Common Pleco (Hypostomus ssp.)

Common Name:

Plecostomus.

Other Name:

Pleco, Suckermouth Catfish, Sucker Catfish, Plecostomus, Pl*co.

Scientific Name:

Hypostomus ssp.

Family:

Loricariidae.

Distribution:

Coastal drainages of Guiana.

Size:

24 inches has been reported but 18 inches is much more common.

Diet:

Algae, small crustaceans in the wild. They will quickly rid an aquarium of both, so vegetables (lots) and crabmeats or prawns (in small amounts) are good substitutes, as are Spirulina-based bottom feeder tablets. Anecdotes abound where the plecostomus eats the food from the substrate of the aquaria while some learn to take food (upside down like a Synodontis catfish) from the surface thereof.

Water Temperature:

68 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 28 degrees Celsius).

Water Chemistry:

Though fans of medium-hard waters, they can take many chemistries as they must deal with a range of different hardness levels in the wild. They are also mostly captive-bred, so they can deal with a wide range of hardness levels because this. The pH is best kept between 6.2 and 8.2, but they can be acclimated to a range of pHs, especially if captive-bred.

pH:

6.2 to 8.2.

Life Span:

At least a decade, but 30+ years has been reported.

Minimum recommended tank size:

75 gallons.

Sexing:

There are a myriad of supposed morphological differences between the sexes, but the most common method seems to be comparing the size of fish as well as the size of their barbels. (Males are usually smaller but have larger barbels than females.)

Description:

These dorsally compressed fish have a thick body and a long tail (which makes up approximately half of the fish's total length). Most have an impressive dorsal fin, but not an overtly large one. This fin is mostly transparent but its scutes carry the coloration of the upper body. On most specimens, the upper body coloration is a mottled brown on gold. The anal fin has the same coloration while the bulk of the sub-lateral line region has a more pronounced gold with smaller brown spots. Unfortunately this coloration does not hold true for all common plecos but it is the most prevalent color pattern in the hobby.

The Plecostomus has many large spines on its body, which make capturing one an ordeal and netting them difficult as well. A plastic fish catcher such as the ones sold for the marine aquarium hobby would be a better bet than mesh netting. These spines also mean that, when double-bagging a pleco (which should be done for all fishes during transport), a layer of newspaper should be placed between the two bags so that the piercing of both is merely a remote possibility rather than an eventuality (especially on long trips).

They are well armored and they know it, so they can afford to be aggressive with most tank mates.

The large, pronounced and, in some cases, eponymous sucker mouth makes the fish look like one of those Garfield dolls found stuck to the windows of many minivans in the States.

Behavior:

These are territorial fishes that have an apparent enmity toward their conspecifics (and sometimes congeners and confamiliars). They have been known to be aggressive feeders and might terrorize smaller fishes during feeding times. Most of the time, they keep doing their job with apparent indifference to tank mates except when challenged by a tank mate. They have been known to rasp on the sides of laterally compressed fishes such as Discuses, Fancy Goldfishes, Angelfish, Silver Dollars, et cetera.

Natural Conditions:

Slow-moving portions of rivers. During the rainy season, they seek out nest holes created by birds during the dry season.

Breeding:

In the wild, they spawn in submerged holes in riverbanks (which are created by birds during the dry season). They are near impossible to breed in aquaria due to their largesse and preference for these spawning sites. Most captive-bred specimens have been bred in large commercial ponds in either the Far East or Florida.

Robin Rhudy suggests that a 200 plus gallon aquarium might be large enough for the spawning of Plecostomuses but, because of their territoriality, a larger aquarium might be necessary.

Miscellaneous:

FishBase calls these Hypostomus plecostomus but H. punctatus is commonly used in the literature (and they are sometimes relegated to the genus Liposarcus). One thing is for sure -- they do not belong in the genus Plecostomus. Linnaeus (1758) originally described this fish as Acipenser plecostomus. I do not wish to speculate on the correct specific name for this fish, so I'll play it safe by calling them Hypostomus ssp., especially since it is not clear that the Common Plecostomus imported for the hobby are all of the same species.

These are often sold to beginning aquarists as solutions to their algae problems but, much like the Chinese Algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri), they are not apropos for the average community tank because of their eventual size and tendency toward aggression.

According to Robin Rhudy, there are not supposed to be dents between, above and behind their eyes, if present, may be a sign of underfeeding. That area should be level at a minimum or protrude some.

Underfeeding may also rear its head in the form of a sunken belly in Plecos. Such specimens are not in good health and should not be purchased.

The use of an asterisk in the name Pleco dates to a superstition where people believed that writing the e in Pleco is what killed theirs.

Further useful reading on common plecs can be done at these excellent sites.
www.planetcatfish.com
www.scotcat.com

Photo Credit:

Photos supplied courtesy and ^©Bob Hart (Rab).