Medusa Plecostomus (L-034)

The Medusa Plecostomus is found in South America and identified as Ancistrus ranunculus. It is also listed in the Loricariidae as L-034. Growing between 4 to 6 inches in length, this pleco has a face only a mother could love. The body is almost jet black, and along the upper edge of the mouth are multiple short tentacles, making the pleco look like it has a mouth full of snakes. The body is also very wide at the head and quickly tapers to the tail. The Medusa Pleco is also sometimes called the Bristle Nose Pleco. The under slung mouth of the pleco acts as a suction devise to hold it in place, and to allow the specialized teeth to rasp algae off of rocks, plants and glass. This makes the pleco one of the best eaters of algae, its primary job in the home aquarium. They require some cover in the form of a rocky cave or large piece of driftwood in which to “hang out” most of the time. The Plecostomus will usually only be active during feeding and at night. Their body is flattened along the abdomen and most have a forked tail fin. The dorsal fin is kept near the body, but can be raised as a display to other fish. The pectoral fins often have small bristles and have thickened first rays. This can lead to problems when catching with a net, and the pectoral fins can puncture the unwary finger. It also makes it difficult for predators to swallow a plecostomus. While their primary diet is algae, they will scavenge other foods and should have their diet supplemented with algae wafers and blanched zucchini spears. Plecos are safe with most all other fish; though there are reports of them bothering slow moving, wide body fish, i.e. Goldfish, Discus. It appears that the pleco is eating the body slime of the fish and this is not good. Larger plecos will damage live plants, not necessarily by eating them, but as they browse on algae growing on the plant, their body weight snaps the stems of the plant. Dead or dying leaves are a food source, but healthy leaves are not eaten. The scales of the pleco act as armor plating and allow the pleco to survive with much larger fish. Most plecos will tolerate other plecos in the same aquarium, but there are exceptions, and plenty of hiding places are required. Generally long lived, the pleco can make a great addition as a scavenger in the aquarium.

Approximate arrival size for Medusa Plecostomus: 2-3".