Save the Little Fish

Freshwater fishes

The fish list

542 species, each with the water it needs, who it gets along with, and where it comes from. Find one, or browse by family, genus or river.

The fishes 142 fish · new every day

Snowball

L102

Plecos · HypancistrusLC

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

Upper Rio Negro and Casiquiare, Venezuela and Brazil

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.

Tiger peckoltia

L002

Plecos · PeckoltiaUncommon

A small, easy Peckoltia with dark vermiculation on gold.

Lower Amazon near Santarém, Brazil

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.

Spotted zebra

L174

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

Small, with dense fine gold dots on black.

Rio Xingu, Brazil

Spotted zebra

L174

Hypancistrus yudja

Rio Xingu, Brazil · river

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
6–7.2
Adult size
2 in · 5 cm
Flow
Gentle
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Hard, slow
Typical price
$60–150
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

Small, with dense fine gold dots on black. Patterns vary, so check photos before buying.

Queen arabesque

L260

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

Fine white maze lines on black.

Rio Tapajós, Brazil

Queen arabesque

L260

Rio Tapajós, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
24–30°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
4 in · 9 cm
Flow
Gentle
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Moderate
Typical price
$60–150
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

Fine white maze lines on black. One of the most refined patterns in the genus.

Rio Curuá pleco

L401

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

Dark with a golden net pattern.

Rio Curuá, Iriri–Xingu basin, Brazil

Rio Curuá pleco

L401

Rio Curuá, Iriri–Xingu basin, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
6–7
Adult size
6 in · 14 cm
Flow
Gentle
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Moderate
Typical price
$50–100
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

Dark with a golden net pattern. It can cross with L236, so only mix them in a tank you won’t sell fry from.

Angelicus

L136

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

Sold as L136a, b and c.

Middle Rio Negro, Brazil

Angelicus

L136

Middle Rio Negro, Brazil · rapids

Temperature
23–29°C
pH
5–7
Adult size
4 in · 9 cm
Flow
Gentle
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Moderate
Typical price
$40–120
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

Sold as L136a, b and c. Keep one variant per breeding pair so fry stay true.

Dwarf snowball

L471

Plecos · HypancistrusUncommon

A small, white-spotted Hypancistrus.

Unknown origin

Dwarf snowball

L471

Unknown origin · rapids

Temperature
26–30°C
pH
6–7
Adult size
2.8 in · 7 cm
Flow
Gentle
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Peaceful
Diet
Omnivore
Breeding
Easy–moderate
Typical price
$25–60
In Canada
Occasional
Rarity
Uncommon

A small, white-spotted Hypancistrus. It can cross with L236, so only mix them in a tank you won’t sell fry from.

Moon pleco

L368

Plecos · ScobinancistrusRare

Unknown origin

Moon pleco

L368

Unknown origin · rapids

Temperature
27–31°C
pH
5.5–7.5
Adult size
12 in · 30 cm
Flow
Strong
Swims
Bottom
Temperament
Territorial
Diet
Carnivore
Breeding
Rarely
Typical price
$150–400
In Canada
Rare
Rarity
Rare or hard to breed

Large white spots on black. A big snail-eater that grows to about 30 cm, so it needs a large tank.

Wormline peckoltia

L135

Plecos · PeckoltiaUncommon

Dark body covered in fine gold worm-lines.

Unknown origin

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.

Colombian zebra

L129

Plecos · HypancistrusLC

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

Rio Guaviare and upper Orinoco, Colombia

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.

Super white

L236

Plecos · HypancistrusRare

Grading is by how much white shows, and the whitest fish sell for the most.

Rio Xingu, Pará, Brazil

Super white

L236

Hypancistrus seideli

Rio Xingu, Pará, 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, slow
Typical price
$200–1000
In Canada
Rare
Rarity
Rare or hard to breed

Grading is by how much white shows, and the whitest fish sell for the most. Best at 29–30°C with strong flow and protein-heavy food.

Galaxy vampire

L029

Plecos · LeporacanthicusRare

Rio Tocantins and nearby Pará rivers, Brazil

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.

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