Baryancistrus chrysolomus “L47”

Order: Siluriformes
Suborder: Loricarioidei
Family: Loricariidae
Subfamily: Hypostominae
Genus: Baryancistrus
Species: Baryancistrus chrysolomus, Rapp Py-Daniel, Zuanon, & Ribeiro de Oliveira, 2011

The Baryancistrus chrysolomus, also known as Magnum Pleco or "L047", can be distinguished by its dark, olive-colored base color with a broad yellow-colored band on the dorsal and caudal fin. This band remains visible even when this species is adult.
Sometimes it also has light spots on the body and can therefore be confused with the Baryancistrus xanthellus, which is the only other Baryancistrus-species that also has yellow bands. The spots are only never as brightly colored in the B. chrysolomus as in the B. xanthellus.

It becomes a fairly large fish of about 25 to 30 cm and has a fairly flat head.

Baryancistrus chrysolomus is only found in the state of Pará in Brazil, and then in the "Volta Grande do Rio Xingu" and its tributaries. The Rio Xingu is one of the large tributaries of the Amazon.
The tributaries where it is also collected is the Rio Curuá, a tributary of the Rio Iriri which itself is a tributary of the Rio Xingu.

The riverbed in the Rio Xingu consists of dark volcanic rock and is a fairly warm river where temperatures of 32 ºC and higher have been recorded, especially in the shallower parts. The water there is softly acidic.
They live here between and under rocks in places with slow to moderately flowing water. Young animals live more in the rapids and near banks.

B. chrysolomus lives together with Peckoltia vittata which occurs in the same habitat.

Research on wild specimens shows that this species feeds mainly on algae and smaller amounts of invertebrates in the wild. Algae, especially the thread-like species such as Spirogyra, and diatoms. Invertebrates such as chironomids and bryozoans.

When Baryancistrus-species are imported, they are often malnourished and/or have health problems. Because they have a relatively high metabolism and they constantly graze on biofilm in the wild, they are often starved and with sunken bellies when imported. Sometimes they also have black bellies and then it is often no longer possible to get them to eat.
This pleco species therefore often needs a longer period of quarantine to acclimatize. As a result, they are not the easiest fish to keep, especially in the beginning.

In the aquarium, it is important, especially in the beginning, to offer them several meals a day with varied food that mainly consists of vegetable material.

I feed my B. chrysolomus mainly with EBO Spirulina paste which I spread on a rock so they can graze naturally, EBO Veggie sticks, and sometimes I alternate this with Futterdose Krill granulate. As an extra vegetable I feed zucchini which they can also graze on.

Homemade recipes with gelatin, which consist of a mixture of pureed fish food, shellfish and vegetables, also seem to work well according to some keepers because the ingredients can be adjusted to your liking.

Minimum 120 - 150 cm in size.

Because Baryancistrus chrysolomus grows quite large, it does best in a large aquarium with sufficient hiding places and possibly calm additional fish. There should be sufficient breeding caves and/or hiding places in the aquarium.
Young animals can be kept in a group, but keep in mind that, especially adult males, can be very territorial towards each other and other fish.

The aquarium can be set up with a sandy bottom, smooth stones, breeding caves and possibly driftwood branches. It is possible to add strong aquatic plants such as Microsorum, Bolbitis or Anubias spp. to the aquarium.

These plecos are generally quite shy and do not like too bright light. On the other hand, bright lighting can ensure the growth of aufwuchs and algae in the aquarium, which the fish will graze on.

A good filter is also very important because these fish, as indicated above, naturally live in flowing water and therefore always need clean water to stay healthy. In addition, they also have a fast metabolism which makes the water dirty faster. Weekly water changes are therefore really necessary.
There should also be a good surface flow/water movement or aeration as this species needs a lot of oxygen.

Unfortunately, I have not yet found a couple to photograph the gender difference.

The sexual difference is similar to Baryancistrus xanthellus.

As far as I know, this species has not yet been bred.

Rapp Py-Daniel, L.H., Zuanon, J., & Ribeiro de Oliveira, R. (2011)
Baryancistrus chrysolomus, a new species of armored catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Rio Xingu, Brazil.
Neotropical Ichthyology, 9 (2): 299 - 304