This video shows a Plecostomus Catfish about 7" long that's scouring the surface of a big rock for bits of algae. Plecostomus Catfish are the best algae eaters.
Plecostomus Catfish are also called Plecos and Algae Eaters. But they are not a replacement for regular aquarium maintenance. Click here to buy Plecostomus Catfish from us.
This Plecostomus would work hard for a few minutes then relax and rest for a few minutes, and repeat this cycle of working and resting all day long.
Scientific Names There are many species of fish that are commonly called Plecostomus or Plecos by aquarium hobbyists. Hypostomus plecostomus and several other species also appear on this page.
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Comments Plecostomus are funny looking and most people enjoy having one in their aquarium. There are many species of Plecostomus, and almost all species tend to stay out of the light and many species of Plecostomus are nocturnal, which means they hide in a dark place when the lights are on and come out when the lights are off.
Plecostomus catfish constantly clean algae off the surfaces of everything. They are very good aquarium fish, but they are not a substitute for cleaning your aquarium and changing some of the water. Click here for more about regular aquarium maintenance.
Click here to listen to Tom and Nevin, The Bailey Brothers, interview Chris from Australia about Breeding Ancistrus Catfish.
Most Plecostomus species are rather fragile when small. By the time they have grown to 2" they are stronger; at 2.5" they are tough, and at 3.5" they are very tough. It's probably best to buy one that is at least 2.5" long.
Here is a picture of a Bushy Nose Plecostomus that Wally Billingham gave us permission to use. Thanks Wally. I think this is a picture of one fish and its reflection in the glass of the
aquarium. This fish is a member of the Ancistrus genus, and Wally's picture shows lots of bushy "whiskers".
Appropriate Home An aquarium with an exterior power filter with a BIO-Wheel, a maximum of 1/4 inch of gravel, and an aquarium heater adjusted to between 72 and 80 degrees. Plecostomus Catfish can tolerate cooler water, perhaps down to 65 degrees F., provided the water temperature decreases gradually over a period of days. Click here for more about warm water aquariums.
Plecostomus Catfish enjoy Cichlid Stones, which are hollow ceramic aquarium caves that make ideal homes for Plecostomus. Click here for more about Cichlid Stones.
Here is another picture of a Bushy Nose Plecostomus that was contributed by Wally Billingham, who gave us permission to use it. In this picture you can see in detail the mouth that this fish uses to suck onto the glass of aquariums.
Bushy Nose Plecos., like the one shown above, rarely grow longer than 5", and they are very good aquarium fish. We recommend them for most aquariums. Whereas, the regular Plecostomus, which is shown in the video at the top of this page, can grow to be over 30" long and become too big for most aquariums.
Recommended Diet Floating Flake Food for Tropical Fish. Plecostomus will actually swim upside down at the surface of the water to eat floating flake food, which is available in most stores that sell pet fish. Hikari makes sinking foods specifically for bottom feeding catfish. This food is very good for Plecostomus and is available in most stores that sell pet fish.
Always be very careful not to feed more than your fish can eat quickly, because uneaten food will spoil and pollute the aquarium water. Click here for more about feeding fish. Plecostomus Catfish do not seem to eat worms such as Black Worms. Click here for more about Black Worms.
In the past we fed most fish several type of food to
provide a
varied
diet. But
now we
feed almost all of our fish only premium fish food pellets
and/or flakes. Premium fish foods contain all the nutrients
needed by almost all types of fish. Click
here
to read more about premium fish foods.
Two pictures of a nice Plecostomus species about 8" long that was gnawing on a piece of driftwood, as these pictures were taken.
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Compatibility One Plecostomus Catfish in an aquarium is enough. They are the best algae eaters, but they'll eat almost anything else too. They will not keep your aquarium clean. Click here for more about regular aquarium maintenance.
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Size and Lifespan
Regular Plecostomus can live 10 years and probably much longer and grow to be at least 24" long, but they rarely exceed 12" in an aquarium.
Click here to go to another page in this web site with a story, titled "Our Mother's Burl", about Plecostomus Catfish.
Above, a wonderful Bushymouth Plecostomus, shown just above, lives in a 55-gallon aquarium with lots of mature Angelfish. But this fish is difficult to find, because it's usually hiding underneath or inside an ornament. Still when it does appear, it's a real treat to see !!
Above, another mysterious Plecostomus species living in the same aquarium. This is possibly a Bristlenose female.
Above, five pictures of a young White Spotted Plecostomus. These catfish are raised by fish farmers and are very good aquarium fish. The scientific name is Glyptoperichthys joselimaianus, and there are two L-numbers: L001 and L022. Click here to buy this fish now.
Above, a young Marbled Sailfin Plecostomus. These are also raised by fish farmers and are very good aquarium fish. The scientific name is Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps, and there are two L-numbers: L083 and L165. Click here to buy this fish now.
Above, a Gold Marbled Sailfin Plecostomus relaxing in one of our aquariums. ;^ }
Above, a nice wild Plecostomus, which is some sort of Royal Pleco., which is no longer being exported from the Amazon River basin.
Above, this is a so-called Trinidad Pleco, the commonest Plecostomus in the Aquarium Hobby. It a nice energetic fish, but it can grow to be huge.
Above, three pictures of a wonderful aquarium fish, the Emperor Pleco, which has the L-Number, L204.
Above, two beautiful Long Fin Plecos, a young Golden Long Fin Pleco and a Long Fin Pleco, both photographed by one of us in one of our aquariums. This species eats a lot of algae and can be quarrelsome with other Plecos but is not too aggressive. This is a very good and very pretty aquarium fish.
Click here to continue on to another page in this web site that contains Customer Comments and our Replies about keeping and caring for Plecostomus Catfish.
Books about Catfish
The book shown below is listed on Amazon.com. You can click on the title or the image of the book to go to the page at Amazon.com,
where the book is listed and discussed. In some cases you can preview several of the pages in the book.
Click
here for a
complete list of books about Freshwater Catfish at Amazon.com.
Click here to continue on to another page in this web site that contains Customer Comments and our Replies about keeping and caring for Plecostomus Catfish.
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About our Fish Photographs ...
Almost all the photographs and videos, shown on this web site, were taken
by us in our aquariums of our fish. Compare the healthy,
beautiful, energetic fish in our beautiful aquariums to the
fish in our competitors pictures. Their fish often look thin
with clamped fins and poor color.
We buy the highest quality fish, produced by the best fish
farms or caught by the best collectors of wild fish, then we take incredibly good care of our fish in our beautiful aquariums. If you compare the pictures on this site to our competitors pictures, you can instantly see, our fish and aquariums are better!
;^ }
Will the fish you get from us look like the fish in our pictures? No! This is similar to buying kittens and puppies, that will change as they grow to become cats and dogs. We stock and ship fish that are the ideal size to sell. Not so small that they will not do well when shipped. Yet not so big that they have become much more expensive. The fish in almost all of our pictures were young fish like the ones we have for sale that we raised up, and you can too!
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