Care
The Rubber Plec is known from the Rio Maraen, Rio Tocantins, Rio Ucayali, and Rio Xingu. This is an impressive, chunky Loricariid which may be gold, grey-brown, or a marbled mixture of both. The gold colouration is apparent immediately upon collection (hence the specific epithet 'auranticus', meaning golden) and this may change to a grey-brown over time, after passing through an intermediate - and unique to each individual fish - marbled form. It is unclear exactly what triggers this change, and it is not always a one-way process, as some individuals have been known to change colour and back again. Provide a spacious, mature aquarium with plenty of shady hiding places amongst tangles of bogwood, rocky caves, PVC pipes, and robust planting. Filtration should be efficient with areas of brisk water movement along with some quieter resting spots out of the current. There should be a decent level of oxygenation, and small frequent partial water changes will help keep nitrate to a minimum. The Rubber Plec is generally peaceful, but it will show some territorial aggression towards its own kind if not given enough space. In most instances though, they can be maintained in small groups and with other Loricariids as long as there is adequate room and enough hiding places to go round. Tankmates could include any small-medium sized peaceful fish that enjoy soft, reasonably fast flowing water. May also be seen on sale as the Chubby Plec or Xanto Plec.
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 vegetable matter such as courgette, cucumber, lettuce, squash, spinach, sweet potato etc.
Breeding
This species has been bred in the home aquarium. A clutch of large (4mm) orange eggs are deposited in a cave, which the male fish guards. The eggs typically hatch in 6-8 days, the fry initially gaining nutrition from their sizeable yolk sacs.
