TankBud

Blue-eyed pleco

Panaque cochliodon

Also known as Blue-eyed plec, Blue eye panaque, Blue eye plecostomus

FreshwaterFish

Blue-eyed pleco (Panaque cochliodon)
Imperial Tropicals · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–82°F
23–28°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
11.8 in
30 cm
Minimum tank
119 gal
450 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Family
Loricariidae
Origin
Cauca and Magdalena River basins, Colombia (South America)

Overview

The blue-eyed pleco is a large, wood-eating catfish that lives on the bottom of a very big tank. It is best left to experienced keepers.

Did you know

The blue-eyed pleco relies on microorganisms in its gut to break down the wood it eats, much like a termite.

Caring for the blue-eyed pleco

Give a single adult blue-eyed pleco at least 119 gal (450 L), with plenty of floor space. A tank that is wide and deep rather than tall suits it, with dim lighting. Pack in several large pieces of bogwood.

Keep the water at 73 to 82°F (23 to 28°C) with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. Blue-eyed plecos are heavy waste producers, so over-filter the tank and do frequent large water changes. They are sensitive to copper-based medications, so treat them with care.

Bogwood is not decoration for this fish, since it rasps and eats the wood itself. Take the wood away and you remove both its shelter and a core part of its diet. Alongside a constant supply of bogwood, offer sinking vegetable matter like zucchini and the occasional sinking pellet. Expect it to graze most soft plants, though Java fern is usually left alone.

It is territorial with other plecos and bottom-dwellers. Keep it on its own unless the tank is very large, with decor that breaks up sightlines. It is mostly peaceful toward mid and upper level community fish, and it comes out mostly at night.

It has never been bred in captivity, so every fish in the trade is wild-caught. Never release one into local waterways, and check your local rules, since big plecos are restricted in some regions.

Good to know

Panaque cochliodon is a member of the family Loricariidae, traded as the true blue-eyed pleco. Its spoon-shaped teeth are built to scrape wood, which makes it an obligate xylophage. It is one of the few fish that digest driftwood as a primary food. Some captive fish grow past the standard adult size, to 40 to 45 cm over many years.

In the wild

Blue-eyed plecos come from the Cauca and Magdalena River basins in Colombia. They live among submerged wood and root tangles along the riverbed.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The blue-eyed pleco is a mostly peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a blue-eyed pleco need?

A blue-eyed pleco needs at least 119 gal (450 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a blue-eyed pleco need?

A blue-eyed pleco is comfortable at 73–82°F (23–28°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

What does a blue-eyed pleco eat?

A blue-eyed pleco eats wood, so give it a constant supply of bogwood to rasp. Offer sinking vegetable matter like zucchini alongside it, plus the occasional sinking pellet.

How big does a blue-eyed pleco get?

An adult blue-eyed pleco reaches about 11.8 in (30 cm).

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