TankBud

Papa panaque

Panaque bathyphilus

Also known as L090, Ojo chico panaque

FreshwaterFish

Papa panaque (Panaque bathyphilus)
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
9.8 in
25 cm
Minimum tank
79 gal
300 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Loricariidae
Origin
Deep channels of the upper Amazon, Peru

Overview

The Papa panaque is a true wood-eating pleco, and a big, slow-growing fish for a large tank. It is a fish for a keeper with a little experience.

Did you know

The Papa panaque and its Panaque relatives are among the very few fishes that deliberately gnaw and swallow wood. Research suggests they draw most of their nutrition from the microbes and biofilm coating the timber, not from digesting the wood itself.

Caring for the Papa panaque

Give a Papa panaque at least 79 gal (300 L). Wood is both its food and its shelter, so add a serious pile of large bogwood it can rasp day and night. Leave open swimming lanes and keep the lighting subdued.

Keep the water warm, at 77 to 84°F (25 to 29°C) with a pH of 6.0 to 7.4. Drive a strong current with extra flow so oxygen stays high, as it does in a fast river bed. Its heavy appetite and waste load call for strong filtration.

Its diet is dominated by wood. Alongside the wood, offer zucchini, sweet potato and other soft vegetables, plus sinking wafers. Give meaty foods only as a rare treat.

Keep one to a tank, since adults defend space from their own kind. It is peaceful toward tank mates and suits a roomy community rather than a delicate nano setup. Like other large Panaque, it is rarely bred in aquariums, and captive spawning is considered hard.

Good to know

Panaque bathyphilus is a member of the family Loricariidae. Its species name means depth loving, after the deep river channels it favors. Its small eyes are an adaptation to that dim habitat, and its spoon-shaped teeth let it scrape and ingest wood as it feeds.

In the wild

The Papa panaque comes from deep, flowing channels of the upper Amazon in Peru. There it works over waterlogged timber in dim, well-oxygenated water.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Papa panaque is a 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 Papa panaque need?

A Papa panaque needs at least 79 gal (300 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Papa panaque need?

A Papa panaque is comfortable at 77–84°F (25–29°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.4.

What does a Papa panaque eat?

A Papa panaque lives on a diet dominated by wood. Alongside it, offer zucchini, sweet potato and other soft vegetables, plus sinking wafers, with meaty foods only as a rare treat.

How big does a Papa panaque get?

An adult Papa panaque reaches about 9.8 in (25 cm).

Related species