Care
The Andes Tiger Plec is part of the group of plecs that originate from the Rio Ucuyali. Here these suckermouth catfish inhabit fast-flowing, highly oxygenated waters over a rocky substrate that provides a multitude of dark hiding places.
The aquarium should be mature, with a soft sand or fine rounded gravel substrate and various pieces of smooth rockwork and bogwood arranged to create lots of shady caves and crevices. As plants are not found in any great abundance in the natural habitat, they can be omitted from the aquascape, although a few areas of hardy vegetation (that can cope with current) will make the aquarium look more aesthetically pleasing and will help with water quality. There should be brisk water movement and a high level of oxygenation, perhaps provided by powerheads (in addition to the current generated by the filtration). Small frequent partial water changes will help keep nitrate to a minimum; as a riverine species these fish are rather sensitive to the build up of nitrogenous waste. Peckoltias are generally peaceful, but will show minor territorial aggression towards its own kind if not given enough space. In most instances though, they can be maintained in small groups as long as there is adequate room and enough hiding places to go round. Tankmates could include any small-medium sized peaceful shoaling fish that occupy the mid to upper levels of the water column and which also enjoy the fast-flowing conditions.
This species is easily confused with Peckoltia brevis, a Brazillian species which shares a similar pattern but has spotting restricted to the head.
Feeding
Omnivorous but with a preference for meaty foods. Bloodworm, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, Mysis shrimp, and chopped prawns should all be enthusiastically consumed, and these can be supplemented with algae wafers and sinking catfish tablets/pellets along with occasional vegetable matter such as courgette, cucumber, lettuce, squash, spinach, sweet potato etc.
Breeding
Andes Tiger Plecs have been successfully bred in the home aquarium, and this is best achieved with a tank dedicated solely to this species. Provide several small caves that are just bigger than the fish (small pieces of slate stuck together with aquarium-safe silicon are ideal) and perform a series of small partial water changes with cooler water. RO is the best choice, so that the hardness of the water can be reduced slightly too. The female will visit the male's cave and if ready to spawn, she will spend some time in the cave and deposit the eggs. She will then be ousted from the cave, and the male will remain with the eggs, fanning them with his pectoral fins. It is said that spawning can sometimes be a little rough, and sometimes the female will come away with a few minor wounds. The eggs take around 6-7 days to hatch, although this will be temperature dependent. The wrigglers will feed from their yolk sacs for the first week or so, and after that they should be offered suitably sized foodstuffs such as newly hatched baby brineshrimp.
