Brown dot peckoltia

Peckoltia oligospila

Also known as L006, Oligospila pleco

FreshwaterFish

Brown dot peckoltia (Peckoltia oligospila) — 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: 5.9 in (15 cm)
Minimum tank: 42 gal (160 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Tocantins and Guamá basins, Brazil
Family: Loricariidae

Overview

The brown dot peckoltia is an understated, reliable catfish best kept singly or as a pair, defending a cave or piece of wood from other plecos while staying peaceful with everything else. It hides by day and forages in the evening. It suits a calm community tank of small and mid-size fish. Its diet leans toward protein: sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and similar meaty foods, rounded out with algae wafers and vegetables such as zucchini. Give it driftwood and caves in a tank of about 160 liters and it asks for very little else.

In the wild

This pleco comes from the Tocantins and Guama drainages of eastern Amazonian Brazil, living among wood and rock in warm, flowing rivers. Recreate that with driftwood, rounded stones and caves over a sand floor, plus good filtration and moderate current. Hold the water soft to neutral, around pH 6.0 to 7.4, at a warm 25 to 29 C. It is an adaptable, hardy fish once its water is clean and its hiding places are in place.

Good to know

Peckoltia oligospila belongs to Loricariidae and reaches about 15 centimeters, olive brown with a scatter of darker spots. The species name oligospila comes from Greek for few spots, an honest description of its light pattern. The genus Peckoltia honors Gustavo Peckolt, a Brazilian naturalist of the nineteenth century. It spawns in caves when well settled, a project of moderate difficulty.

Did you know

Its name is unusually literal: oligospila means few-spotted, and the fish delivers exactly that, a plain olive body carrying only a modest scatter of dark dots.