Pseudacanthicus pitanga “L24”

Order: Siluriformes
Suborder: Loricarioidei
Family: Loricariidae
Subfamily: Hypostominae
Genus: Pseudacanthicus
Species: Pseudacanthicus pitanga, Chamon, 2015

Pseudacanthicus pitanga "L24" is a very large growing pleco. It can reach sizes of over 40 cm. Most specimens in captivity stay around 30 - 35 cm body length. The whole body is covered with hard spikes, which can cause bleeding wounds when touched with the bare hands. This fish shows big fins and an overall strong body.

Its ground coloration is in most cases olive green but can also show a more brownish, beige or grey coloration. With some local forms, brown spots on top of the ground tone can be seen. The fins of this beautiful pleco can show a bright orange to red coloration. Mostly the dorsal- and caudal fin show this orange color. Some specimens can show orange in all of the fins, which is known in the hobby as "seven pointer".

This fish can show a territorial behaviour towards its own kind and other big plecos. In general this fish is very light sensitive and hides mostly in a cave over the day. In nature, this species can be found in deep water around 20 - 25 meters. When its dark, "L24" searches active for food. With his big fins, this pleco is a good swimmer and needs therefore a lot of space.

This species gets sometimes confused with the very similar Pseudacanthicus pirarara "L25", which got described at the same time as "L24". The "L25" shows a more brownish ground coloration and fins in a more intense red, not orange coloration. "L24" shows in comparison to "L25" white eyes.

In the trade this species is called Red Fin Cactus Pleco.

Pseudacanthicus pitanga "L24" is found in the Rio Tocantins in Brazil. In deep waters of around 20 meters depth this fish is mostly catched. The water there is rich in oxygen and slightly acidic (6 - 6,5 pH). This fish likes it warm, temperatures of up to 30 °C can be measured in its habitat.

Even though this species sometimes takes plant matter its main diet consists of animal proteins. In nature "L24" mostly eats dead fish, crustaceans, worms and insects (larvae).

In captivity this fish can be fed with frozen, live and dried food. Protein rich granules are a good base food for P. pitanga. Additional frozen shrimps, mussels, krill and artemia can be fed. Sometimes its necessary to feed this fish shortly before the lights go out. Even though its a big pleco, he tends to be shy and prefers to eat when its dark. Most "L24" get used to feeding during the day light though.

As previously mentioned, this fish gets huge and therefore needs a lot of space when grown out. Most "L24" in the trade are small enough for normal home aquariums. Since "L24" is a slow grower, it takes several years to reach sizes over 30 cm. Adults shouldn't be kept in tanks under 200 cm length. This fish swims a lot during night, even though it seems a bit inactive over the day.

Very important is a good lid for the aquarium, since Pseudacanthicus spp. push themselves sometimes far above the water surface. Uncalm behaviour can often be observed when the pleco has gill worms. This leads the fish to jump, swim fast or reach for air outside of the water.

The water should be heated up to 26 - 30 °C and kept neutral to slightly acidic. Good ventilation with an air stone and a good filtration are necessary to keep the fish healthy.

Depending on how many other plecos are in the tank, it should be structured well, to avoid to many territory conflicts. Pseudacanthicus stay mostly calmer in over-crowded tanks.  An over-crowded tank is only possible when there is a big and efficient filter installed, that can deal with the massive load of bio mass. Meat eaters produce a lot of ammonia, which can be lethal in to high doses.

Structure can be created with different big caves, driftwood and big rocks. Everything should be installed in a way that the "L24" can't toss it over or falls when being digged under. This species digs a lot and enjoys therefore a lot of substrate like sand or gravel.

Light is not necessary. Dimmed light helps to see this shy fish more often over the day.

Sexing Pseudacanthicus spp. can be hard, especially when the plecos are freshly imported or in general thin. Females can then show a quite male's body shape. We hope with this explanation, sexing of "L24" gets a bit easier in future.
When looked at the animals from the side, there is already some difference noticeable. The male seems more robust, bulkier built and more spiky. The colors of the male are in most cases with cactus plecos, more vivid and contrasty.

A closer inspection of the head reveals a more pointy and flat head shape of the female, in comparison to the male.

The odontodes on the gills and the borders of the snout are longer and more pronounced with the male.

Also the odontodes of the pectoral fins are in most cases longer an thicker with the male.

On the sides of the body Pseudacanthicus spp. show in general a lot of spikes (cactus plecos), but males tend to be spikier.

Most people try to sex members of this genus from above. In our opinion, this is where it gets tricky with Pseudacanthicus. Especially when females are thin, the head looks bigger in comparison and the general body shape looks quite maleish. Fatter females or females with eggs in the belly, show the pleco-female typical curves in the belly region. Other than with most plecos, the males show their broadest body part not always around the shoulders, but slightly behind it. For us sexing, solely on the body shape from above is not a good way to do.

The head from above looks with males rounder and broader and show on the borders mostly small odontodes. Females have a more triangle shaped, pointy head.

To sex via the papilla can be also very tricky with "L24". Both sexes can show a rather large papilla, which changes constantly its form with contacting movements. In our opinion the females have a rounder, not so pointy papilla and can also show a yellow pigmentation around it.

Pseudacanthicus pitanga "L24" is a cave breeder. The male protects the egg batch till the fry hatch and eat up their yolk sacc.

In captivity this pleco gets rarely bred. It is hard to find harmonizing pairs, which are not to aggressive towards each other. Also tunneling occurs really late and short before laying eggs. It is said, that reported spawns were connected to bigger changes in air pressure and weather. A lot of water changes with soft water and high temperatures can trigger this species to mate.

Raising of the fry is really difficult with this species. Already after a few days it is better to separate the babies in groups of maximaal 10 - 20 pieces in big breeding boxes. The babies sometimes harm each other which leads to death or to crippled growth. This results mostly in short heads, twisted bodies and miss formed fins. Also the youngsters need a lot of fresh water and a lot of oxygen. Protein rich food is a key element in raising and breeding this species.