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Nocturnal panaqolus

Panaqolus nocturnus

Also known as LDA028, Night panaque

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–84°F (24–29°C)
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
4.7 in (12 cm)
Minimum tank
30 gal (112 L)
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
Tankmates with caution
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Rare
Origin
Upper Amazon tributaries, Peru
Family
Loricariidae

Overview

Keep this small, night-active pleco singly; it is generally peaceful but can be territorial toward other bottom-dwellers around its wood and cave, so give it a retreat of its own. As the name suggests it hides by day and emerges after dark, so you will not see much of it. It needs real driftwood, which it rasps constantly, plus vegetables and the occasional sinking wafer. Keep it with calm tankmates and provide dim cover. Give it a tank of at least 112 liters with plenty of driftwood.

In the wild

It comes from tributaries of the upper Amazon in Peru, warm, shaded streams full of sunken wood. Fill its tank with driftwood, add leaf litter and low light, and keep the water soft and warm. Aim for about 24 to 29 C with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5, gentle flow, and clean, stable conditions. Wood is the centerpiece of the layout, not just decoration.

Good to know

Panaqolus nocturnus is a loricariid that reaches about 12 centimeters, a dark, pinstriped wood-rasper sold under the code LDA028. It has the spoon-shaped teeth its genus uses to scrape wood. Spawning takes place in caves with the male guarding the eggs, and breeding is rated hard.

Did you know

Wood-rasping catfish like this were long assumed to live on the wood itself, but studies that included this species found they lack the gut microbes to digest it well. They are now seen as feeding on the biofilm and microbes coating the wood they scrape.

Common questions

What size tank does a Nocturnal panaqolus need?

A Nocturnal panaqolus needs at least 30 gal (112 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH do Nocturnal panaqolus need?

Nocturnal panaqolus are comfortable at 75–84°F (24–29°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

How big do Nocturnal panaqolus get?

An adult Nocturnal panaqolus reaches about 4.7 in (12 cm).

Where to buy

Some links may not be the exact species or variety.

…or ask your local fish store.

Appears in

Freshwater fish · Plecos · Bottom dwellers

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