TankBud

Three beacon pleco

Leporacanthicus triactis

Also known as L091, Triactis vampire pleco

FreshwaterFish

Three beacon pleco (Leporacanthicus triactis)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
79–86°F
26–30°C
pH
5.5–7.2
Adult size
11 in
28 cm
Minimum tank
106 gal
400 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Cave spawner · Medium
Rarity
Rare
Family
Loricariidae
Origin
Upper Orinoco, Venezuela and Colombia

Overview

The three beacon pleco is a large carnivore with bright orange fin tips, for a big tank with strong flow. It suits a keeper with some experience.

Did you know

The three beacon pleco's species name, triactis, means three rays. It refers to the orange tips that flash from the dorsal, adipose and tail fins as it sits in a cave mouth.

Caring for the three beacon pleco

Give a three beacon pleco a tank of at least 106 gal (400 L), over sand. Build it around large, stable stonework, with boulder caves big enough for an adult. Secure, generous rockwork matters for a big fish that holds and defends a cave.

Run strong flow, and keep the water clean and well oxygenated. Give it warm, soft water, slightly acidic to neutral, at 79 to 86°F (26 to 30°C) and a pH of 5.5 to 7.2.

Feed it as a carnivore, with sinking meaty foods such as prawn, mussel, bloodworm and snails. Add quality carnivore pellets, and offer vegetables only occasionally.

Keep just one per tank, with a roomy cave of its own, since it is territorial toward its own kind. It works the bottom by night and is peaceful toward tank mates it cannot eat. Choose midwater fish too large to be swallowed and too calm to compete on the floor.

Breeding it is of moderate difficulty. It is a cave spawner, and the male tends the eggs.

Good to know

Leporacanthicus triactis is a dark gray member of Loricariidae. Leporacanthicus are the so-called vampire plecos. They carry a pair of long teeth in the upper jaw, used to pry snails and soft prey from shells and crevices.

In the wild

The three beacon pleco lives among boulder caves and mud banks of the upper Orinoco, in Venezuela and Colombia. The water there is warm, soft and flowing.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The three beacon 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 three beacon pleco need?

A three beacon pleco needs at least 106 gal (400 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a three beacon pleco need?

A three beacon pleco is comfortable at 79–86°F (26–30°C) with a pH of 5.5–7.2.

What does a three beacon pleco eat?

A three beacon pleco is a carnivore that eats sinking meaty foods such as prawn, mussel, bloodworm and snails. Add quality carnivore pellets, with vegetables only occasionally.

How big does a three beacon pleco get?

An adult three beacon pleco reaches about 11 in (28 cm).

How does a three beacon pleco breed?

The three beacon pleco is a cave spawner, and the male tends the eggs. Breeding it is of moderate difficulty.

Related species