Plecos: Fish species: care, size and tank mates

Royal pleco

L190

≈

Plecos · PanaqueRare

Red eyes and pinstripes, but it grows to about 40 cm and eats a lot of wood.

Royal pleco

L190

Panaque nigrolineatus

Orinoco basin, Colombia and Venezuela · river

Temperature: 24–29°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 16 in · 40 cm
Flow: Gentle
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Territorial
Diet: Wood
Breeding: Rarely
Typical price: $50–200
In Canada: Common
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

Red eyes and pinstripes, but it grows to about 40 cm and eats a lot of wood.

View full profile

Photo: Neale Monks, CC BY-SA 3.0

Green phantom

L200

≈

Plecos · HemiancistrusUncommon

Olive-green with yellow dots, a colour nothing else in the tank has.

Green phantom

L200

Hemiancistrus subviridis

Upper Orinoco and Ventuari, Venezuela · rapids

Temperature: 26–30°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 7 in · 18 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Territorial
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Moderate
Typical price: $60–150
In Canada: Occasional
Rarity: Uncommon

Olive-green with yellow dots, a colour nothing else in the tank has. Grazes algae and likes strong flow.

View full profile

Photo: Anne Blindheim, CC BY SA

Hi-fin green phantom

L200hf

≈

Plecos · BaryancistrusRare

The hi-fin version, with a tall dorsal.

Hi-fin green phantom

L200hf

Baryancistrus demantoides

Upper Orinoco and Ventuari, Venezuela · rapids

Temperature: 27–30°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 6 in · 16 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Territorial
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Hard
Typical price: $100–250
In Canada: Rare
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

The hi-fin version, with a tall dorsal. Territorial, and rarely bred.

View full profile

Photo: Anne Blindheim, CC BY-SA 3.0

Orinoco angel

L201

≈

Plecos · HypancistrusStaple

Crisp white dots and white fin edges.

Orinoco angel

L201

Hypancistrus cf. contradens

Middle Orinoco, Venezuela · rapids

Temperature: 27–30°C
pH: 6–7.5
Adult size: 4 in · 10 cm
Flow: Gentle
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Easy
Typical price: $25–60
In Canada: Common
Rarity: Pet-store staple

Crisp white dots and white fin edges. A classic first Hypancistrus.

View full profile

Photo: thepigeongirl, CC BY NC

Flash pleco

L204

≈

Plecos · PanaqolusUncommon

White vermiculation with orange-red fin edges.

Flash pleco

L204

Panaqolus albivermis

Peruvian Amazon · river

Temperature: 24–28°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 4 in · 11 cm
Flow: Gentle
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Wood
Breeding: Moderate
Typical price: $50–100
In Canada: Occasional
Rarity: Uncommon

White vermiculation with orange-red fin edges. A wood-eater, so add driftwood and vegetables.

View full profile

Photo: Hantanplan, CC0

Sultan

L264

≈

Plecos · LeporacanthicusRare

White spots and white-tipped fins on black.

Sultan

L264

Leporacanthicus joselimai

Rio Tapajós, Brazil · rapids

Temperature: 26–30°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 8 in · 20 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Territorial
Diet: Carnivore
Breeding: Hard
Typical price: $60–150
In Canada: Occasional
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

White spots and white-tipped fins on black. Grows to about 20 cm and holds a cave firmly.

View full profile

Photo: Thomas Siems, CC BY-SA 2.0

Tangerine tiger

L397

≈

Plecos · PanaqolusUncommon

Orange-and-dark banded Panaqolus, also sold as the Alenquer tiger.

Tangerine tiger

L397

Near Alenquer, lower Amazon, Brazil · river

Temperature: 24–28°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 4 in · 10 cm
Flow: Gentle
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Wood
Breeding: Moderate
Typical price: $50–100
In Canada: Occasional
Rarity: Uncommon

Orange-and-dark banded Panaqolus, also sold as the Alenquer tiger. Needs driftwood.

View full profile

Photo: Fish Tank Society, CC BY-SA 4.0

Guyana leopard cactus

L600

≈

Plecos · PseudacanthicusRare

Spotted cactus pleco with orange-edged fins.

Guyana leopard cactus

L600

Pseudacanthicus leopardus

Rupununi and Essequibo, Guyana, and the Rio Branco, Brazil · rapids

Temperature: 26–30°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 12 in · 30 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Aggressive
Diet: Carnivore
Breeding: Rarely
Typical price: $90–300
In Canada: Rare
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

Spotted cactus pleco with orange-edged fins. Large, spiny and aggressive with other plecos.

View full profile

Photo: Sesamehoneytart, CC BY-SA 3.0

Tiger peckoltia

L002

Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · PeckoltiaUncommon

A small, easy Peckoltia with dark vermiculation on gold.

Tiger peckoltia

L002

Peckoltia vermiculata

Lower Amazon near Santarém, Brazil · river

Temperature: 25–29°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 4 in · 10 cm
Flow: Gentle
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Moderate
Typical price: $30–60
In Canada: Occasional
Rarity: Uncommon

A small, easy Peckoltia with dark vermiculation on gold. Peaceful and a good community pleco.

View full profile

Leopard peckoltia

L008

Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · PeckoltiaUncommon

A small, easy Peckoltia with dark spots on a golden-brown body.

Leopard peckoltia

L008

Rio Tocantins, Brazil · river

Temperature: 25–29°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 4 in · 10 cm
Flow: Gentle
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Moderate
Typical price: $30–60
In Canada: Occasional
Rarity: Uncommon

A small, easy Peckoltia with dark spots on a golden-brown body.

View full profile

Galaxy vampire

L029

Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · LeporacanthicusRare

The vampire pleco.

Galaxy vampire

L029

Leporacanthicus galaxias

Rio Tocantins and nearby Pará rivers, Brazil · rapids

Temperature: 26–30°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 10 in · 25 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Aggressive
Diet: Carnivore
Breeding: Hard
Typical price: $60–200
In Canada: Occasional
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

The vampire pleco. Beautiful, but it gets large and bullies smaller plecos.

View full profile

King tiger

L066

Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · HypancistrusStaple

Bold cream worm-lines on black.

King tiger

L066

Hypancistrus seideli

Rio Xingu, Brazil · river

Temperature: 26–30°C
pH: 5–7
Adult size: 5 in · 11.7 cm
Flow: Gentle
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Moderate
Typical price: $40–80
In Canada: Common
Rarity: Pet-store staple

Bold cream worm-lines on black. Every fish is different, and it breeds readily.

View full profile

Three-beacon vampire

L091

Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · LeporacanthicusRare

Eats snails and holds a cave firmly.

Three-beacon vampire

L091

Leporacanthicus triactis

Orinoco, Venezuela · rapids

Temperature: 26–30°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 8 in · 20 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Territorial
Diet: Carnivore
Breeding: Hard
Typical price: $60–150
In Canada: Occasional
Rarity: Rare or hard to breed

Eats snails and holds a cave firmly. Can be rough with smaller plecos.

View full profile

Snowball

L102

Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · HypancistrusLC

Bigger, sparser white spots than L201, and a bigger fish overall.

Snowball

L102

Hypancistrus inspector

Upper Rio Negro and Casiquiare, Venezuela and Brazil · rapids

Temperature: 22–30°C
pH: 5–7.5
Adult size: 6 in · 16 cm
Flow: Strong
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Moderate
Typical price: $40–80
In Canada: Occasional
Status in the wild: Least concern

Bigger, sparser white spots than L201, and a bigger fish overall.

View full profile

Colombian zebra

L129

Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · HypancistrusLC

Small and busy, with thin black-and-white stripes.

Colombian zebra

L129

Hypancistrus debilittera

Rio Guaviare and upper Orinoco, Colombia · river

Temperature: 25–29°C
pH: 6.5–7.5
Adult size: 4 in · 10 cm
Flow: Gentle
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Easy
Typical price: $35–70
In Canada: Common
Status in the wild: Least concern

Small and busy, with thin black-and-white stripes. Easy to breed.

View full profile

Wormline peckoltia

L135

Give us a picture and get credit! ≈

Plecos · PeckoltiaUncommon

Dark body covered in fine gold worm-lines.

Wormline peckoltia

L135

Unknown origin · river

Temperature: 25–29°C
pH: 5.5–7.5
Adult size: 5 in · 12 cm
Flow: Gentle
Swims: Bottom
Temperament: Peaceful
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Moderate
Typical price: $40–80
In Canada: Occasional
Rarity: Uncommon

Dark body covered in fine gold worm-lines. Peaceful and easy to keep.

View full profile

The fish list

Plecos 46 fish

Royal pleco

Royal pleco

Green phantom

Green phantom

Hi-fin green phantom

Hi-fin green phantom

Orinoco angel

Orinoco angel

Flash pleco

Flash pleco

Sultan

Sultan

Tangerine tiger

Tangerine tiger

Guyana leopard cactus

Guyana leopard cactus

Tiger peckoltia

Tiger peckoltia

Leopard peckoltia

Leopard peckoltia

Galaxy vampire

Galaxy vampire

King tiger

King tiger

Three-beacon vampire

Three-beacon vampire

Snowball

Snowball

Colombian zebra

Colombian zebra

Wormline peckoltia

Wormline peckoltia