Royal Pleco

The L190 (Royal Pleco) is a large growing Panaque with vivid white and dark stripes. Wiki describes the Royal panaque as closely related to the popular plecostomus catfish kept in many aquaria as an algae eater. While the royal panaque also eats algae, it is best known among biologists as being among the very few fish capable of eating and digesting wood. It does so using symbiotic gut bacteria. Royal panaques are light grey in colour patterned with dark grey squiggles. They have red eyes and the dorsal fins are edged with cream or gold. The body is encased in heavy armour, except for the belly, which is soft. This armour is made of strong plates of skin, not scales. Royal panaques can grow to 43 centimetres (17 in) in length. Because they are heavy and inflexible, they do not swim well, but they do have a strong sucker-like mouth that enables them to hold onto rocks and wood in fast flowing waters.