Description

Gold Common Pleco

The Gold Common Pleco is a golden colour form of the familiar large suckermouth catfish commonly sold as the Common Pleco. These impressive bottom-dwelling fish are often bought as small juveniles, but prospective owners need to be prepared for a fish capable of reaching around 50cm as an adult. Your current stock is sold at approximately 4cm, so there’s quite a transformation ahead.

Gold Common Pleco Care

Gold Common Plecos require a very large aquarium as adults, with plenty of floor space and strong filtration. A tank of at least around 5ft in length should be considered for an adult, although additional space is always beneficial for such a large and bulky fish.

A soft sand or smooth substrate is ideal, together with substantial pieces of bogwood, rocks and caves that provide shaded resting places. Decorations should be secure because a fully grown pleco is quite capable of rearranging an aquarium whether you wanted it redecorated or not.

Behaviour

Generally peaceful towards other species, Gold Common Plecos spend much of their time resting on surfaces or moving around the lower areas of the aquarium.

As they mature they can become territorial towards other large plecos and similar bottom-dwelling fish, so keeping multiple adults requires considerable space and careful planning.

Tank Mates

Their size and robust armour allow adult Gold Common Plecos to live alongside many medium to large community fish and suitably compatible cichlids.

Very small or delicate tank mates may be unsuitable simply because of the pleco’s eventual size, while other large plecos can lead to territorial disputes. Tank mates should therefore be chosen with the adult, rather than the 4cm juvenile, in mind.

Feeding

Despite their reputation as algae eaters, Gold Common Plecos cannot live on aquarium algae alone.

Feed a varied omnivorous diet based around good-quality sinking pleco or catfish foods. Vegetable foods such as courgette can be offered regularly, with occasional frozen foods such as bloodworm, brineshrimp and mysis providing additional variety.

Natural algae and biofilm growing around the aquarium may also be grazed, but should be regarded as part of the diet rather than their sole food source.

Water Parameters

Temperature: 20–27°C
pH: 6.0–8.0
Maximum size: Around 50cm
Purchase size: Approx. 4cm
Diet: Omnivore
Temperament: Generally peaceful; may become territorial with other plecos
Care level: Easy to feed, but requires substantial space as an adult

The Gold Common Pleco is therefore best suited to aquarists who understand just how large these attractive little juveniles eventually become. Given sufficient space, good filtration and a varied diet, it can develop into an impressive centrepiece catfish.

Please note that the image is for illustration purposes and the fish you will receive may not be identical. These fish are still juveniles and have yet to colour up. A healthy environment and good quality food will help bring them into full colour. If you have any questions about keeping these fish, please don’t hesitate to ask a member of staff.

Why not check out our YouTube channel for the latest updates on our fish tanks, livestock and many more!