Bloodred tiger pleco

Panaqolus claustellifer

Also known as L306, Claustellifer tiger pleco

FreshwaterFish

Bloodred tiger pleco (Panaqolus claustellifer) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 77–84°F (25–29°C)
pH: 6.0–7.4
Adult size: 3.1 in (8 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Takutu drainage, Guyana-Brazil border
Family: Loricariidae

Overview

The bloodred tiger pleco is a small wood-eating catfish that is best kept singly or as a pair, holding its own patch of driftwood and defending a favored spot from other plecos. It hides among wood by day and grazes after dark. It is peaceful with tankmates, so a quiet community of small to mid-size fish suits it. The key to keeping it is wood: give it plenty of soft driftwood to rasp, since it actually eats the wood and the film that grows on it, and add sinking vegetable foods and the occasional protein treat. A tank of around 160 liters with a good tangle of driftwood works well.

In the wild

This pleco comes from the Takutu drainage on the Guyana and Brazil border, part of the Rio Branco system, where it lives among sunken trees and driftwood in warm, flowing water. Fill its tank with driftwood, which is both shelter and food, over a sand floor with gentle current. Keep the water soft to neutral, roughly pH 6.0 to 7.4, and warm at about 25 to 29 C. Because wood-eaters produce a lot of waste, back it up with strong filtration and regular water changes.

Good to know

Panaqolus claustellifer is a member of Loricariidae and reaches about 8 centimeters, marked with fine rust and cream bands. It was described in 2016 and, like other Panaqolus, it is a wood eater with spoon-shaped teeth for scraping driftwood. Dedicated keepers have spawned it in narrow caves, where the male guards the developing brood.

Did you know

The name claustellifer means keyhole bearer, and it points to a small keyhole-shaped brown mark set on the snout between pale lines, not to the tiger striping that most people notice first.

Tank mates

Bloodred tiger pleco is a peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.