The Gold Nugget Plecostomus: No Tropical Fish Tank Should Be Without One!

The Gold Nugget Plecostomus is a member of the Loricariidae family which groups the sucker mouth catfish, known as Plecostomus, or "pleco" for short. This particular species of suckermouth cat hails from the Rio Xingu and Rio Iriri rivers of Brazil, South America. The Gold Nugget pleco is a very popular species of suckermouth cats due to its gorgeous coloration and pattern. Its availability and hardiness are also favorable factors that go without saying in the popularity and addition of this cat in numerous tropical and African Cichlid tanks.

The Gold Nugget Pleco is a shy bottom-dwelling catfish that has a"sucker" mouth for attaching itself to glass, driftwood and rocks in search of various foods, such as algae. The Gold Nugget will do best being offered different staple foods, not just vegetable matter. They will feed upon brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, cyclops and daphnia, flake food and pelletized foods which will offer bottom dwelling fish a better chance of finding food without the faster, more efficient fish of the pelagic areas of your tank consuming the food before the bottom dwelling fish have a chance. As I mentioned above, algae is a big part of a suckermouth catfishes diet and you will often find these fish always on the prowl in search of food while keeping your decorations and glass free of nuisance algae.

Gold Nuggets rarely grow larger than 6 inches in length. They are beautifully colored and patterned. For the most part their body is a light or dark brown color with contrasting and vibrant gold/yellow spots all over its body, with the obvious yellow dorsal fin and caudal fin tips being solid yellow. the colors of this fish will fade at night time, under stress or in sick individuals, so keep this in mind when purchasing one of the beauties, or viewing your Gold Nugget at different times.

These fish are very timid, shy creatures, that will do best with numerous hiding spaces and replication as close to its natural environment. Driftwood, rock caves and plants should be set up strategically to ensure that your Gold Nugget will feel as close to home as possible to bring out its true colors and behavior.

As far as water parameter requirements are concerned, it is essential to maintain a proper temperature range of 73-79 degrees F. A pH of 6.5-7.0 is also ideal for both their reproduction and long term success in a captive environment. Maintaining a high dissolved oxygen level is also critical not only for the bottom dwellers but any living animal in your tank. Having ideal filtration, including carbon and housing live plants will aid in this problem being avoided. Subdued lighting is best for these colorful characters to reduce the chances of being stressed due to blinding lighting as well as the keeping of Gold Nuggets in a 50 gallon tank of larger.

Plecos are a good community fish that will get along for the most part with other species of pleco as well as various other community fish such as Tetras, Gourami's, Discus, Barbs, Danios, Loaches and Angelfish. Many species of African Cichlids can also be kept with these as most fish don't think of plecos as food.

The addition of one or more of the various unusual plecostomus and catfish species will ensure that your tank remains clean and also offer you a nice contrast and diverse population of bottom feeders that will allow you to have a nice balance of both bottom dwelling and pelagic swimming fish species.