Common Pleco
Hypostomus plecostomus
- Intermediate
- Semi-aggressive
- 50 cm adult
- Freshwater
Knowledge-base entry — ask in store about availability.
The famous 'sucker fish' — and the hobby's most outgrown purchase. Half a metre of armoured catfish needing a tank most homes don't have.
- Min tank size
- 400 L
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C
- pH
- 6.5–7.8
- Hardness
- 4–20 dGH
- Group size
- Can be kept singly
- Diet
- Herbivore-leaning omnivore — algae wafers, blanched vegetables, driftwood
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years
- Adult size
- 50 cm
⚠ Not recommended for planted tanks — may eat or uproot plants.
Gets along with
No species listed yet.
Keep away from
Breeding difficulty: Hard
Bred commercially in ponds; spawning in home aquaria is practically unheard of.
Only for very large aquariums (400 L+). Provide driftwood to rasp and real vegetable food — a pleco cannot live on leftover algae. Consider a bristlenose instead.