Catfish from the Rio Xingu This fish is known throughout the aquarium trade as a “King Tiger Pleco” though using this name is deceiving because this title blankets 6 different hypothetical species. This specific variant is from the Rio Xingu in Brazil. It is a male and was purchased from the whole seller as “wild-caught”. The mature males will grow whiskers (odontodes) and their pelvic fins will become sharp with bristles. These fish do have…
Male in Specimen Viewer Panaqolus maccus is a loricariid from 1Venezuala. Most “plecos” that you see in the aquarium trade will get quite large, usually 5 to 12+ inches but this South-American catfish is very small. It is about the size of your thumb. This fish is rarely seen except when I add a lot of leaves to the aquarium, then it becomes bolder to come out when feeding. Male specimens grow odontode (hard whiskers)…
Previously subject to open nomenclature and was given the hypothetical name Chaetostoma sp. “L187b”, it was later officially described as Chaetostoma formosae. This species comes from turbulent streams that has made it adapt its head shape to be more hydrodynamic. It is said to be an omnivore but it is debated by hobbyists whether it can eat an algae species known in the aquarium hobby as “Black Beard Algae”. This algae is very tough and…