Sertanejo Pleco

Remarks: The Sertanejo pleco is a slightly smaller relative of the common pleco that comes from the Rio Umbuzeiro in Brazil. Its habitat consists of clear, fast flowing, highly oxygenated streams and rapids containing soft sand and rounded stones. As they were only described back in 2017, they are still fairly new to the hobby. Like their common cousins, this pleco is rather hardy and accommodating of a fairly broad range of water parameters compared to most Loricariidae. What makes it even better, however, is its much more attractive pattern. When young, this fish is black with many large, yellow spots while older specimens take on a more bronze or copper color with smaller but more numerous spots. This makes young Sertanejo plecos look very similar to snowball plecos with the most obvious difference between the two being their dentition. Being a voracious herbivore, they can make a great candidate for algae maintenance in cooler South American community tanks.