Clown pleco

Panaqolus maccus

Also known as L104

FreshwaterFish

Clown pleco (Panaqolus maccus) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F; 23–28°C
pH: 6.6–7.6
Adult size: 3.5 in; 9 cm
Minimum tank: 20 gal; 75 L

Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Diet: Herbivore
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: Cave spawner · Medium
Rarity: Very common
Family: Loricariidae
Origin: Apure and Caroni river basins, Venezuela and Colombia

Overview

The clown pleco is a small suckermouth catfish for a community tank built around driftwood. It is an easy fish to keep.

Did you know

Clown plecos rasp at wood and digest the matter inside it, so driftwood is a real part of their diet. A tank without it leaves them slowly starving, no matter how much else you feed. Fine, sawdust-like waste is a sign they are working the wood as they should.

Caring for the clown pleco

Keep one clown pleco per tank, in 20 gal (75 L) or more. Build the tank around real driftwood, with plenty of caves and shaded spots to retreat into. Use sand or a smooth substrate so they do not scrape their bellies.

Keep the water at 73 to 82°F (23 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.6 to 7.6. Clown plecos are obligate wood-eaters, so driftwood has to be in the tank at all times as food, not just decor. Supplement it with algae wafers and fresh vegetables such as zucchini or cucumber.

Clown plecos are solitary and turn territorial toward their own kind over caves and wood. They are mostly peaceful toward other species and stay along the bottom, hiding by day and coming out at night. Pair them with calm midwater and surface fish that will not compete for the floor.

Clown plecos are cave spawners. The male guards eggs laid inside a narrow tube, and breeding is doable but takes some setup.

Good to know

The clown pleco, Panaqolus maccus, belongs to the family Loricariidae and is also sold as L104. Most clown plecos in the trade are wild caught, though tank-bred fish show up. A healthy adult can live ten years or more.

In the wild

Clown plecos come from the Apure and Caroni river basins in Venezuela and Colombia. They live among submerged branches and fallen wood along the riverbed.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The clown 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