Basilisk pleco

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a large, heavily built pleco that is best kept one to a tank, since adults are strong and take up a big footprint; it is peaceful but needs its own ground. It spends its time grazing surfaces and resting under wood or rock, most active in the evening. Peaceful with fish it cannot swallow, it makes a sturdy companion for robust community or South American tanks. Feed it well on algae wafers, blanched vegetables such as zucchini and sweet potato, and sinking pellets, and keep driftwood available for it to rasp. Because of its adult size, give it a long tank of at least 300 liters.

In the wild

The basilisk pleco comes from clear rivers of the upper Paraguay basin in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, where it grazes rock and wood in warm, moderately flowing water. A spacious tank with a sand floor, large pieces of driftwood and some rounded stone suits it best. Keep the water neutral to slightly hard, roughly pH 6.5 to 7.8, and warm at about 25 to 29 C, with strong filtration and good oxygen to match a big fish with a big appetite.

Good to know

Hypostomus basilisko is a solid, thick-bodied member of Loricariidae reaching around 24 centimeters. It was described in 2014 and named for the basilisk, the crowned serpent of legend whose title comes from the Greek word for little king. Breeding is considered hard in aquaria; large Hypostomus rarely spawn in home tanks and need cave or burrow sites and a lot of space.

Did you know

The name reaches back to the basilisk of myth, a serpent so regal that its title means little king in Greek; the describers handed a plain brown catfish a genuinely royal epithet.

Tank mates

Basilisk pleco is a peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.

• Polka dot pleco

  Spectracanthicus zuanoni

  Freshwater

  5.1 in (13 cm)79 gal (300 L)79–86°F (26–30°C)
• Xingu peppermint pleco

  Parancistrus nudiventris

  Freshwater

  8.7 in (22 cm)79 gal (300 L)81–88°F (27–31°C)
• Llanero whiptail

  Lamontichthys llanero

  Freshwater

  9.1 in (23 cm)79 gal (300 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Spanner barb

  Barbodes lateristriga

  Freshwater

  5.9 in (15 cm)74 gal (280 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
• Orbicularis acara

  Chaetobranchopsis orbicularis

  Freshwater

  5.9 in (15 cm)79 gal (300 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Redtail loach

  Yasuhikotakia modesta

  Freshwater

  9.8 in (25 cm)75 gal (285 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Related species

• Brown pleco

  Hypostomus plecostomoides

  Freshwater

  10.2 in (26 cm)79 gal (300 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)
• Macushi pleco

  Hypostomus macushi

  Freshwater

  7.9 in (20 cm)79 gal (300 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)
• Red bruno pleco

  Hypostomus soniae

  Freshwater

  7.9 in (20 cm)79 gal (300 L)77–84°F (25–29°C)

• 

  Spotted pleco

  Hypostomus punctatus

  Freshwater

  11.8 in (30 cm)79 gal (300 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
• Golden hypostomus

  Hypostomus luteus

  Freshwater

  13.8 in (35 cm)106 gal (400 L)64–79°F (18–26°C)

• 

  Common pleco

  Hypostomus plecostomus

  Freshwater

  15.7 in (40 cm)85 gal (320 L)72–86°F (22–30°C)