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Before I go on to describe this species, a word of warning. This is a HUGE Plec. It can reach a metre in length (39 inches), and is therefore only suitable for the largest aquaria!

The Black Adonis Plec, Acanthicus hystrix, belongs to a Genus that contains several other giant Plecs, and in the case of this Genus, when I say 'giant' Plecs, I genuinely mean it! A related species, Acanthicus adonis, was once kept by an aquarist acquaintance of mine back in 1995, and somehow he managed to bring it to nearly full size, making it a star attraction (and prize winner) at fish shows. The two species differ, however, in that adonis begins life as a spotted juvenile, losing its spots as an adult and becoming rather bland in colour, while hystrix has textured odontodes (body spines) that become even more prominent as an adult.

As the name suggests, the Black Adonis Plec is a solid black fish. The very prominent odontodes, however, catch the light and give the fish a spotted appearance from a distance. It also has an ornate lyre-shaped tail, the hard first ray of the pectoral fin is a spiked weapon that has to be seen to be believed, and the snout of the adult male is covered with stiff bristles that give it an almost 'bearded' look - think 1980's designer stubble as made popular by Don Johnson in Miami Vice, and you'll get the picture!

This is one of those Loricariids that needs wood in the diet. And LOTS of it. Furthermore, one should try, where possible, to provide this species with soaked bogwood originating from softwood trees, as hardwoods are too difficult for it to tackle. One could use hardwood for aquarium furnishings intended to be more permanent, but remember that soaked softwood pieces need to be added periodically as part of the feeding rgime. Without this addition, gut problems may shorten its life.

The Black Adonis Plec is capable of being housed with other large and relatively peaceful fishes (only a fool would use a gorgeous fish like this as a target fish for big Cichlids!), but the space required for such a setup means that even a dedicated owner will probably settle for a lone individual in a species aquarium, unless a truly colossal aquarium is available. It will not damage plants, except through the action of a large and not very manoeuvrable armoured fish going from Point A to Point B, so sturdy plants commensurate with its size should be chosen. It will appreciate a sympathetic choice of plants and other furnishings, including the provision of bogwood 'caves', though needless to say these will have to be big to accommodate a one-metre fish! Its general requirements fall into the usual Amazonian Plec range - temperature 22C to 27C, soft, slightly acidic water, and with a Plec this size, power filtration is a must, as its capacity to foul the water is frightening ... as for food, well, there'll be no need to slice the zucchini for a big one, it'll probably devour the thing whole, and a range of other vegetable matter will be needed (in quantity!) - lettuce, celery tops, the usual sort of thing that big vegetarians will take.

Mostly, these fishes are peaceful, but the odd "bad boy" might slip the net, so to speak. And big ones, if they develop a taste for slime coat, can be murderous. A lone individual in a species tank won't cause problems of this sort, obviously, but if one is kept with other fishes, watch it just in case some of its occupants start disappearing in suspicious circumstances. Be advised that dealing with such criminals will invariably require solitary confinement, so before acquiring one of these Plecs, make sure you have the space to do this!

Believe it or not, captive breeding of this giant has taken place. However, this has thus far only been achieved in the vast space of a public aquarium, as it requires several large adults to pair off with each other in the manner of Cichlids, and males can be strongly territoral. It should not take too much imagination to work out how much space would be needed by a dozen of these monsters to pair off and begin breeding ... consequently, as a project for the home aquarist, captive breeding of this fish is hardly practical.

Needless to say, the market is awash with Plecs that 'grew too big' for their owners, bought unwisely because they looked cute as juveniles, then became monstrous. This is one of the biggest of all the Plecs, it WILL become huge, so do NOT acquire one unless you're prepared to keep it for anything up to twenty years, in a massive aquarium with enough space for it to stretch its fins. Which means 1,000 gallons as a minimum volume. An aquarium this size is too big to fit inside my house, so I won't be acquiring one of these for a while, unless I have a substantial extension built on the back! If you are able to provide it with huge quarters, are dedicated enough (I detect Shini licking his lips at the prospect ) and have the knowhow, then this is probably one of the most spectacular of the really BIG Plecs that one can acquire. Be advised, however, that even juveniles are hideously expensive, and big adults can change hands for four-figure sums among the dedicated fans that are able to keep them. If you can live with an aquarium that is a civil engineering project in size, and have the income and the dedication to keep this fish in the quarters it deserves, then it will make a stunning show fish, but ONLY do it if you are [1] extremely affluent, [2] extremely dedicated, or [3] your name is Shini.

And again, I shall bid everyone, enjoy!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002