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Species description

• Physical description....
  • Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps is a large armoured catfish.
  • Instead of scales, their body is covered with large bony plates (except on the stomach) (right). The body is quite rough to the touch.
  • The head is large, broad and flat.
  • The mouth is located on the underside of the head and is shaped like a suction cup. Two small fleshy barbels are located on each side of the mouth. The mouth is slightly protrusible.
  • They have one pair of small barbels located on either side of the mouth.
  • The colour and body pattern varies depending on the age of the fish. In older specimens, the body patterning may disappear entirely.
  • Usually the base colour of the body is a light golden-brown to black.
  • Creamy coloured lines make an irregularly-shaped reticulated pattern on the body (similar to the markings on a Giraffe).
    
  • The markings are smaller on the head.
  • The fins are the same colour as the rest of the body and the pattern continues into the fins.
  • The pectoral fins are large, reaching in length almost to the middle of the pelvic fins.
  • The outer edge on all fins is a thickened ray.
  • They have a larger-than-normal dorsal fin (more obvious in juveniles than adults), which gives them the common name of Sailfin (right).
• Taxonomy....
  • Kingdom: Animalia
    • Phylum: Chordata: Sub-phylum: Vertebrates - Group: Fish
      • Class: Osteichthyes (Bony Fish): Sub-class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fish)
        • Order: Siluriformes (Catfish)
          • Family: Loricariidae (Armoured Suckermouth Catfish):
            subfamily: Hypostominae
            • Genus: Glyptoperichthys
              • Species: gibbiceps
• Geographical variants....
  • None, although colouring and markings can vary widely between individuals.
  • Small fish tend to have spotted rather than reticulated markings.
  • A rare albino form (right) also exists.
• Similar species....
  • The Sailfin Pleco can sometimes be confused with the common Pleco (Liposarcus multiradiatus ). However, the large dorsal fin and chocolate brown and cream patterning of the Sailfin are quite distinctive. Plecos tend to be a more uniform slate grey-black in colour with markings most obvious on the fins.
  • The broad base of the dorsal fin on the Sailfin Pleco is a distinctive difference between the two fish. The dorsal fin of the Sailfin Pleco has 12-13 rays and the first ray is equal in height to the length of the head. The small anal fin has 4-5 rays and the head has large nasal flares.
  • Sailfin Plecos more closely resemble Glyptoperichthys joselimaianus, but the colour of the markings on the Gold Spot Pleco are the reverse of the Sailfin Pleco and are spots rather than irregular reticulations.
  • Images:
    • Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps (below left); Glyptoperichthys joselimaianus (below centre); Liposarcus multiradiatus (below right)
      
      

Habitat information

• Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps are native to the Rio Pacaya in Peru, where they inhabit the calm, slow-moving areas of the river.
• They are widespread throughout the Peruvian & Brazilian Amazon and can be found in large groups that move slowly across the river bed as they graze.

Aquarium care
The following information relating to tank size, decoration and tank mates is indicative and intended to be used as a rough guide only. Other possible tank mates are listed under Compatibility and there are many plants and decorations that can be used - just ask us.

• Tank ideas....
  • To keep this beautiful fish in top condition, a minimum 90 centimetre (36 inch) tank should be used when they are small (up to about 12 centimetres).
  • Because they grow to a large size, they will eventually have to be moved to a larger tank - starting from 120 centimetres (48 inches) and about 300 litre capacity.
  • The larger the tank, the more natural their behaviour will be and they will cruise around the tank more frequently.
  • Example - Large Tropical South American "Community" tank:
    The effect created with this aquarium is a steep bank of a slow-moving river. The use of different types of rocks and driftwood create the effect of a volcanic landslide from the bank into the water.
    
    • Tank capacity: 460 litres
    • Tank type: HR-1800B
      • 180 centimetres (72 inches or 6foot) tank
      • 1 x 40W; 2 x 30W; 2 x 20W fluorescent tubes
    • Fish ideas:
      • 1 x Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps
      • 2 x Gymnogeophagus balzani
      • 2 x Megalechis personata
      • 5 x Satanoperca leucosticta
      • 1 x Anostomus anostomus
      • 3 x Semaprochilodus taeniurus
    • Building the tank:
      • Background - external printed black.
      • Substrate - 3mm Coffs Harbour gravel; river sand - 30:40kg ratio. Mix about 25kg of the gravel with the sand as the base substrate and scatter the remaining 5kg of gravel over the surface.
      • Decoration - Driftwood, rocks, pebbles. Along about 2/3 of the tank, pile the rocks (making sure they are secure), tapering to a trickle of river stones and pebbles. Place some branch-like driftwood among the rocks. Use a log-like piece of driftwood as a feature and also to provide shelter for the Pleco.
        
      • Plants - Suitable plants include Amazon Sword (Echinodorus bleheri); Hairgrass (Eleocharis acicularis); Bacopa (Bacopa caroliniana). Plant around the back and sides and leave plenty of open swimmming space.
• Maintenance and Disease....
  • Good filtration is essential in order to maintain good oxygen content in the water.
  • These fish also excrete large amounts of waste when they are fed properly so good filtration is also necessary to remove this waste. Regular water changes and gravel cleaning are also required to remove this waste matter.
  • If the water quality is not maintained, small holes can appear in the fin membranes. If they are not getting enough oxygen from the water, they will come to the surface much more.
  • The tank should contain driftwood, as they need wood in their diet to maintain their health. When they rasp the algae from the wood, they also rasp the surface of the wood and ingest it.
  • They should not be maintained for too long at the lower end of the temperature range, as they may develop White Spot.
  • Velvet Disease may also be a problem and it can be difficult to spot by looking for external signs - lethargic behaviour is often an indication that there could be a problem.
  • It is essential to ensure that they get enough to eat. The Sailfin Pleco should have nice rounded stomachs. If they are hollow (convex) they are not getting enough food. The scavenging of uneaten food should never be considered adequate for these fish.
  • Water parameters:
    
    • pH: slightly acidic to slightly alkaline (6.5-7.5: optimum 7.1)
      
    • Hardness: moderate (4-20dH: optimum 12)
      
    • Temperature: 24-30oC.
• Compatibility....
  • Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps are quite active during the day, but become more active at night.
  • If they are kept with aggressive fish, make sure they have adequate hiding places to get away from these fish. Even though they have armour-plated bodies, their fins and tail are vulnerable to biting.
  • They are a peaceful fish and are ideal for a community tank with medium and large fish.
  • Male Sailfin Plecos can be quite aggressive towards each other and conspecifics such as Gold Spotted Pleco - L001 (Glyptoperichthys joselimaianus) or Pleco (Glyptoperichthys multiradiatus).
  • Even though small Sailfin Plecos look very cute, they are ultimately not going to be suitable for a small community tank because of their eventual adult size.
  • They are not a particular nervous or skittish fish and generally live in the tank just going about their business.

• Breeding....
  • The Sailfin Pleco will not breed an in aquarium.
  • They spawn in excavated earth tunnels in the river bank.
  • The male will stay in the burrow guarding the eggs.
  • They are, however, being commercially bred in fish ponds in Southeast Asia and Florida and in small numbers in Queensland.
  • Juvenile Sailfin Plecos(right) have all the colour and markings of the adults.

• References....
  Web sites
  Fishbase
  Planet Catfish
  Books
  Baensch Aquarium Atlas Vol 1 (Tetra Press, 1996)
  Encyclopedia of Fishes (Fog City Press, 2004
  Popular Freshwater Tropical Fish (Parragon, 2002)
  The Complete Encyclopedia of Tropical Fish (Grange Books, 2000)
  

WetPetz
ph: (07) 3823 1866