TankBud

Bola pleco

Peckoltia bachi

Also known as L146, LDA030, Blue-eyed peckoltia

FreshwaterFish

Bola pleco (Peckoltia bachi)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
77–84°F
25–29°C
pH
6.0–7.4
Adult size
5.5 in
14 cm
Minimum tank
53 gal
200 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Cave spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Loricariidae
Origin
Upper Amazon, Peru and Brazil

Overview

The Bola pleco is a quiet, secretive catfish for the bottom of a calm community tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

The Bola pleco's mottled brown pattern breaks up its outline against driftwood. Keepers regularly lose track of the fish for days at a time, even in a fairly small tank.

Caring for the Bola pleco

Give a Bola pleco at least 53 gal (200 L), with driftwood tangles, rock piles, rounded stones and a sand floor. Add a good flow and oxygen. It is most active after lights out and stays well hidden, so check on the fish now and then.

Keep the water soft to neutral, at 77 to 84°F (25 to 29°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.4. It needs clean, stable conditions.

It leans carnivorous, so offer sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and other meaty foods after dark. Add a little vegetable matter alongside.

Keep one, or a pair, in a calm community. It is peaceful toward other fish but can be territorial with other bottom dwellers, so give it its own caves. It has been bred in a tank now and then, spawning in caves in the usual loricariid way. Breeding it is moderately difficult.

Good to know

Peckoltia bachi is a flattened, marbled member of Loricariidae with pale eyes. It has been shuffled between genera over the years, including its own genus, Peckoltichthys. It is set apart by details of its pelvic girdle and enlarged belly plates. It is also sold as L146, LDA030 or the blue-eyed peckoltia.

In the wild

The Bola pleco lives along fast reaches of the upper and middle Amazon in Peru and Brazil. It presses itself against sunken wood and rock at the edge of the current.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Bola pleco is a 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 Bola pleco need?

A Bola pleco needs at least 53 gal (200 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Bola pleco need?

A Bola pleco is comfortable at 77–84°F (25–29°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.4.

What does a Bola pleco eat?

A Bola pleco leans carnivorous, taking sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and other meaty foods after dark. Give it a little vegetable matter alongside.

How big does a Bola pleco get?

An adult Bola pleco reaches about 5.5 in (14 cm).

How does a Bola pleco breed?

Bola plecos spawn in caves in the usual loricariid way. They have been bred in a tank now and then, and breeding them is moderately difficult.

Related species