WARNING! This is not a professional website! I am NOT an expert. Do NOT believe everything on this site.

Last Updated: 1/26/08

This page is specifically about the common plecostomus species but much of the information also applies to other species of plecostomus. The main differences between species are size, color, and plant-eating tendency. I have been told that I have the species Liposarcus pardalis. I used to think I had a Hypostomus until someone saw the following photo and told me I had Liposarcus multiradiatus. Then, in October of 2001, someone said I have Liposarcus pardalis and an expert agreed. No matter which exact species that I have, most of the large, brown-mottled plecostomus have similar care requirements so the following information is helpful for all of them.

For information on algae-eating animals, check out the algae-eating animals comparison table which includes some information on other species of plecostomus as well as lots of other animals.

Check out my bristlenose plecostomus and Queen Arabesque pleco pages too!

View comments, photos, and stories relevant to this page.

Yes, you bet this page needs to be renovated! I wish I had the time! Maybe one day! It needs to be divided up too.

Common name: Common plecostomus, suckermouth catfish, algae eater (also used for other unrelated species of fish), pleco, pl*co (the internet superstition is that if you spell pleco out, the plecostomus will die), plec (in the UK), sailfin pleco (just for Liposarcus' and Gibbiceps')
Scientific/Latin name: Liposarcus pardalis (formerly Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus); other common and similar species include Liposarcus multiradiatus, Hypostomus punctatus (formerly Hypostomus plecostomus), Liposarcus anisitsi (more gray in color, the snow king pleco), and other Hypostomus, Pterygoplichthys, and Liposarcus
Maximum length: 1 to 2 feet (specifically 16 to 20 inches for Liposarcus species)
Colors: Brown, black, mottled.
Temperature preference: 68 to 82 degrees
pH preference: 6 to 7.5
Hardness preference: Soft
Salinity preference: Low
Compatibility: Good with small fish; may suck on goldfish, discus, and other large, flat-bodied fish; devours plants; will eat dead fish
Life span: Unknown, maybe 10-30 years (Steve told me on 12/1/04 that he has a 14-year-old and a 20-year-old pleco)
Ease of keeping: Moderate
Ease of breeding: Difficult

Species and telling plecostomus species apart:
Hypostomus punctatus, or Hypostomus plecostomus as it was known for so long, is a suckermouth catfish with patterned brown skin. So is Liposarcus pardalis but since it is not in most fish atlas', I did not know that I did not have a Hypostomus until an expert saw the above photo. The "expert" said I had L. multiradiatus which is in the first Baensch atlas as Pterygophlichthys multiradiatus. The photo shows a yellowish fish that does not look like my fish. A catfish expert says that they can change color and because my pleco was not expensive, it must be a L. multiradiatus. I was not so sure. Another person contacted me saying I had a L. pardalis. The expert at Planet Catfish agreed. Yet another person wrote in my guestbook that they swear I have a Glyptoperichthys or Liposarcus scrophus. I looked at the photos at Planet Catfish though and the photos look absolutely nothing like Plecy. Do any other experts want to tell me which species they think I have?

Liposarcus (sailfin pleco) species:
From what I have gathered, there are three commonly found species of Liposarcus which may have gone by the genus Pterygophlichthys in the past or even now. Here they are:

• Liposarcus multiradiatus = the sailfin pleco, has a large dorsal fin, grows over 50 cm.
  
• Liposarcus pardalis = one of the "common" plecos or the leopard sailfin pleco, this is the one I now think I have although the Baensch photo shows orange-tipped fins which Plecy does not have, grows over 40 cm.
  
• Liposarcus anisitsi = the snow king sailfin pleco, grows over 42 cm.

One person experienced with plecos says that the best way to tell Liposarcus multiradiatus from Liposarcus anisitsi is that the Liposarcus multiradiatus has a circle-like pattern on its belly while Liposarcus anisitsi has lines. Otherwise, the two species may look the same since plecos are so prone to color variations and changing color to suit their substrate and mood. The snow king pleco not only occurs as the more white individuals but also ones that look like regular common plecos as well. So, I think most pleco owners really do not know for sure which species they have if they have a "common" pleco! Even experts do not always agree.

Telling pleco genuses apart:
Pleco species can be told apart by the number of rays in the dorsal (back) fin. Hypostomus have 8 or 9; Liposarcus, Pterygoplichthys, and Glyptogolipthychs have more than 10 (usually 12 or 13); and Cochliodons have 10. My pleco seems to have 12 rays (he will not sit still!). (I verified the 12 rays in November of 2004 as he sat still and again on 1/14/07.) It is easy to tell the fancy plecos (bristlenose, snow balls, gold nuggets, mangos, zebras, clowns, etc.) apart from the common plecostomus due to different patterns and colors and high prices. There are also plecos with different body shapes and features like the bristlenose plecos.
For more information on the species of plecostomus, visit the pleco fact file.

Plecostomus behavior and size:
Plecos patterns change with the background and their mood. The common plecostomus or pleco is sold in large numbers. Hereafter, references to pleco are specifically referring to the common pleco species (Hypostomus plecostomus, Liposarcus pardalis, Liposarcus multiradiatus, etc.) and not necessarily other species. The pleco should not be sold with so little thought to unsuspecting customers (yes, I was one about four years ago!). First, plecostomus grow big, big, big!! The little two inch ones that they sell at the pet stores grow typically to nearly a foot if well cared for. Do not buy one, intending to keep it forever, unless you have a tank of at least 50 gallons. Liposarcus species grow to 16 to 20 inches. Mine is 12.75 inches as of July 2000.

Plecostomus are nocturnal. They feed on mostly plant material at night. During the day, their unusual omega iris blocks a lot of the light out of their eyes. The iris opens at night. Plecos can also wink using an eye membrane.

Plecostomus aggression to other fish:
Plecos just love to suck on ailing goldfish, discus, and other fat bodied fish. Avoid adding them together. There is one pet store near me that has about 20 tanks of fancy goldfish. Every tank has a small plecostomus and at any time, half of them are sucking on a goldfish. The employees apparently believe that any damage overshadows their algae cleaning abilities (in other words, they are too lazy to clean off the algae and do not care about the goldfish). My pleco probably killed the two rosy barbs with him even though he was 9 inches long and they were only about 1.5 inches long. Before that he harmed my goldfish. For more on my pleco with goldfish, visit my goldfish page.

Pleco to pleco aggression:
Large common plecostomus (this does not hold for many other species of pleco) are territorial and will usually not tolerate another large plecostomus in their tank. This may only be a same-species phenomena with two plecos of dissimilar species but similar sizes getting along without incident. Some of the more exotic species, such as the interesting bristlenose plecostomus, often get along with their own species at all sizes. I have never had more than one pleco at the same time in the same tank. Some aquarists report severe aggression; others say they get along fine. One person even said they had two plecos who were unhappy if separated. It most likely depends on species, size, and individual temperaments. Fish are individuals!

This said, plecostomus are great and interesting fish. In a large tank with small fish, nothing can beat them for algae cleaning capability. There are many other species of plecostomus more suitable for smaller tanks. Some are relatively inexpensive like the bristlenose pleco and clown pleco and some command higher prices like the gorgeous zebra, scarlet, and mango plecos. These often smaller other species of pleco are also often much less damaging to plants. The zebra pleco for example is much more carnivorous and eats little algae or plants. The bristlenose pleco is a good algae eater that usually leaves plants alone (see my bristlenose pleco page. It grows to a moderate length and can breed in captivity. Plecos can live a dozen years or more. One of my books says that Hypostomus punctatus (and presumably Liposarcus species) is a "harmless loner." Small fish may agree but many of my and other people's goldfish and plants would beg to differ!

Plecostomus need big tanks as adults. Or they can grow with your hobby. Every time I got a larger tank, good ole Plecy moved in it. Adults need tanks with a minimum volume of 50-100 gallons.

Food:

Plecostomus require special food. At dusk, add those dry spirulina tablets that say they are made for plecostomus. Mine prefers those made by Wardley the most. Also, cut a cucumber in half (I only use about 30% of its length), spoon out the seeds (I use a grapefruit spoon), attach it to something (they make special vegetable holders), and place it on the bottom. They will also eat squash and zucchini in this way. Boiling is not necessary. Remove the leftovers every morning. Feed as often as necessary, depending on their size. Mine is about 12.75 inches (as of July 2000) and gets his cucumber every 1-3 days, depending on availability. They are supposed to eat leafy vegetables like lettuce and kale too but mine does not care for them. Also, be sure to include driftwood for them to chew on for roughage. They also like to camouflage themselves while sucked onto the wood. See this section for how to treat new driftwood.

Common plecos WILL devour or destroy virtually any plant that you can think to add to the tank. The only plant that mine left alone was a large onion plant (Crinum thaianum) and java moss (it must be secured with a clip to the wall or the pleco will uproot it). A well fed pleco will not eat all plants but it will uproot them. Give the pleco large pots, driftwood, ornaments, etc. in which to hide during the day while it sleeps. Light the tank well so that during the night, it will have some natural algae to eat. Also, be sure to provide lots of aeration in their tanks and vacuum up their copious volumes of feces every week with a 30-50% water change.

Some plecos will turn upside down and suck floating fish foods off the surface during the day! I have not seen Plecy do this but since half a dozen people have e-mailed me about this asking if it is normal, I thought I would mention it as it is obviously somewhat common. Smaller and hungrier plecos are more apt to do this.

Here are the four kinds of algae wafers or pleco foods that I am currently (10/7/04) feeding Plecy. I put in one of them every night. I have them linked to the item at That Pet Place where I get most of my fish supplies. I feed OSI Sinking Spirulina Wafers, Wardley Premium Spirulina Discs, and Hikari Algae Wafers. I used to feed Tetra PlecoMin too which was smaller in size but they stopped selling that. In early 2006, I got the newer Aquarium Algae Eater Sinking Algae Chips. Funny, the first three ingredients are fish, wheat, and rice!

Stuart sent me the following pleco information tidbit related to feeding:
"One interesting tidbit I noticed you didn't have up on your site, and that is something I've confirmed with several more knowledgeable people over the years...you can tell how healthy a pleco is by the size of the indentation above and behind their eyes. According to my information, this is where the pleco's body stores unused fat. If the indentation is deep, they are not getting enough food. If the indentation is level, they are getting enough food, and if it is bulging, they are extremely healthy." Thanks Stuart! Plecy's indentation is level.

Don told me on 6/12/05 and 6/13/05 that his pleco likes green bananas (partially peel it) and watermelon (cut half an inch above the rind; his pleco eats the green and red, leaving the white)!

On 12/31/05, Don told me that his pleco likes summer squash, zucchini, and kiwi! He says, "Cut it in half and leave the skin on so it does not fall apart. Then, in the morning, there is only the skin. Nothing else." I do not even treat myself to kiwi so I do not know if I could part with some for Plecy!

On 2/15/07, Kate shared the following: "I gave my plecos some spaghetti squash, and they loved it! Still didn't eat much; I had to remove a lot of it after 24 hours because it was unfinished. But they did love it. I just recently tried Kiwi on them because of the suggestion on your page; they didn't like it. They went over and took a quick taste of the new object in their tank but they quickly decided Kiwi wasn't for them. My husband's pleco liked it more then mine; it finished the core of it and left the seeds and outer part of it alone. I just thought I would tell you to be aware of the kiwi in the water; it will give you a nice THICK gunk through out your entire tank and make the water filthy."

Water preferences:

They prefer slightly acid, soft water. Being from fast moving waters, common plecostomus like a strong water current and water with a lot of oxygen (although they can and do gulp atmospheric oxygen too). They do well from about 68 to 82 degrees F. My plecostomus survived a 42 hour power outage at about 55 degrees F for most of that time. I had battery air pumps. Not only did Plecy survive, but he was looking for food most of that time and thought night time was all the time!

Pleco air gulping:

Many species of plecostomus, including the common varieties can gulp air to gain better control of their buoyancy. It is not clear but in oxygen-poor environments, they may use some of the oxygen. Often, at dusk, a pleco will rush very quickly to the top of the aquarium and gulp air and then make a splash on its way back into the water. Some plecos are known to be more forceful while doing this, creating quite a splash. If there is no lid, they may jump out. If there is a lid, the pleco may bash itself on it. Usually, the event is not so violent but some individuals "go crazy" and bash themselves to death (often there is a water quality problem in those cases). On their way back down into the aquarium, the pleco will open its fins and sort of glide down and often emit some bubbles from its mouth. With the extra air in their bodies, the pleco can now go about its nightly sucking ritual in almost any position. This is all normal behavior and no cause for concern. While plecos sometimes spend some time on their backs (upside down), if they are not attached/sucking on something at the time and it continues for a number of days, this may indicate a health problem.

In the section with photos of my pleco, I happened to get a photo of an air gulp.

Plecos out of water:

In the wild, some plecos spend dry season above the water line, in mud holes in the bank. They make a sort of wet cocoon around themselves. They can utilize atmospheric oxygen somewhat. For this reason, plecos can survive out of water much longer than other fish. If a pleco jumps out of its tank, put it back in some tank water to see if it recovers, and it may as long as it did not dry out totally. Plecos love to jump from tanks (perhaps they think they will find a bigger and/or better tank if they jump) so be sure there are no holes in the lid through which a pleco can jump. If they do jump, they tend to bounce all over the floor trying to find water. This not only dries them out sooner, they tend to collect debris and dirt and physically injure themselves. If you have a cat, he/she may also find this great fun. Anyway, it is better if your pleco never decides to jump ship.

See my old 40 gallon tank page and my new 65 gallon tank page for information on my plecostomus and his former 40 gallon setup and new 65 gallon setup.

I once read that the male's chin barbels are more hooked while the females are smooth. I do not know if this is even true. People who can sex common plecostomus are few. I do know that plecos will fight with each other over territories so stick to a single one, unless you want to breed them or have a huge tank (200+ gallons). For Hypostomus punctatus, the males are supposed to be smaller with larger barbels than the females. To determine sex this way, you would need many large (a foot or more) plecos to compare.

Common plecostomus have only been bred a few times in captivity. I read a report of a Hypostomus punctatus breeding in a tank where the male guarded and fanned dark brown eggs and later guarded fry in tree roots . Some think that is just a myth. Males take up residence in caves where the female lays her eggs. In the wild, these spawning caves are along river banks near the surface. The male sort of hangs out with the eggs and hatched fry who suck on whatever is around. The keys to their breeding are HUGE tanks (500-2000 gallons), a pair of plecostomus (very hard to tell sex) that get along, lots of surface algae and vegetables, and few distractions. Most plecos are raised in ponds in the far east, Florida, and other places. A few plecostomus, like bristlenose plecostomus, have been bred in aquariums. With this species, it is also possible to tell male from female with certainty (the male has more barbels and adornments).

Planet Catfish - UK catfish page which includes information on many catfish. There is a common plecostomus photo (Hypostomus and Liposarcus) and information at the site.

Liposarcus pardalis - L. pardalis page at Planet Catfish, includes photos. Note, this page no longer exists. They have framed the site so just go to Planet Catfish and search for it.

Hypostomus punctatus - common pleco page at Planet Catfish. Note, this page no longer exists. They have framed the site so just go to Planet Catfish and search for it.

Pleco fact file - interesting information on plecostomus and the various species.

Sailfin pleco - pictures of a Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus.

Hypostomus plecostomus - some info on this common pleco.

Hypostomus punctatus - photo and information in French on this common plecostomus. This site may no longer work.

Plecostomus in Ponds - information on the pros and cons of keeping plecos in ponds.

Plecostomus - short page of information and photo.

Pleco Fanatics - large pleco forum

Scotcat.com - a site dedicated to catfish.

On 12/18/03, Plecy is about 14 inches long and at least 9-years-old. As of 2/15/02, Plecy was 12.75 inches long. Plecy was bought on 1/28/95 at about an inch in length. He lives in a 65 gallon tank. By January 2007, Plecy is now 15 inches long, and I have had him for 12 years. On 3/18/07, I setup a new 65 gallon tank for Plecy and the three fantail goldfish with him. For details, see the tank redo page. Two days later, I moved them back to the 40 gallon tank when the new tank cracked. They are staying in the 40 gallon until I can get another 65 gallon tank (I had to buy two). Plecy and the goldfish went into the new 65 gallon tank on 3/31/07. I discovered when cleaning out the old 40 gallon tank that Plecy had eaten almost all the silicon out of the tank except for the actual corners where he could not reach. I am really surprised the tank did not leak! I put some new silicon in there before setting up that old tank for my turtle. I sure hope Plecy does not eat the silicon out of the new 65 gallon tank!

Photos are from oldest to newest.

Plecostomus - Plecy, taken 8/23/98 at about 10 inches long.

Plecostomus - Plecy, taken 10/24/98.

Plecostomus - Plecy, taken 1/23/01 when much bigger. Even my brand new camera refuses to focus and instead focuses on the glass!

Plecostomus head - a really nice digital close-up of Plecy's head on 10/14/01.

Plecostomus - Plecy with his sail fully open (finally got a photo of that!) on 2/8/02.

Plecostumus underside - The pretty bottom of Plecy as he sucks on the glass on 2/8/02. The tank is a 40 gallon breeder, and Plecy spans the entire height when stuck there.

Plecostomus - Plecy in April of 2003.

Someone demanded a new photo of Plecy! So, here it is! Plecy on 9/22/03, front view.

Plecy and the apple snail on 6/19/05.

Plecy in the pretty much empty 40 gallon tank on 1/14/06.

Plecy on 1/14/06.

40 gallon tank on 2/4/06 with Plecy and the three goldfish.

Plecy's underside on 2/4/06. There is a white cut half way down.

Plecy on the far left in the 40 gallon tank on 3/17/07 before I tore it down.

Plecy with Frodo (fantail goldfish) next to him on 3/17/07.
Plecy on 3/17/07.

Plecy was moved to a new 65 gallon tank on 3/18/07 which cracked. So, he went back to the 40 gallon tank on 3/20/07. I did not move the gravel there but held it in buckets while waiting to get in a new tank (I had to buy two, see here for details). This day, 3/24/07, I took photos from under the tank, looking up. These show Plecy's belly as seen from below which was a unique photographic opportunity.
Photo - from below, shows Plecy and the goldfish.
Photo - from below, shows Plecy and the goldfish.
Plecy from below.

Plecy waiting in the 40 gallon tank on 3/24/07.

65 gallon tank - set up the second time, 3/31/07. Plecy is on the left. He can finally stretch out!
65 gallon tank - set up the second time, 3/31/07. Plecy was taking a gulp just as this photo was done! This caught him the moment he came down from hitting the surface so he has a bubble in his mouth.
Plecy gulping air - this is a close-up of the last photo showing the bubbles leaving Plecy's mouth after he surfaced. Neat photo!

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Photos of other people's plecos:

Photos are listed from newest to oldest.

Maor from Israel sent this photo of his pleco on 9/18/07. He took the fish out of the water for the photo (I do NOT suggest that). He did not ask for the identification (seems to be one of the common sorts of plecos) but asked that I post the photo which I finally got around to doing on 1/26/08!
Pleco

Mariesha sent this photo of her pleco on 9/14/07. It is one of the common sorts of plecos but I am not sure which one.
Pleco

Zach sent this photo of his leopard sailfin pleco named Leopard on 6/15/07.
Leopard

Phil sent this photo of Mick the pleco on 3/25/07. Mick is 12 inches long, and Phil has had him since he was 3" in March of 2005. We are not sure which species Mick is but after looking at planetcatfish.com, Phil thinks he looks like a alligator or chocolate pleco. Zach thinks it is a leopard sailfin pleco.
Mick

On 12/30/06, Mikette sent this photo of her pleco.
Pleco

Ashley sent me this photo of her 7" pleco named Dumpster on 6/1/06. Dumpster may be a Liposarcus.
Dumpster

Lindsey sent me this photo of Twizzle, a common pleco on 4/27/06.
Twizzle

Sharon sent me a photo of her 12" plecostomus, Sonny, on 2/26/06.

On 9/28/01, Connie sent me a photo of a pleco that I kept but never put in a link to it until 12/04 so here it is: pleco. I am not sure which species this pleco is. I found her old e-mail which said that this pleco at the time was 12 to 13 inches long. She had gotten it just two years previous at 2 inches long! I do not quite believe that growth rate!

To see pictures of other aquarist's plecostomus, see the links above.

If you read above, information on my plecostomus is incorporated into the various sections.

Information on my plecostomus' 65 gallon tank setup can be found at my tank description page.

My father told me that some loud noises were coming from my 40 gallon tank on 10/3/02 around 9:20 pm. I figured it was Plecy, my 13 inch plecostomus (Liposarcus pardalis) who knocks things around. When I looked in, I couldn't believe what I saw. It appeared as if Plecy was trying to eat my huge 3" albino mystery snail (Pomacea canaliculata, an apple snail). Then, it became apparent that in fact, the snail had shut his trap door over Plecy's lip, and they were stuck together. Plecy was having trouble getting enough water through his gills and was thrashing around, slamming the snail hard into the glass. Since you don't just pick up a pleco covered in spikes, I put on my pond gloves and tried to catch/hold Plecy but that was futile as he is much stronger than I! Instead, I grabbed the snail, and then, Plecy was able to thrash free of the snail. Plecy was fine. I was worried that the snail might have cracked his trap door or shell but he was around cruising a half hour later. It was a battle of the nocturnal giants, like Godzilla and Rodan or something! If I hadn't been able to intervene, the snail would have been smashed by Plecy, and Plecy probably would have suffocated. If it happens again, I'll have to separate them but I don't want to put either plant-eating machine in my other two planted tanks.

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