TankBud

Bulldog pleco

Chaetostoma formosae

Also known as Rubber lip pleco, Rubbernose pleco, L187b

FreshwaterFish

Bulldog pleco (Chaetostoma formosae)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
68–77°F
20–25°C
pH
6.5–7.8
Adult size
4.3 in
11 cm
Minimum tank
40 gal
150 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Herbivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Family
Loricariidae
Origin
Upper Rio Meta and Rio Guaviare basins, eastern Colombia

Overview

The bulldog pleco is a mostly peaceful bottom dweller for a cool tank with brisk current. It is a poor fit for warm setups such as discus tanks, and best left to experienced keepers.

Did you know

The bulldog pleco looks heavy and armored, but it cannot live on leftovers. People sometimes buy plecos as a cleanup crew, yet this one will starve in a clean tank with no supplemental greens to scrape.

Caring for the bulldog pleco

Set up a tank of at least 40 gal (150 L) with smooth rocks, driftwood and a sand bottom. Add strong flow from a powerhead, since current and oxygen matter more to a bulldog pleco than warmth. Keep the water cool, at 68 to 77°F (20 to 25°C) with a pH of 6.5 to 7.8.

The bulldog pleco is a strict grazer that spends the day scraping algae and biofilm off rocks and wood. Feed algae wafers and blanched vegetables such as zucchini or cucumber.

Keep one on its own, since bulldog plecos get mildly territorial toward their own kind. Tank mates should be other cool-water, peaceful fish that handle the same flow. Breeding it in a tank is hard and rarely done.

Good to know

Chaetostoma formosae is a riverine pleco in the family Loricariidae. Most bulldog plecos in the trade are wild caught. With good care and cool, well-oxygenated water, it can live several years.

In the wild

Bulldog plecos come from fast, high-oxygen Andean streams in the upper Rio Meta and Rio Guaviare basins of eastern Colombia. These cool, brisk rivers run over smooth rock and sand, nothing like a warm lowland tank.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The bulldog 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 bulldog pleco need?

A bulldog pleco needs at least 40 gal (150 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a bulldog pleco need?

A bulldog pleco is comfortable at 68–77°F (20–25°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.8.

What does a bulldog pleco eat?

A bulldog pleco eats only algae and biofilm, scraping them off rocks and wood. Feed it algae wafers and blanched vegetables such as zucchini or cucumber.

How big does a bulldog pleco get?

An adult bulldog pleco reaches about 4.3 in (11 cm).

Related species