The Best Algae Eating Fish for Aquariums: Golden Cloud Pleco

The Best Algae Eating Fish for Aquariums: Golden Cloud Pleco – The Scobinancistrus genera have an unusual dentition. They've 3 to 4 teeth in each half of the upper jaw and also the same in the lower jaw. Similar to Scobinancistrus pariolispos and may be a variant of this species.

Photo copyright from planetcatfish.com 

The Best Algae Eating Fish for Aquariums: Golden Cloud Pleco

As juveniles, these fish may be kept in little groups but as they mature they'll become territorial in the tank. Scobinancistrus pariolispos adding floating plants will even create shading spots and add wood or rocks to create hiding places, favor subdued lighting.

A really similar (possibly identical) form can be exported from the Rio Xingu and under the identity of L048. As you cannot tell them apart from photos, we've lumped the two together here. Although, beyond distribution, we have yet to see any reason why they are not all S. pariolispos, we've taken the conservative view with their identification.

Aquarium Care

This fish is an ideal addition to a sizeable 5ft. or finished aquarium including such fish as South American cichlids, discus and angelfish, only as long as the other occupants are not too competitive and can resist the higher water temperatures, but they'll get visibly territorial as they grow.

Typical size in fish tanks: 23 - 30 cm (9.06 - 11.81 inch)

014

Recommended pH range for the species: 6.4 - 7.6

Recommended water hardness (dGH): 5 - 19°N (89.29 - 339.29ppm)

The manner how these fish copy: Spawning

Where the species comes from: South America

Nature to its own species: peaceful

Usual area in the tank: Bottom amounts

Food and feeding

Supply Gold cloud pleco’s with a staple diet of quality flake or sinking pellets but they will relish treats of brine shrimp and blood worms. For extra vegetable matter add spinach and cucumber to the tank. Readily accepts a mixed and varied diet which includes sinking foods such as frozen bloodworm, catfish pellets and every other high quality foods which sink to the substrate. These catfish additionally possess a taste to feed upon more meaty foods such as for instance prawns, mussels and dead fish.

Suggested Tankmates

Suitable as angelfish tank pleco or a discus. Also OK with South American cichlids - a good strategy to brighten any oscar tank up - but mightn't do well with Central American cichlids due to their temperature requirements that are slightly lower. Perfect with rainbow fish should you not mind busting the biotope mould.

Furniture

Sandy or little pea-formed gravel with groups of round stones and no or few plants best copies this natural habitat that is fishes. If keeping with plecos that are similarly sized, order the aquarium to ensure there are a lot of hiding places and multiple feeding regions to diffuse feeding time 'focus'.

Sexing

Males grow larger. Males develop a more 'bristled' appearance that, in the light being reflected off the fish, can glow in certain light. The leading edge of the leading pectoral fin ray also becomes somewhat spiny in mature males.

Breeding

As yet unreported. Being certainly one of the bigger plecos the care of a breeding colony remains the largest challenge - breeding would appear to be a problem of scale.