The Great Algae Eaters Tropical Fish Tank: Blue Panaque Pleco
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The Great
Algae Eaters Tropical Fish Tank: Blue Panaque Pleco – L239, or the "blue panaque
pleco," is a small loricariid (suckermouth) catfish that had been formerly
put briefly in the tribe Ancistrini, which identified it as a ancistrine-sort
catfish, using the physical characteristics of one or more related general. It's
a different teal blue colour, which can be said to darken with age, and also
the fins are edged in ice blue.
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Photo copyright from segrestfarms.com
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The Great Algae Eaters Tropical Fish Tank: Blue Panaque Pleco
One important physical
feature of the species is the fused dorsal and adipose fins, which are joined
with a section of fin tissue called the interradial membrane (see picture
below).
So while Blue Panaque
plecs are widely sold and inexpensive, discerning aquarists may want to hold
off from purchasing them until they’ve full explored the marketplace. There are
plenty of medium to large suckermouth catfish offered to aquarists that are far
more colourful and interesting compared to the common plecs. These choices to
the Blue Panaque plecs are not very much more difficult to keep up as we’ll see
in this informative article, and since they’re so far more attractive, they can
simply be centrepiece fish instead of mere scavengers or algae-eaters.
Tank furniture contains
several pieces of bogwood, large smooth rocks, and a few vertical pieces of
slate. Some of the leaves of several Echinodorus species plants are scraped
fairly vigorously, and plant tissue is lost. A heads up for aquatic gardeners
that are serious: broad leafed plants may be eaten by L239.
Habitat
The type series was
collected from spaces between granite bedrock and boulders.
Diet
Relatively few blue
panaque suckermouth catfish are alone vegetarian and none of the big species
feeds completely on alga. This implies the aquarist will need to give a number
of foods for these catfish beyond whatever alga they see in the tank. There are
algae wafers and good value catfish pellets on sale that make basics that are
useful, and these can be augmented with all sorts of other things.
Among the green foods
that are good are courgette, carrot, sweet potato, cooked peas and blanched
lettuce. Meaty foods include white fish fillet, mussels, prawns, cockles and small
portions of beefheart. Wet-frozen foods including bloodworms, krill, minced
squid and lancefish is going to be easily accepted by all suckermouth catfish
and are widely sold in pet shops.
Behaviour and Compatibility
Comparatively peaceful
although not recommended for the general’ community that is ‘ aquarium owing to
its somewhat fragile nature.
Keep it alone or
possibly alongside some small characids that is not going to compete for
territory or food with it.
It’s territorial with
conspecifics and similar-appearing species, with this behavior being
particularly pronounced among males, but in many instances several may be kept
together because of its modest size.
Breeding
The Blue-Black Panaque
continues to be bred in the home aquarium, but it is extremely challenging and
reports are few and far between and sketchy. This species would make a superb
breeding project for the serious hobbyist.
Essential for success
with one of these cave-spawners is good-conditioned, sexually mature fish of
both sexes kept in warm (~28 deg C), soft, acidic water with a high degree of
oxygenation, along with a choice of several comparatively close clay or slate
front-opening caves (ideally just a couple centimetres longer, wider, and
higher compared to the fish and with just one entry hole).
Attention
Like many species that
naturally inhabit running waters it requires water that is spotless at all
times and ’s intolerant to the collection of organic wastes to be able to boom.
