IF THE Zebra pleco, Hypancistrus zebra, is the king of catfish then surely only one species can be queen — the Gold nugget pleco, Baryancistrus xanthellus. The Gold nugget is up there as one of the most distinctive and brightly coloured cats on the market, and it stands to reason that this leads to high demand from consumers. Their value is derived from the gold spots — set so starkly against a dark base colour — that gave them both their common and scientific names. As if this wasn’t enough, the spots are complemented by golden banding on the caudal and dorsal fin.
