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Macushi pleco

Hypostomus macushi

Also known as L303, Rupununi hypostomus

FreshwaterFish

Macushi pleco (Hypostomus macushi)

Care at a glance

Temperature
77–84°F
25–29°C
pH
6.0–7.4
Adult size
7.9 in
20 cm
Minimum tank
79 gal
300 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Loricariidae
Origin
Rupununi savanna rivers, Guyana

Overview

The Macushi pleco is a steady, medium-large catfish for a peaceful community. It suits a keeper with a little experience.

Did you know

Like several of its relatives, the Macushi pleco is thought to be able to breathe air. It would gulp air at the surface and take up the oxygen through its gut. That helps when warm, still pools run low on oxygen.

Caring for the Macushi pleco

Give a Macushi pleco at least 79 gal (300 L), with driftwood over a sand or fine gravel floor. Add some laterite-toned rock and a few shaded hides. Leave open space as well, since it wants room to roam the floor.

Keep the water soft to neutral and warm, at 77 to 84°F (25 to 29°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.4. It is hardy and forgiving of ordinary tap-water conditions, but it likes a steady current.

The Macushi pleco is an adaptable omnivore. Feed vegetables, sinking prepared foods and gel diets. It will also rasp driftwood and biofilm.

Keep it on its own, since it does not need company of its kind. It is peaceful toward tank mates, so pair it with calm community fish. Breeding it is rated hard and is not well documented in aquariums.

Good to know

Hypostomus macushi is a catfish in the family Loricariidae, sold as L303 or the red pepper pleco. It belongs to the wood-associated cochliodon group and has spoon-shaped teeth. It is named for the Macushi people of the Rupununi, who collected the first specimens and hosted the scientists who described it.

In the wild

The Macushi pleco lives in the Rupununi savanna rivers of Guyana. It spends its days near dead, submerged wood, in water with moderate to fast flow.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Macushi pleco is a peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Macushi pleco need?

A Macushi pleco needs at least 79 gal (300 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Macushi pleco need?

A Macushi pleco is comfortable at 77–84°F (25–29°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.4.

What does a Macushi pleco eat?

A Macushi pleco is an adaptable omnivore that takes vegetables, sinking prepared foods and gel diets. It also rasps driftwood and biofilm.

How big does a Macushi pleco get?

An adult Macushi pleco reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).

Related species