TankBud

Para pleco

Peckoltia sabaji

Also known as L075, L124, LDA02, Sabaj's peckoltia

FreshwaterFish

Para pleco (Peckoltia sabaji)
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
7.9 in
20 cm
Minimum tank
66 gal
250 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Cave spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Loricariidae
Origin
Guiana Shield and lower Amazon rivers

Overview

The Para pleco is a hardy, good-natured Peckoltia that stays a manageable size. It is best with a little experience.

Did you know

The Para pleco keeps several catalogs busy. It is sold as L075, L124 and LDA02, code names given to fish collected at different points from Guyana down into Brazil. All of them are the same catfish.

Caring for the Para pleco

Give a Para pleco at least 66 gal (250 L) for a single adult. Build its tank around a pile of smooth rounded rocks and driftwood that make caves and shaded gaps, with sand below. It works the bottom by night and shelters in the rockwork and wood.

Keep the water warm, at 77 to 84°F (25 to 29°C), and mildly acidic to neutral at pH 6.0 to 7.4. Use strong filtration to keep the flow brisk and the oxygen high.

Feed it as an omnivore. Offer sinking pellets and wafers, blanched vegetables such as zucchini, and regular frozen foods like bloodworm and chopped prawn.

The Para pleco is solitary by temperament, and adults defend a home stone. Keep one to a tank unless you can offer a large footprint with many caves and visual barriers. It is peaceful toward other fish and settles into most warm communities.

It is a cave spawner, and breeding it is of moderate difficulty. A male occupies a tight cave, and the female deposits her eggs inside. He tends them until the fry can fend for themselves.

Good to know

Peckoltia sabaji is a catfish in the family Loricariidae, cream to gold with neat leopard spotting. It is named for the American ichthyologist Mark Sabaj, who has collected widely in South American rivers.

In the wild

The Para pleco lives across the Guiana Shield and lower Amazon. It hides among rocks and crevices in fast, clear, well-oxygenated water over sand and stone.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Para pleco 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 Para pleco need?

A Para pleco needs at least 66 gal (250 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Para pleco need?

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

What does a Para pleco eat?

A Para pleco is an omnivore. It eats sinking pellets and wafers, blanched vegetables such as zucchini, and regular frozen foods like bloodworm and chopped prawn.

How big does a Para pleco get?

An adult Para pleco reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).

How does a Para pleco breed?

The Para pleco is a cave spawner of moderate difficulty. A male occupies a tight cave, and the female deposits her eggs inside. He tends them until the fry can fend for themselves.

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