Common pleco
Hypostomus plecostomus
FishFreshwater
- Care level
- Easy
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Minimum tank
- 500 L
- Maximum size
- 40 cm
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C
- pH
- 6.5–7.8
- Diet
- Herbivore
Care at a glance
The common pleco is sold as a thumb-sized algae-eating machine and grows into a forty-centimetre fish with the size and appetite of a cat. That is by far the most important thing to know: almost every specimen in the trade ends up in a tank far too small for it.
Adults barely eat algae any more, produce enormous amounts of waste and rearrange your whole layout overnight. If what you really want is an algae eater, pick a species that stays small; if you genuinely want this fish, plan on a large tank, heavy filtration and daily vegetable food with a piece of driftwood to rasp on.
Good to know
Related species
Values are mainstream hobbyist guidance, not gospel — always watch what your own animals need.
In the BlubHub app you link your inhabitants to this database and see the care info next to your own water parameters.