The Plecostomus Catfish

The Natural Way of Removing Algae from Freshwater Aquariums

Feb 20, 2009

A Pleco is a welcome addition to aquariums because it cleans algae from tanks without using chemicals.

A long-time favorite aquarium fish, the Plecostomus or Pleco helps fight the war on algae. It accomplishes this by sucking on the aquarium glass and decorations with its strong mouth.

Characteristics of a Plecostomus

The Pleco has a long, elongated body and an extra large head. Its body is dark brown with black spots. Its belly is flat and lacks the boney plates that are all over the rest of its body. Its eyes are small and sit very high on the head. There are a large number of species in the Pleco family with new species being discovered and described yearly.

Aquarium Requirements for a Plecostomus

Plecos like to have driftwood, lots of plants, caves and hiding places in the aquarium. When the Pleco is not busy eating algae, it loves to rest on driftwood. It is essential to have driftwood in the aquarium because there is a mineral that Plecos derive from driftwood that keeps them healthy. With the Pleco constant grazing up and down the piece of driftwood, the wood will eventually become smooth and polished.

Plecos are not an extremely active fish so the aquarium size does not need to be the same as that needed for an active fish that grows up to 20 inches in size. It is still a good idea to try to keep a Pleco in a large tank.

There are no special water requirements for Plecos. They will adapt to any aquarium.

Food Requirements for a Plecostomus

No matter how much algae accumulates in an aquarium, it should not be the only source of food for a Pleco. Their diet should be supplemented by feeding other foods such as lettuce, zucchini and spinach. These need to be weighed down so they sit on the bottom of the aquarium where the Pleco can easily access the food.

If there is insufficient algae in the aquarium, algae tablets should be added. Plecos will also clean up food that hits the bottom of the tank, such as frozen foods, live foods, pellets and flakes.

Breeding a Plecostomus

There has been little success at breeding Plecostomus in aquariums because they require a very large tank and it’s difficult to reproduce the substrate conditions. Successful breeding occurs in outdoor ponds in late Spring and Summer. Plecos dig tunnels in the walls of the pond, almost at water level. The female deposits her eggs and the male remains on guard until the fry hatch.

Common Species of Plecostomus

There is a superstition about Plecos. It is believed that if the name is spelled as Plco (without the vowel), it will ensure good health of the fish. If it is spelled as Pleco, the fish will die soon.

The copyright of the article The Plecostomus Catfish in Aquariums is owned by Douglas DuHamel. Permission to republish The Plecostomus Catfish in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.