the mouth of the rio Iriri. Before its description it was traded as L018...

www.seriouslyfish.com

... they are saying temps from 81 degrees F. to 90 degree F.

I'm sure I have looked at lots of info on these guys before, but, they must have updated recently

My tank is fortunately "warm, at 81-82... how warm do I dare take my tank to with assorted South American Tetras, that share the tank with my current Gold Nugget???

 

[GaryE33 32]

You like to look for fish that don't have a long history in the hobby. It's often not so much changing stuff as learning stuff. I'll take a wild guess and say the experience of actually keeping these once rarer than rare species has taught aquarists something.

We usually start out playing with temperature, and often learn the hard way. It's like we do with water hardness. People figure 'catfish' need whatever lower temperature, and since B xanthelus is a catfish, it'll do. If "it'll doesn't", and someone records that, the knowledge gets attached to the fish.

Then, like with rams or discus, a bunch of aquarists ignore the info and the fish have shorter lives. There's no getting around that.

I was looking at Baryancistrus xanthelus last week, and talked myself out of them because I don't heat tanks that high.

However, I noticed there's debate about Baryancistrus, and a belief some fish were parked in that Genus until further studies could be done. So changes will probably come.

 

[Magnum Man73 188]

Mine has been thriving for 2 years between 80-82 degrees... I was just thinking he might want a buddy or two...

I think I'll try bumping the heat up a degree or two, just to be on the safe side... but don't want to get too hot for the tetras

 

[GaryE33 32]

At 81f, that tank should get pasta thrown into it. Well, okay, I get a little carried away. I doubt one degree will matter. It might for breeding, but for keeping, probably not.

I'm a celsius guy, not a Foreignhot one, but I avoid the warm water fish. Energy costs plus condensation in winter with a lot of tanks. I stay with low seventies tanks and species. I like that species to look at though.

 

[Magnum Man73 188]

my 2 - 55 gallon tanks side by side in my group, the one on the left South American Tetras, the one on the right Hillstreams... left tank is just over 80 degrees F. & the one on the right is just over 70 degrees F. a quarter inch, & worlds apart...

 

[GaryE33 32]

my 2 - 55 gallon tanks side by side in my group, the one on the left South American Tetras, the one on the right Hillstreams... left tank is just over 80 degrees F. & the one on the right is just over 70 degrees F. a quarter inch, & worlds apart..

If you notice them half an inch apart next year, and 3/4 the year after, it's just continental drift and plate tectonics.

 

[MaloK1]

At that temperature Gold nuggets can be turned in Gold bars.

 

[GaryE33 32]

People who like them should learn to breed them. Their habitat is going down the tube, and they'll probably go with it. They're fine at the moment, but when the dams go in for hydro-electric, a lot of Loracarids are going to become old photos.

 

[TwoTankAmin61]

@Magnum Man

Your pleco comes from the same area of the Volta Grande aka the Bid Bend of the Rio Xingu as do most of the plecos I have bred starting with zebras. I have kept them from about 82 to 86 normally. But when I had to run a dry/rainy season simulation to try and nudge them into spawning at the peak of the dry season I had the temp. at 92F. Normally I had them between 82 and 86F

Here is a link to a vid shot by Leandro Sousa (whom I have been lucky to meet and chat some with at CatCon) of your fish in the wild by him, with info. He maintains a facility on the shores of the Xingu for research purposes. Sorry it is in Portuguese, there are English sub-titles.


He is a Pd.D. professor and one of the worlds greatest experts on the the fish in the Xingu and many other places. For me being able to talk with him at CatCon in 2022 about the Big Bend and the Hypancistrus that I had worked with was certainly one of the highlights of my 23+ years of keeping fish. The last 18 of those years have had a focus on breeding plecos from he Big Bend.

I have always wanted a gold nugget and and L14 also from the Xingu. I never had the space to put them in especially since I would have wanted a few of each. Yours looks lovely.

 

[Ceez]

I have my big spot in 80⁰ water and he's done excellent. Smallest pleco in the tank but the biggest a-hole of them all. He likes to chase my 9" watermelon pleco around. He's close to 5" +/- now had him close to 3 years.

I would tend to agree with Chris about temp though because of where they come from but mine has done just fine at 80⁰

 

[Magnum Man73 188]

The set point on my digital heater is 81 degrees currently, with the decimals running the range from upper 80’s to upper 81’s, so I guess I got lucky that way, I think I’ll leave well enough alone, as far as temperatures…

My Nugget is around 4 inches, which seems mid size, but hasn’t really grown much at all, over the last 2 years… it is the only Pleco in the tank, along with my oldest Zebra Oto… I’m thinking about adding 2 more Nuggets, if and when I can… all the tetras seem to be thriving in this tank, at the current temperature range, so hopefully the Nuggets will to… they are a fish I’d like to breed someday, when life slows down a little…

 

[Magnum Man73 188]

My order was accepted for 2 - 018,s, sized between 2-3 inches inches… hopefully it goes through, and they actually have them

 

[Magnum Man73 188]

My two new Gold Nuggets are supposed to be here Tuesday…
I’m hoping my 2 year veteran takes a shining to one of them..

 

[anewbie]

I believe that younger fishes are more sensitive and require warmer temps then when they age; then there is the seasonal aspect and breeding. I would think at 81 degree young ones are going to have a harder time - also these are not social creatures. At best your veteran will ignore the new commers.
-
When i chatted with folks at wetspot they suggest that anything under 86 for young gold nuggets is throwing money away.

 

[Magnum Man73 188]

I had bumped up the temperature to 82 degrees, the other day, I bumped it up to 83 degrees tonight… maybe the additional heat is why the raccoon males were trying to breed with the pristella’s???
I’ll be watching the other fish, and if they seem alright, may continue to work it up another degree or so…