Dwarf hoplo
Lepthoplosternum pectorale
Also known as Dwarf hoplo catfish, Hoplosternum pectorale
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 68–75°F
- 20–24°C
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Adult size
- 2.6 in
- 6.5 cm
- Minimum tank
- 24 gal
- 90 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Bubble nester · Medium
- Rarity
- Rare
- Family
- Callichthyidae
- Origin
- Paraguay River basin in the Paraguayan Chaco of southern South America.
Overview
Dwarf hoplos are small, peaceful and hardy catfish for the bottom of a planted tank. They are easy to keep.
Did you know
Dwarf hoplos can breathe air from the surface. That lets them survive in warm, stagnant pools that would suffocate most fish.
Caring for the dwarf hoplo
Dwarf hoplos are social, so a group suits them, though one also does fine alone. Give them 24 gal (90 L) or larger, with soft sand and plenty of plants and cover.
Keep the water at 68 to 75°F (20 to 24°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. They are hardy and forgiving of poorer conditions. Feed sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and other meaty sinking foods.
Dwarf hoplos are peaceful and safe with other community fish. At spawning time, the males build and guard a floating bubble nest. Breeding them is a medium challenge.
Good to know
Dwarf hoplos are armored catfish of the family Callichthyidae, in the same subfamily as the larger hoplos. Their dark brown bodies are dusted with small black spots. The species is listed as Lepthoplosternum pectorale and also known as Hoplosternum pectorale.
In the wild
Dwarf hoplos are a southern species, unlike their Amazon relatives, and are restricted to the Paraguay and Chaco region. They live in slow, weedy waters of the Paraguay basin, often in oxygen-poor pools and marshes. There they forage over soft bottoms among plants and leaf litter.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The dwarf hoplo is a peaceful, social 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.
Neocaridina shrimp
Neocaridina davidi
Freshwater1.6 in (4 cm) · 5 gal (19 L)59–84°F (15–29°C)
Guppy
Poecilia reticulata
FreshwaterBrackish2.4 in (6 cm) · 10 gal (38 L)64–82°F (18–28°C)
Neon tetra
Paracheirodon innesi
Freshwater1.5 in (3.8 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)70–77°F (21–25°C)
Meghalaya danio
Danio meghalayensis
Freshwater2.4 in (6 cm) · 24 gal (90 L)64–75°F (18–24°C)
Wrestling halfbeak
Dermogenys pusilla
FreshwaterBrackish2.8 in (7 cm) · 25 gal (95 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Barred loach
Nemacheilus fasciatus
Freshwater3.1 in (8 cm) · 24 gal (90 L)68–77°F (20–25°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a dwarf hoplo need?
A dwarf hoplo needs at least 24 gal (90 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a dwarf hoplo need?
A dwarf hoplo is comfortable at 68–75°F (20–24°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.
What does a dwarf hoplo eat?
Dwarf hoplos eat sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and other meaty foods that sink to the bottom.
How big does a dwarf hoplo get?
An adult dwarf hoplo reaches about 2.6 in (6.5 cm).
How does a dwarf hoplo breed?
Males build a floating bubble nest at spawning time and guard it. Breeding them is of medium difficulty.
Related species
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