Pearl-spotted angel pleco

Hypancistrus margaritatus

Also known as L404, Pearl hypancistrus

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 79–86°F (26–30°C)
pH: 5.5–7.2
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 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

This is a genuinely small Hypancistrus, so a single specimen or a compatible pair needs only a modest tank, but it still wants its own cave to claim. Keep it as a solitary fish or a breeding pair rather than a group, since adults defend cave space. It lives on the bottom among rock and wood and is peaceful toward other fish, pairing well with small, gentle community species. It shares the carnivorous bent of the genus, so feed meaty sinking foods, frozen bloodworm, baby brine, and good carnivore pellets, rather than relying on algae. A tank of around 160 liters is ample for a pair with caves.

In the wild

Hypancistrus margaritatus was found in the Takutu drainage on the border of Guyana and Brazil, in warm, rocky creeks of the Rupununi lowlands. Give it a scape of stacked stone and driftwood full of tight caves, set over sand. The water should be warm, 26 to 30 C, and soft and slightly acidic to neutral, about pH 5.5 to 7.2, with gentle current and clean, well-filtered conditions. A little tannin from leaf litter suits the blackwater origin.

Good to know

Hypancistrus margaritatus is a dwarf member of Loricariidae, reaching only about 6 centimeters, dark charcoal sprinkled with close-set pale spots. Milton Tan and Jonathan Armbruster described it in 2016, and the name margaritatus means adorned with pearls, after that spotting. Breeding is of moderate difficulty in the usual Hypancistrus way, with the male guarding eggs in a cave until the young emerge.

Did you know

The species name margaritatus is Latin for adorned with pearls. At barely 6 centimeters it wears the dense pale spotting of a fish several times its size, which is exactly why collectors prize it.

Tank mates

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