CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

i saw a wonderful looking gold nugget pleco at the lfs down the street. and i went home and thought about it and decided i would buy it the next day. so i did research and it says they are slow growers and need a little protein. but i look at 4different sites and half said they need wood the other half said they didnt. so do they need wood? the websites also said that they are sensitive to water conditions? also what size do they max out at? ive read 8 and 11 and 12? the gold nuggets at the lfs are fat and about 4-5inches. so i would like to know if its a good idea to get one for my 55 or stick with my common with my 2inch oscar aquatech330(2) and xp3 temp at 81(ich treatment going back down). thanks for all the feedback!!

Part of your problem,with finding information (like I always say common names are a pain) is there are 3 (maybe more) different species called "gold nugget plecos".

Baryancistrus sp. L018

Baryancistrus sp. L177

and

Baryancistrus sp. L081

are all sold as "gold nugget plecos" .

If your looking for exact information ask the store if they know which L number it is. Alot of places actually buy their plecos by L numbers so theres a good chance they'll know it.


As for mixing one with an oscar it depends on the oscar , the gold nuggets(s) don't have as thick and hard of skin as a common pleco so they don't take heavy abuse as well.

Drift wood seems to still be a debated issue with any of the species of "gold nuggets".Anwser depends on who you talk to.

thanks stillearnin, i ask them today what L number is and how much it cost. because if they require driftwood then ill put a little piece in there and hopefully it's enough because i dont want the oscar geting all messed up. but thanks!!

i went up there and they were kind of busy, so i just stared at the nuget for a while. its a beautiful pleco, but the advice ive been given from other threads is that they arent as armoured and grow under 10inches. also it was 40bucks, i dont know if id want to pay 40bucks for a fish that might die in a week (unless the store has an insurance, doubt it) but when i get a job:eek: , MAYBE ill think about it. but thanks for the information!!