Imperial coal pleco

Peckoltia pankimpuju

Also known as L350, Coal pleco

FreshwaterFish

Imperial coal pleco (Peckoltia pankimpuju) — 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: 53 gal (200 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Marañón basin, Peru
Family: Loricariidae

Overview

Keep this slender, pale pleco singly; it is peaceful and keeps to itself, spending the day in the shade of wood or a cave. It comes from dim, deep river channels, so it is most comfortable under subdued lighting with plenty of cover. It is an omnivore that takes sinking pellets, wafers, vegetables, and frozen foods, and it grazes biofilm from wood and stone. Pair it only with calm tankmates. A tank of at least 200 liters with driftwood, shade, and gentle, clean flow suits it well.

In the wild

It lives in the Maranon basin of Peru, in deep, dimly lit river channels. A tank that suits it is low-lit and full of wood, with a sand floor and gentle current. Keep the water warm at about 25 to 29 C with a pH of 6.0 to 7.4, soft to neutral, and very clean. The trailing fins and pale body show best against a dark, shaded layout.

Good to know

Peckoltia pankimpuju is a loricariid that reaches around 15 centimeters and carries the code L350. It comes in a dark coal-gray form and a ghostly deepwater form that is almost translucent white with long, trailing tail filaments. It was described in 2008, and it is an egg layer of moderate breeding difficulty.

Did you know

Its name comes from the Aguaruna language of Peru and means beautiful white, describing the see-through deepwater form, which has so little pigment that its pink muscle shows through the skin.