Freshwater fishes

The fish list

499 species, each with the water it needs, who it gets along with, and where it comes from. Find one, or browse by family, genus or river.

Endangered ✓ Rare Popular Peaceful Small (6 cm or less)Calm water Strong flow Schooling L-numbers With photo Basic profiles too

Showing: River & region: Xingu ✕

Xingu 8 fish

Sunshine pleco

L014

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Plecos · ScobinancistrusRare

27–31°C!
pH 5.5–7.5
Strong!
12 in!
Bottom
Meat
Territorial!

Yellow spots and orange fin edges.

Sunshine pleco

L014

Scobinancistrus aureatus

Rio Xingu, Brazil · rapids

Temperature: 27–31°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 12 in · 30 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Territorial
Diet: Carnivore
Breeding: Rarely
Typical price: $150–400
In Canada: Rare
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

Yellow spots and orange fin edges. A big snail-eater that needs a large tank.

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Photo: Gabriel Lelis Togni, CC BY 3.0

Scarlet cactus

L025

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Plecos · PseudacanthicusRare

26–30°C
pH 5.5–7.5
Strong!
24 in!
Bottom
Meat
Aggressive!

Grey with scarlet fins.

Scarlet cactus

L025

Pseudacanthicus pirarara

Rio Xingu, Brazil · rapids

Temperature: 26–30°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 24 in · 60 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Aggressive
Diet: Carnivore
Breeding: Rarely
Typical price: $400–1000
In Canada: Rare
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

Grey with scarlet fins. Can pass 60 cm, so it needs a tank of its own.

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Photo: JSutton93, CC BY SA

Xingu royal

L027

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Plecos · PanaqueRare

26–30°C
pH 5.5–7.5
Strong!
16 in!
Bottom
Wood!
Territorial!

A large royal pleco from the Xingu and Tocantins.

Xingu royal

L027

Panaque armbrusteri

Rio Xingu and Tocantins, Brazil · rapids

Temperature: 26–30°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 16 in · 40 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Territorial
Diet: Wood
Breeding: Rarely
Typical price: $100–300
In Canada: Rare
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

A large royal pleco from the Xingu and Tocantins. Needs a very big tank.

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Photo: JSutton93, CC BY-SA 4.0

Zebra

L046

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Plecos · HypancistrusCR

28–31°C!
pH 5.5–7.5
Strong!
3 in
Bottom
Meat
Peaceful

Brazil banned wild export, so Canadian stock is tank-bred.

Zebra

L046

Hypancistrus zebra

Volta Grande of the Rio Xingu, Brazil · rapids

Temperature: 28–31°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 3 in · 8 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Breeding: Moderate, slow
Typical price: $150–500
In Canada: Occasional
Status in the wild: Critically endangered

Brazil banned wild export, so Canadian stock is tank-bred. Clean, even stripes where L236 are broken and patchy.

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Photo: Birger A, CC BY-SA 3.0

Golden cloud

L048

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Plecos · ScobinancistrusRare

27–31°C!
pH 5.5–7.5
Strong!
12 in!
Bottom
Meat
Territorial!

Fine pale spots on black.

Golden cloud

L048

Scobinancistrus cf. pariolispos

Xingu and Tapajós basins, Brazil · rapids

Temperature: 27–31°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 12 in · 30 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Territorial
Diet: Carnivore
Breeding: Rarely
Typical price: $150–400
In Canada: Rare
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

Fine pale spots on black. Large and rarely available.

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Photo: Gabriel Lelis Togni, CC BY 3.0

Gold nugget

L081

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Plecos · BaryancistrusRare

27–30°C!
pH 5.5–7.5
Strong!
8 in!
Bottom
Mixed
Territorial!

Black with yellow spots and gold fin edges.

Gold nugget

L081

Baryancistrus xanthellus

Rio Xingu, and the Rio Iriri for L177 · rapids

Temperature: 27–30°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 8 in · 20 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Territorial
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Hard
Typical price: $60–250
In Canada: Occasional
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

Black with yellow spots and gold fin edges. Grows larger than Hypancistrus and holds a territory.

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Photo: Anne Blindheim, CC BY-SA 3.0

Big white spot

L142

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Plecos · BaryancistrusRare

27–30°C!
pH 5.5–7.5
Strong!
10 in!
Bottom
Mixed
Territorial!

Big white spots on black with white fin edges.

Big white spot

L142

Xingu and Tapajós basins, Brazil · rapids

Temperature: 27–30°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 10 in · 25 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Territorial
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Hard
Typical price: $80–200
In Canada: Rare
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

Big white spots on black with white fin edges. Striking, but big and territorial.

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Super white

L236

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Plecos · HypancistrusRare

28–31°C!
pH 5.5–7.5
Strong!
4 in
Bottom
Meat
Peaceful

Grading is by how much white shows, and the whitest fish sell for the most.

Super white

L236

Rio Xingu, Pará, Brazil · rapids

Temperature: 28–31°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 4 in · 9 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Carnivore
Breeding: Moderate, slow
Typical price: $200–1000
In Canada: Rare
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

Grading is by how much white shows, and the whitest fish sell for the most. Best at 29–30°C with strong flow and protein-heavy food.

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