Scarlet Cactus Pleco (L025)

Pseudacanthicus pirarara

Also known as L025, Scarlet Pleco, Red Devil Pleco, Pseudacanthicus sp. L025

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 79–86°F (26–30°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 15.7 in (40 cm)
Minimum tank: 119 gal (450 L)
Temperament: Aggressive
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Rio Xingu and its tributaries in Para, Brazil.
Family: Loricariidae

Overview

A large, heavily armored pleco needing a tank of 450 liters or more with lots of caves and strong current. It is a true carnivore, so feed frozen or fresh prawn, mussel, chopped fish, mysis, and bloodworms along with quality sinking foods, not a vegetable-based diet. Aggressive and very territorial, so house it with robust tankmates and give it a cave it can defend as its own.

In the wild

Lives in warm, clear, fast rocky reaches of the Rio Xingu, often near rapids, sheltering under boulders and in rock caves. It is a carnivore, using its rasping mouth to work over rock and wood but feeding mainly on animal matter such as invertebrates and carrion. Wants strong flow, high oxygen, and heavy rockwork with cave territories.

Good to know

Long traded as L025, this fish was formally described as Pseudacanthicus pirarara. Members of the genus are the cactus or spiny plecos, armored with rows of sharp odontodes down the flanks and fins. Adults show black spotting on a dark body with deep red-orange fins.

Did you know

The rows of stiff spines are not just for show, and a big cactus pleco can wedge itself so firmly into a cave with them that it is nearly impossible to remove without harming the fish.