Home/Store/SHOP ALL FISH IN STOCK
L397 Tangerine Tiger Pleco - (Panaqolus sp.)
+2

L397 Tangerine Tiger Pleco - (Panaqolus sp.)

$75.00
Wild Caught
was $95.00 Save 21%
Size
Questions, Comments, Concerns? Let us know!
Enter your text
Price of shipping is not included.
In stock: 1 available
1
Customer reviews
Reviews only from verified customers
No reviews yet. You can buy this product and be the first to leave a review.
Share this product with your friends
ShareSharePin it
L397 Tangerine Tiger Pleco - (Panaqolus sp.)
Fish Details, Description and Information Below:

🐅 L397 Tangerine Tiger Pleco – (Panaqolus sp. L397) – Wild-Caught Brazilian Tiger Pleco

The L397 Tangerine Tiger Pleco (Panaqolus sp. L397), also known as the Alenquer Tiger Pleco, Red-Striped Alenquer Pleco, or L397 Tiger Pleco, is a beautifully patterned Brazilian pleco known for its striking combination of orange, tangerine, reddish-orange, and dark brown to black bands.

One of the most distinctive features of L397 is the contrast between its bold body bands and the much finer:

WORM-LIKE LINES ACROSS THE HEAD

These intricate head markings become increasingly complex as the fish matures and help distinguish L397 from several other similar Tiger Panaqolus.

L397 originates from the:

RIO CURUÁ-UNA NEAR ALENQUER, PARÁ, BRAZIL

and remains scientifically undescribed.

The correct identification is:

Panaqolus sp. L397

This listing is for:

WILD-CAUGHT L397 TANGERINE TIGER PLECOS


🔎 Quick Facts – L397 Tangerine Tiger Pleco

  • 📛 Common Name: Tangerine Tiger Pleco
  • 📛 Other Names: Alenquer Tiger Pleco, Red-Striped Alenquer Pleco, Tiger Pleco
  • 🔢 L-Number: L397
  • 🔬 Scientific Identification: Panaqolus sp. L397
  • 🧬 Taxonomic Status: Scientifically Undescribed
  • 🐟 Family: Loricariidae
  • 🧬 Subfamily: Hypostominae
  • 🌿 Stock: Wild Caught
  • 📏 Current Size: Approximately 3 inches
  • 🇧🇷 Country: Brazil
  • 📍 State: Pará
  • 🌊 Native River: Rio Curuá-Una
  • 📍 Regional Association: Near Alenquer, Pará
  • 🌎 Major Drainage: Lower Amazon Basin
  • 💧 Water Type: Freshwater
  • 📏 Typical Adult Size: Approximately 5 inches
  • 📏 Adult Planning Size: Approximately 5–6 inches
  • 🏠 Recommended Aquarium: 30 gallons or larger
  • 👥 Groups / Breeding Colonies: 40–55+ gallons preferred
  • 📐 Aquarium Shape: Long and wide aquarium preferred
  • 🌡️ Temperature: Approximately 77–85°F
  • 💧 pH: Approximately 6.0–7.5
  • 💨 Oxygenation: Good to High
  • 🌊 Water Movement: Moderate
  • 🍽️ Diet: Wood-Grazing / Detritus-Leaning Omnivore
  • 🪵 Driftwood: Strongly Recommended
  • 🌿 Plant-Based Foods: Important
  • 🦐 Animal / Insect Protein: Supplemental
  • 🚫 Algae Cleaner: Should not be purchased solely for algae control
  • 😌 Temperament: Generally peaceful
  • ⚠️ Pleco Temperament: Mature males can become territorial around caves and wood
  • 🌙 Activity: Primarily crepuscular / nocturnal
  • 🥚 Breeding: Confirmed Cave Spawner
  • 👨‍👧 Parental Care: Male guards the eggs and developing fry
  • ♂️ Male Trait: Strong odontode development on the body and fins
  • ⭐ Care Level: Beginner to Intermediate with proper wood, diet, and water quality
  • 🌎 IUCN Status: Not Evaluated as an undescribed L-number form

🧬 L397 Is Still Scientifically Undescribed

The correct scientific identification remains:

Panaqolus sp. L397

The abbreviation:

sp.

means that the fish is recognized as belonging to the genus:

Panaqolus

but has not yet received a formally published species name.

Therefore:

DO NOT INVENT OR SUBSTITUTE A SPECIES NAME FOR L397

The L-number remains a critical part of its identity.


🔢 Why the L397 Number Matters

Because this fish remains scientifically undescribed:

L397 IS PART OF THE FISH'S IDENTIFICATION

The L-number helps distinguish it from many similar-looking:

  • Panaqolus
  • Panaque
  • Tiger Plecos
  • Clown Plecos

that may appear superficially similar.

Preserve:

  • L397
  • Collection locality when known
  • Supplier identification
  • Breeding records

⚠️ L397 Is Not Panaqolus tankei

Do not confuse:

L397

with:

Panaqolus tankei

The formally described Panaqolus tankei is associated with:

L398

from the Rio Xingu system.

L397 remains:

Panaqolus sp. L397

from the:

RIO CURUÁ-UNA

These are different aquarium forms and should remain separately identified.


🐅 Why Is It Called the Tangerine Tiger Pleco?

The L397 develops bold alternating bands that resemble a tiger pattern.

The lighter bands may appear:

  • Tangerine orange
  • Burnt orange
  • Red-orange
  • Yellow-orange
  • Rust
  • Golden brown

against darker:

  • Chocolate brown
  • Dark brown
  • Charcoal
  • Nearly black

bands.


🎨 Appearance

A well-acclimated L397 can become exceptionally colorful.

The body generally displays:

BOLD DARK AND ORANGE BANDING

across the:

  • Body
  • Dorsal fin
  • Pectoral fins
  • Pelvic fins
  • Caudal fin

while the head develops a much more intricate pattern.


🌀 Intricate Head Pattern

The head is one of the best identification features of L397.

Instead of simple broad tiger bands, the head develops:

DENSE, FINE, WORM-LIKE LINES

also described as:

VERMICULATIONS

These markings may:

  • Curve
  • Branch
  • Cross
  • Form loops
  • Create maze-like patterns

🧠 Pattern Becomes More Complex With Age

Young L397 often have:

  • Broader bands
  • Cleaner orange-and-black contrast

As the fish matures:

  • Head lines may become denser
  • Body bands may become more irregular
  • Dark markings may narrow or widen
  • Orange may deepen toward rust or reddish-orange

🔥 Tangerine vs. Red L397

Not every L397 is exactly the same shade.

Some individuals are:

  • Yellow-orange

while others become:

  • Tangerine
  • Red-orange
  • Rust-red
  • Copper-orange

Color intensity depends on:

  • Genetics
  • Age
  • Diet
  • Stress
  • Aquarium lighting
  • Background color
  • Water quality

⚠️ Exact Adult Color Cannot Be Guaranteed

Wild fish naturally vary.

Do not guarantee that every juvenile will develop:

  • Bright red coloration
  • Perfectly even stripes
  • Identical band width
  • Exactly the same adult pattern

Natural variation is expected.


🔄 Shipping Color

A recently transported L397 may temporarily appear:

  • Pale
  • Brown
  • Gray
  • Washed out
  • Less orange

This does not necessarily represent its permanent coloration.

Once acclimated, healthy fish frequently develop stronger contrast.


🆚 L397 vs. Similar Tiger Plecos

Several small Panaqolus are sold under names such as:

  • Tiger Pleco
  • Clown Pleco
  • Red Tiger Pleco
  • Orange Tiger Pleco

Correct identification matters.


🆚 L397 vs. L002 Tiger Pleco

The:

L002 Tiger Pleco

is another small Brazilian Panaqolus.

L002 generally develops:

  • More numerous narrow bands
  • Brown / cream coloration
  • Less intense tangerine coloration
  • Different head pattern

L397 generally displays:

STRONGER ORANGE / RED-ORANGE COLOR

and particularly intricate head vermiculations.


🆚 L397 vs. L104 Clown Pleco

The:

L104 Clown Pleco – Panaqolus maccus

comes from the:

ORINOCO BASIN

rather than Brazil's Curuá-Una.

L104 generally has:

  • Brown
  • Tan
  • Cream

banding rather than the intense:

ORANGE / BLACK

contrast associated with high-quality L397.


🆚 L397 vs. L398

L398 is now associated with the formally described:

Panaqolus tankei

from the:

RIO XINGU BASIN

L397 originates from:

RIO CURUÁ-UNA

and remains scientifically undescribed.

Do not mix the two breeding lines.


🌎 Native Distribution

The L397 Tangerine Tiger Pleco originates from:

BRAZIL

in the state of:

PARÁ


🌊 Rio Curuá-Una

The best-established locality is:

RIO CURUÁ-UNA

near:

ALENQUER

in Pará, Brazil.

The Curuá-Una belongs to the greater:

AMAZON BASIN


⚠️ Important Origin Correction

The older product page lists:

RIO BRANCO

I would remove that.

The aquarium L397 is consistently associated in specialist L-number references with:

RIO CURUÁ-UNA, BRAZIL


📍 Why Locality Matters

There are many visually similar small Panaqolus in Brazil.

Keeping locality information helps prevent:

  • Misidentification
  • Mixing L-numbers
  • Incorrect breeding records
  • Selling mixed offspring under the wrong name

🪵 Natural Habitat

Like other members of Panaqolus, L397 is strongly associated with habitats containing:

  • Submerged wood
  • Fallen branches
  • Roots
  • Woody debris
  • Rock crevices
  • Protected shelters
  • Flowing water

🪵 Driftwood Is Strongly Recommended

A proper L397 aquarium should contain:

MULTIPLE PIECES OF NATURAL AQUARIUM-SAFE DRIFTWOOD

Wood provides:

  • Natural grazing surfaces
  • Biofilm
  • Detritus
  • Shelter
  • Shade
  • Territory
  • Behavioral enrichment

🪵 L397 Is a Wood Grazer

L397 has specialized teeth that allow it to:

RASp AND GOUGE WOOD SURFACES

It may ingest substantial amounts of:

  • Wood fibers
  • Surface material
  • Biofilm
  • Organic debris

while feeding.


⚠️ Wood Is Important – But Not a Complete Diet

The phrase:

“Wood is required for digestion.”

is commonly repeated in aquarium care guides.

I would not use that wording.

Scientific research on wood-grazing loricariids shows that these fish do not efficiently digest cellulose in the same way as true wood-digesting animals.

A better explanation is:

DRIFTWOOD SUPPORTS NATURAL GRAZING BEHAVIOR, BIOFILM FEEDING, DETRITUS CONSUMPTION, SHELTER, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT.


🚫 Wood Alone Is Not Enough

Even though L397 may spend much of its time rasping wood:

DO NOT FEED WOOD AS THE ENTIRE DIET

A balanced diet remains necessary for:

  • Growth
  • Color
  • Body condition
  • Reproduction
  • Long-term health

🪵 Good Wood Choices

Aquarium-safe choices may include:

  • Malaysian driftwood
  • Mopani
  • Manzanita
  • Bogwood
  • Other aquarium-safe hardwoods

Provide:

MORE THAN ONE TEXTURE AND SURFACE

when possible.


💩 Expect Fine Wood Waste

Like other Panaqolus, L397 can produce:

SAWDUST-LIKE WASTE

while grazing driftwood.

This may collect:

  • Under wood
  • Behind caves
  • Beneath rocks
  • In low-flow areas

💩 Good Mechanical Filtration Helps

Because of wood debris and feces, use effective:

  • Mechanical filtration
  • Biological filtration
  • Water circulation

Regularly remove accumulated debris without sterilizing every biofilm-covered natural surface.


📏 Adult Size

Specialist L397 records generally place adult size around:

11–15 CM

or roughly:

4.3–5.9 INCHES

Many mature specimens fall near:

5 INCHES


📏 Responsible Adult Planning Size

For customer planning:

EXPECT APPROXIMATELY 5–6 INCHES

This provides a little more room than treating:

4 INCHES

as a hard maximum.


🏠 Aquarium Size

For one adult:

30 GALLONS OR LARGER

is a reasonable permanent recommendation.

For:

  • A pair
  • Breeding trio
  • Small group

consider:

40–55+ GALLONS

depending on aquarium footprint and number of caves.


📐 Bottom Area Matters

L397 uses:

  • Wood
  • Caves
  • Substrate
  • Bottom territories

so:

AQUARIUM LENGTH + WIDTH

are more important than excessive height.

A long breeder-style aquarium works especially well.


🏠 Aquarium Setup

A good L397 aquarium should contain:

  • Multiple pieces of driftwood
  • Ceramic pleco caves
  • Rock crevices
  • Slate
  • Smooth rocks
  • Sand or smooth gravel
  • Shaded areas
  • Good filtration
  • Good oxygenation
  • Moderate water movement

🏠 Provide Multiple Caves

L397 uses caves for:

  • Resting
  • Territory
  • Security
  • Breeding

For several fish:

PROVIDE MORE CAVES THAN PLECOS


🪨 Suitable Shelters

Useful shelters include:

  • Ceramic pleco tubes
  • Slate caves
  • Driftwood cavities
  • Rock crevices
  • One-ended breeding caves

🌿 Planted Aquariums

L397 can be kept in planted aquariums, but caution is needed.

Because it naturally grazes:

  • Plant matter
  • Wood
  • Biofilm

some individuals may damage:

  • Soft leaves
  • Newly planted vegetation
  • Tender plants

⚠️ Do Not Promise It Is Completely Plant Safe

A well-fed L397 may coexist with hardy plants, but:

PLANT DAMAGE IS POSSIBLE

especially with softer vegetation.

Plants attached firmly to wood or rocks are generally more practical than delicate rooted plants.


🌡️ Temperature

A practical long-term range is:

77–85°F / 25–29°C

A good general target is approximately:

78–82°F


💨 Oxygenation

L397 benefits from:

GOOD TO HIGH DISSOLVED OXYGEN

especially at warmer temperatures.

Provide:

  • Surface agitation
  • Air stones when useful
  • Filter-return movement
  • Sponge filters
  • Powerheads if needed

🌊 Water Movement

Provide:

MODERATE WATER MOVEMENT

with:

  • Good water turnover
  • Clean bottom areas
  • Sheltered resting areas

Extreme current throughout the entire aquarium is unnecessary.


💧 Water Parameters

A practical aquarium range is:

  • 🌡️ Temperature: Approximately 77–85°F
  • 💧 pH: Approximately 6.0–7.5
  • 💨 Oxygenation: Good to High
  • 🌊 Water Movement: Moderate
  • ☠️ Ammonia: 0 ppm
  • ☠️ Nitrite: 0 ppm
  • 🔄 Nitrate: Keep reasonably low

Stable water quality is more important than constantly adjusting parameters.


🔄 Water Changes

Regular partial water changes help control:

  • Nitrate
  • Fine wood debris
  • Feces
  • Dissolved organic waste

Vacuum accumulated waste around:

  • Wood
  • Caves
  • Rocks

while leaving useful grazing biofilm on natural surfaces.


🍽️ Diet – Wood-Grazing / Detritus-Leaning Omnivore

The best description for L397 is:

WOOD-GRAZING, DETRITUS-LEANING OMNIVORE

Its diet should contain a strong:

PLANT / BIOFILM / DETRITUS COMPONENT

with supplemental animal and insect protein.


🌿 Plant-Based Foods

Suitable staple foods include:

  • Quality algae wafers
  • Spirulina wafers
  • Vegetable-based pleco foods
  • Fiber-rich sinking foods
  • Quality gel diets

🥒 Fresh Vegetables

Suitable options include:

  • Zucchini
  • Squash
  • Pumpkin
  • Green beans
  • Sweet potato
  • Appropriate leafy greens

Remove uneaten vegetables before they spoil.


🦐 Supplemental Protein

Suitable supplemental protein can include:

  • Mysis shrimp
  • Brine shrimp
  • Bloodworms
  • Insect larvae
  • Insect-based sinking pellets
  • Quality omnivore foods

⚠️ Do Not Overfeed Heavy Protein Foods

L397 should not be maintained primarily on:

  • Massivore-style carnivore foods
  • Large amounts of shrimp
  • Mussel
  • Heavy meat-based diets

Protein is useful:

AS PART OF A BALANCED DIET

rather than as the entire diet.


🚫 Not Just an Algae Cleaner

L397 may graze:

  • Soft algae
  • Biofilm
  • Organic coatings

but:

DO NOT PURCHASE IT SOLELY FOR ALGAE CONTROL

It requires intentional feeding.


🧹 Eating Algae Does Not Make It a Cleaning Tool

Like every fish, L397:

  • Eats
  • Digests food
  • Produces waste

A pleco is:

AN AQUARIUM ANIMAL

not a substitute for aquarium maintenance.


🌙 Activity

The Tangerine Tiger Pleco is primarily:

CREPUSCULAR / NOCTURNAL

Activity commonly increases:

  • At dusk
  • During feeding
  • After lights dim
  • During nighttime

☀️ Established Fish Can Become Visible

Once comfortable, L397 may become surprisingly visible.

It may:

  • Graze wood during the day
  • Rest openly
  • Search for food before lights out
  • Move between caves

A heavily structured aquarium often makes shy plecos:

MORE CONFIDENT


🧪 Wild-Caught Acclimation

This listing is for:

WILD-CAUGHT L397 TANGERINE TIGER PLECOS

Wild specimens deserve careful acclimation.

After arrival:

  • Provide immediate driftwood
  • Provide secure caves
  • Keep lighting subdued
  • Maintain good oxygenation
  • Avoid abrupt temperature changes
  • Avoid abrupt pH changes
  • Maintain clean water
  • Confirm feeding

🍽️ Make Sure It Is Eating

Newly imported fish may hide while faster tankmates consume available food.

Offer foods:

  • Near driftwood
  • Near caves
  • At dusk
  • After lights out
  • In several locations

⚠️ Watch Body Condition

Monitor for:

  • Sunken abdomen
  • Hollow body
  • Weight loss
  • Persistent refusal to feed

A healthy L397 should gradually develop a solid, well-filled body profile.


😌 Temperament

L397 is generally:

PEACEFUL

toward appropriately selected community fish.

Potential tankmates may include:

  • Tetras
  • Rasboras
  • Corydoras
  • Peaceful cichlids
  • Other calm tropical fish

provided their water requirements overlap.


⚠️ Territorial With Its Own Kind

Although peaceful toward most other fish:

MATURE MALES MAY DEFEND TERRITORIES

especially around:

  • Caves
  • Driftwood
  • Feeding areas

👥 Group Housing

Multiple L397 can be maintained successfully when adequate structure is provided.

For groups:

  • Provide many caves
  • Provide multiple pieces of wood
  • Create visual barriers
  • Feed in several locations
  • Provide adequate bottom space

⚔️ Male Disputes

Territorial disputes may involve:

  • Chasing
  • Pushing
  • Cave blocking
  • Brief fin contact

Serious aggression is much less likely when the aquarium has enough:

SPACE + CAVES + WOOD


♂️ Male vs. Female

Sex differences become clearer after maturity.

Mature Males

Typically develop stronger:

ODONTODES

on the:

  • Cheeks
  • Pectoral fins
  • Rear half of the body
  • Caudal peduncle

This may create a:

  • Hairy
  • Bristly
  • Furry

appearance.


Mature Females

Generally:

  • Have less extensive odontodes
  • Develop a fuller abdomen
  • Appear broader when viewed from above when carrying eggs

👀 Viewing From Above

Comparing mature fish from above is particularly useful.

Females often develop a noticeably:

ROUNDER ABDOMEN

while conditioned for spawning.


⚠️ Juveniles Are Difficult to Sex

Small L397 should generally be:

SOLD AS UNSEXED

unless the sex is confidently established.


🥚 Captive Breeding – Well Documented

L397 has been:

SUCCESSFULLY BRED MANY TIMES IN CAPTIVITY

and established captive breeding populations exist in several countries.

It is a:

CAVE-SPAWNING PLECO


🏠 Breeding Caves

Provide several caves with different:

  • Widths
  • Lengths
  • Orientations

The male generally selects a cave that is:

  • Closed at one end
  • Slightly wider than his body
  • Long enough for courtship and spawning
  • Positioned where clean water reaches the entrance

💕 Typical Spawning Behavior

Breeding generally follows the familiar loricariid cave-spawning pattern:

  1. A mature male establishes a cave.
  2. A receptive female enters.
  3. Spawning occurs inside.
  4. Eggs are fertilized.
  5. The female leaves.
  6. The male remains with the clutch.

👨‍👧 Male Parental Care

After spawning:

THE MALE GUARDS THE EGGS

He:

  • Protects the clutch
  • Fans the eggs
  • Maintains water movement
  • Guards the developing larvae

🐣 Raising Fry

Once the yolk is absorbed, young L397 can receive:

  • Fine vegetable-based foods
  • Spirulina foods
  • Fine sinking pleco foods
  • Quality gel foods
  • Small amounts of baby brine shrimp
  • Appropriate insect foods

🪵 Provide Wood to Fry

Juveniles should receive:

SMALL PIECES OF DRIFTWOOD

from an early age.

This provides:

  • Shelter
  • Biofilm
  • Grazing surfaces
  • Natural feeding opportunities

⚠️ Fry Still Need Intentional Feeding

Do not assume fry can survive simply by eating wood.

Provide:

BALANCED PREPARED FOODS

while maintaining excellent water quality.


🔄 Breeding Triggers

Successful breeders often report breeding after combinations of:

  • Large water changes
  • Regular water changes
  • Increased feeding
  • Seasonal parameter changes
  • Strong conditioning
  • Increased circulation

However:

NO SINGLE METHOD GUARANTEES SPAWNING


🧬 Preserve Pure L397 Lines

L397 can look similar to several other Tiger Panaqolus.

When breeding:

  • Preserve the L397 identification
  • Keep parent records
  • Preserve locality when known
  • Avoid mixing with other Tiger Panaqolus

⚠️ Do Not Mix Similar L-Numbers

Avoid deliberately breeding L397 with:

  • L002
  • L104
  • L204
  • L398
  • Other unidentified Panaqolus

and later marketing the offspring as:

PURE L397


🌎 Conservation Status

Because L397 remains:

SCIENTIFICALLY UNDESCRIBED

it does not currently have its own formal species-level IUCN Red List assessment.

Therefore:

IUCN STATUS: NOT EVALUATED

is the safest wording.


⚠️ Not Evaluated Does Not Mean No Conservation Concerns

A species can remain scientifically undescribed while still facing potential pressures from:

  • Habitat alteration
  • Water-quality changes
  • River development
  • Collection
  • Environmental degradation

Responsible sourcing and long-term care remain important.


🌱 Captive Breeding Is Valuable

L397 is already successfully propagated in captivity.

Continued responsible breeding can:

  • Reduce reliance on wild collection
  • Preserve aquarium lineages
  • Increase availability
  • Improve husbandry knowledge
  • Maintain genetic diversity

⭐ Why Keep an L397 Tangerine Tiger Pleco?

The L397 combines:

  • 🐅 Bold tiger-like banding
  • 🍊 Tangerine and red-orange coloration
  • ⚫ Strong dark contrast
  • 🌀 Intricate worm-like head markings
  • 🇧🇷 Brazilian origin
  • 🌊 Rio Curuá-Una locality
  • 📏 Manageable approximately 5–6 inch adult size
  • 🪵 Fascinating wood-grazing behavior
  • 😌 Generally peaceful temperament
  • 🌙 Nocturnal personality
  • 🥚 Well-documented captive breeding
  • 👨‍👧 Male parental care
  • 🧬 Scientifically undescribed L-number identity

into one of the most colorful smaller Panaqolus in the aquarium hobby.


⚠️ Important Considerations

Before purchasing an L397 Tangerine Tiger Pleco:

  • Keep the scientific identification as Panaqolus sp. L397.
  • L397 remains scientifically undescribed.
  • Do not invent a species name.
  • This listing is for wild-caught fish.
  • The current fish are approximately 3 inches.
  • L397 originates from Pará, Brazil.
  • Its accepted aquarium locality is the Rio Curuá-Una near Alenquer.
  • Remove Rio Branco as the origin.
  • Do not confuse L397 with L398 Panaqolus tankei.
  • Preserve L-number and locality information.
  • Orange coloration varies naturally.
  • Some fish become reddish-orange while others remain tangerine or yellow-orange.
  • Exact adult color and stripe pattern cannot be guaranteed.
  • Plan for approximately 5–6 inches as an adult.
  • Provide approximately 30 gallons or larger.
  • Use 40–55+ gallons for groups or breeding colonies.
  • Prioritize aquarium floor space.
  • Provide substantial natural driftwood.
  • Provide multiple caves.
  • Driftwood supports natural grazing and habitat.
  • Do not claim that wood is required specifically for digestion.
  • Wood alone is not a complete diet.
  • Feed plant-, biofilm-, and detritus-oriented foods.
  • Provide modest animal and insect protein.
  • Avoid a heavy carnivore diet as the staple.
  • Do not purchase L397 solely as an algae cleaner.
  • Maintain approximately 77–85°F.
  • Maintain good to high dissolved oxygen.
  • Provide moderate water movement.
  • Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero.
  • Keep nitrate reasonably low.
  • Expect fine sawdust-like waste from wood grazing.
  • Use effective mechanical filtration.
  • Mature males develop strong odontodes.
  • Mature males may defend caves.
  • Captive breeding is well documented.
  • L397 is a cave spawner.
  • Males guard the eggs and fry.
  • Keep L397 breeding lines separate from other Panaqolus.
  • L397 has no formal species-level IUCN assessment.
  • Never release aquarium fish into natural waterways.

🧬 Taxonomy

The safest current identification is:

Panaqolus sp. L397

Classification:

  • Order: Siluriformes
  • Family: Loricariidae
  • Subfamily: Hypostominae
  • Genus: Panaqolus
  • Species: Scientifically Undescribed
  • L-Number: L397

Native aquarium locality:

RIO CURUÁ-UNA – PARÁ, BRAZIL

near the:

ALENQUER REGION

For this product, use:

L397 Tangerine Tiger Pleco – (Panaqolus sp. L397)


🔢 L-Number & Locality Disclaimer

Because L397 does not yet have a formal scientific species name:

THE L-NUMBER IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT

Preserve:

  • L397
  • Rio Curuá-Una locality
  • Supplier information
  • Parentage
  • Breeding records

Do not identify another orange-striped Panaqolus as L397 solely because it resembles one.


🚚 Live Fish Shipping

Live fish are professionally packed for safe transport.

Shipping availability depends on:

  • Fish size
  • Destination
  • Weather conditions
  • Carrier availability
  • Applicable state and local regulations

Please review our Shipping & Payment Information and Live Arrival Guarantee / DOA Policy before ordering.


⚠️ Buyer Responsibility

Customers are responsible for confirming that Panaqolus sp. L397 may legally be purchased, possessed, transported, and received in their state or local jurisdiction before ordering.

Never release aquarium fish into natural waterways.

Show More
  • Search for Fish
  • My Account
  • Track Orders
  • Fish Shopping Bag
Powered by Lightspeed
Display prices in:USD
Skip to main content
Menu
Home
Shop For Fish
DOA Policy/Live Arrival Guarantee
Terms & Conditions
Shipping & Payments
About Us
Contact Us
Customer Service

© Jason's Plecos & Cichlids LLC 2017-2026

Terms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyShipping & Payment InfoReturn PolicyQuarantine Your FishReport Abuse
Powered by Lightspeed