Orange seam pleco

Hemiancistrus guahiborum

Also known as L106, Guahibo pleco

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 77–84°F (25–29°C)
pH: 5.5–7.0
Adult size: 5.5 in (14 cm)
Minimum tank: 66 gal (250 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Upper Orinoco, Venezuela
Family: Loricariidae

Overview

Keep this mid-size rock pleco singly; it is generally peaceful but two of them will jostle over territory, so if you do keep more than one, give each its own refuge. It works over rock and wood and takes a mixed diet: sinking dried foods, algae, and frozen items such as bloodworm and daphnia. It likes clean, well-oxygenated water with some current. It settles in well alongside calm community fish. House it in at least 250 liters with rocky caves, driftwood, and steady flow.

In the wild

It comes from the upper Orinoco in Venezuela, warm rapids and runs over rock, where it wedges into stony gaps. Recreate that with plenty of smooth rock and caves, driftwood, brisk oxygenated flow, and warm, soft water. Keep it around 25 to 29 C with a low pH of 5.5 to 7.0. The current and oxygen matter as much as the temperature for a fish from fast water.

Good to know

Hemiancistrus guahiborum is a loricariid that reaches about 14 centimeters, an olive, spotted fish with a bright orange or tangerine band edging the dorsal and tail fins, which is the seam of its name. Described in 2005, it is named for the Guahibo people of the region. It spawns in caves and is of moderate breeding difficulty.

Did you know

The seam in its name is the clean orange edge that runs along its dorsal and tail fins, a single bright line on an otherwise plain olive body. Its scientific name honors the Guahibo people of the Orinoco.