TankMatesTankMates
Sign in
Encyclopedia / Catfish & Plecos / Sunshine pleco
★New · no ratings yetPicture coming

Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Sunshine pleco

Scobinancistrus aureatus · L014, L 014, L-014, Sunburst pleco, Golden pleco

Peaceful with other fish but can bully other plecos; needs wood to rasp.

Local price coming soon
· real AED shop prices, never conversions
30 cmBody length, without tail ✓
25–29 °CTemperature ✓
5.8–7.2pH ✓
450 LSmallest tank ✓
Add to my tankCompare
Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (25–29 °C vs 16–24 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (25–29 °C vs 18–24 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Sunshine pleco is tropical.
  • They need different temperatures (25–29 °C vs 14–22 °C). No setting suits both.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 25 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 25–26 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

228 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ?Can live alone
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ✓Bottom
Care level ?Hard
Diet Carnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 5–9 cm
Growth Slow

Behavior

Peaceful with other fish but can bully other plecos; needs wood to rasp.

  • cave
  • current
  • wood

Food

Mostly meaty food: sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, mysis and prawn. It does not graze algae, so don't rely on vegetables.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males are more slender and grow larger than females, develop bristles (odontodes) around the cheeks and head, and have larger odontodes on the leading pectoral-fin ray.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Cave spawner ·

Rarely bred in captivity. ScotCat knew of no aquarium spawning in 2006; a hobby breeder in Western Australia reported his fifth spawn in late 2024.

Pairing

Grow out 6-8 juveniles and let a pair form; keep the group in a well-oxygenated, stable tank.

Setup

100-200 L tank with strong flow, many caves sized to the fish (PVC or ceramic tubes), and very clean, warm water.

What starts it

Cool water changes, increased flow and a seasonal drop in temperature, plus rich protein feeding.

Eggs

One reported spawn was about 300 eggs, of which about 65 were fertile, giving about 60 fry.

Raising the fry

Fry stay in the cave until the yolk is gone, then feed on sinking algae wafers, blanched veg and crushed flake. Keep nitrate low.

Common mistakes
  • Too few caves
  • Warm, stagnant water
  • Moving the male while he guards eggs
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSouth America – Rio Xingu basin, Brazil
Rivers and lakesRio Xingu
HabitatDeep, rocky channels of a clearwater river
Native rangeAbout 250 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the sunshine pleco

A large pleco (about 30 cm) from the Rio Xingu, Brazil: dark olive body covered in yellow-gold spots with yellow to orange fin edges (brightest orange in juveniles). It prefers meaty foods and needs a large tank of warm, clean, well-oxygenated, flowing water. Listed as Vulnerable because of the Belo Monte dam.

The sunshine pleco was known as L014 before American ichthyologist Warren Burgess described it in 1994. Its dark body is covered with golden spots and its fins have yellow edges. It grows large and needs a spacious tank.

First described by Warren E. Burgess in 1994. Named for 'aureatus' means golden.

  • Its golden fin edges inspired the name sunshine pleco.
  • Scobinancistrus plecos have strong teeth suited to eating snails.
  • It can reach around 30 cm in length.

Sources

13 facts checked with sources