| Common Pleco | Tropical Fish Information |
| Size | Depending on tank size up to 20 inches or 50 cm |
| Fish Hardiness | Easy to keep |
| Water Temperature | 69 to 82.4°F or 20 to 28°C |
| Water pH | 6.0 to 8.0 |
| Water Hardness | 1 to 25 dH |
| Peaceful or Aggressive | Peaceful nocturnal fish |
| Number of same species in tank | One. Because of its adult size you really need a large aquarium to have more than one |
| Community Species | Yes, excellent community fish |
| Sexes | Not possible to determine |
| Strata | Bottom |
| Food | Feeds on algae, supplement its diet with bottom feeder pellets to assure they get enough food |
| Breeding | Not possible in a home aquarium |
| Other names | Plecostomus, Suckermouth Catfish, Pleco |
| Scientific name | Hypostomus plecostomus, Hypostomus punctatus and Pterygoplichthys pardalis are all known as the Common Pleco |
| Lifespan | 15 years and older |
Ideal Common Pleco Conditions
Appearance
- The Pleco have a unique shape compared to other tropical freshwater fish. They do not have the usual fish shape but are flat on the underside from head to tail. On their top side they are sharply rounded from the front tapering down less sharply to the tail. Their main colors are a mix of light and dark brown spots and stripes.
Feeding
- This is a nocturnal creature which mainly feeds at night. They do come out during daytime especially when feeding them bottom feeding pellets they will come after the smell of the food.
Strata
- They tend to swim mainly near the bottom of the tank but when eating algae off of the glass they can cover the whole tank. They prefer well planted tanks with ornaments to have enough hiding place during daytime.
Peaceful, Community
- They are peaceful algae eaters ideal for a community aquarium setup.
Other names
- Also referred to as the Armoured Suckermouth Catfish or Plecostomus or just Pleco.
Lifespan
- This hardy fish can live ten to fifteen years and even beyond.