Meet the Clown Pleco (L104) | Species Profile

[@patrickharrison4763]

I have one in my tank and he is a shy little bugger but when he does come out he is beautiful and fun to watch.

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Thanks for leaving a comment! Yeah, they are awfully shy, but as you say, are great fun to watch :)

[@Mr.Helper.]

How big is your tank

[@oldschool1503ify]

Nice video! My Clown Pleco has been with us for 12 years now. They are amazing fish.

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Thanks for watching the video! It's great to hear that you've had your pleco going strong for 12 years! Great job!

[@Pinkcandy777]

Kool buying one

[@melxnh3ad]

12 years! omg i didn’t know my baby could live that long

[@Translucent__Goodies]

I have 2, one LilyPad, one Frank. They both hide during the day, and come out at night. I go downstairs at 6:30 to eat breakfast, and i do see them. I did find out they are nocturnal.

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Awesome names! Some times a sneaky peek is the best way to spot them :)

[@CTt-bn1xf]

Really enjoying these species profiles! Keep it up!

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Hello CT94 t94, thanks for watching! I am glad that you are enjoying them :)

[@dragonwithamonocle]

My LFS FINALLY got some of these in yesterday, and I'd been waiting years to see them so I nabbed one. I did know their general care requirements before getting one of course, but I've been brushing up on all the finer points today. Just like you said, I put him in and he straightaway ducked for cover. I can see a couple patches where he's rasped on the glass in the night, and as soon as the lights came on he ducked down and vanished again. Very happy to hear that this is normal behavior, and I look forward to many happy years with this one! My tank is pretty heavily planted with lots of nooks and crannies along the bottom, so when he wants to disappear he really really disappears. Thanks for the great info!

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

You are very welcome! A great choice for Pleco, might I add! Sounds like your Pleco is doing what it enjoys doing most and you have a great set up for it!

[@imperialfish8825]

These are cool looking plecos, the stripes are nice

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Hello! They are great little pleco's, worth picking up if you see them at your local shop!

[@hunterbell7077]

Just picked up one of these guys to go in my 40 gallon tank along with my otocinclus and corydoras

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Great choice! Thanks for watching.

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

one of my favourite plecos

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

They are awesome!

[@spraguestreet7110]

Love the music you used in this

[@rossp.5153]

Nice plecos I love plecos, they are great fish, I have 1 clown pleco.

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

You've got to love a pleco :)

[@alexfodor2307]

i’ve got a 10 gallon HEAVILY planted tank. it’s got 1 betta female and an african dwarf frog in it and i’m hopefully going to get a clown pleco and some mystery snails:-). I’m going to purchase some wood even though i have some in my tank, and i’ve got some algae all over that really needs to be taken care of and i think with the help of this pleco and some snails, it’ll get the job done!

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Hi Alex, you might find that your aquarium volume and space will be on the smaller side for a Clown Pleco. Clown Plecos do not get very big (4"), but they do produce a lot of waste and you might find yourself needing to perform very regular water changes. You might find that a small group of Otocinclus (4 ish) will be a better suit to your set up. Just my recommendation, take or leave it :) Thank you for watching! :)

[@alexfodor2307]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics Thank you! will the otocinclus eat a wide variety of algae?

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

@@alexfodor2307 They eat mainly green spot/soft algae, if it has already gotten long or like hair algae they won't be much help, your best bet with that would be to manually remove it :)

[@InternacionalBoxing]

Sounds like you got one similar to mine, i have a 12.1 Gallon Shallow Aquarium with a Sponge and Undergravel filter, i bought a Clown Pleco today. Google says they get roughly about 3.5 inches, 4 is rare. I have a bunch of pest snails 4 bettas, 2 guppies, 2 tetras, 1 oto cat, 1 amano shrimp, 2 Cherry Barbs, 1 pea puffer, 1 scarlet badis and 2 Danios...I think you'll be alright if you atleast perform a weekly water change. I'm about to find out when to change my water by Thursday when i test the water lol

[@phantomlakdude]

Hello i am a begginner to fish keeping I have had a 37 gallon tank with 6 tiger barbs do you think I can add a clown pleco and I dont have driftwood is that fine? I will buy lots of hikari algae wafers, but is no driftwood fine?

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Hello, sorry but the lack of driftwood in an aquarium with very busy active fish will result in a starved Panaqolus catfish. Clown Pleco's are xylovores and need wood in their aquarium to ensure a healthy diet, there are food substitutes such as 'Morning Wood' by Repashy, however this doesn't serve as a long term solution. There are other fish that could serve as a good bottom dweller for your aquarium, members of the loach family (Botia striata or possibly Botia almorhae) would be ideal for Tiger Barbs.

[@phantomlakdude]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics ok thanks

[@sangun123]

big reminder to never listen to my local LFS employees, the guy said it'd stay about 2 inches in length and that it'd be fine in a 10 gal, i dont really have room for another larger tank, hopefully just going to try to give my lil guy the best life i can for now

[@joshuasampson6343]

Used to have 2 clown Plecos. Boco and Oakie

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Great names! Thanks for watching the video :)

[@joshuasampson6343]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics sadly they died. I still miss them

[@joshuasampson6343]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics just got one clown pleco and his name is Bubbles

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

@@joshuasampson6343 Awesome! and another great thing is that you can tell everyone your tank water is 'sparkling water' as it has bubbles in it...terrible joke I know :) Great stuff, good luck with Bubbles!

[@joshuasampson6343]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics Bubbles is doing well and healthy. I have him in a 10 gallon tank with Douglas my betta and Bubbles is still sucking on the wood. I also got another clown Pleco and his name is Udon.

[@PULAG]

Are these clown plecos safe around breeding angelfish pair? Will they try to eat eggs or fry?

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

They may have a go at eating the eggs, but no issue once fry are free swimming :)

[@hannah-sh1qc]

are these plecos going to cause problems for my corydoras in a 20 long, or vice versa? i know the personality/behavior typically depends on the specific fish, but im wondering if itll nip them over territory.

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Your cories are unlikely to harass your pleco and also vice versa, However most pleco's have an element of territorial behaviour and will likely shoo your cories away from their food or hide. As long as you have plenty of places for both fish to hide, you shouldn't experience too much problems :)

[@slipperythought89]

Since my clowns r in a 75 gallon aquarium do you think they will get to 5 inches maybey? I have 2 of them

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Possibly, it is rare for them to get over the 4" mark, but does happen :)

[@slipperythought89]

@BigFishLittleFishAquatics I really hope so. I wanna see there coloration at a bigger size. They Re the first plecos I've ever gotten that weren't ur standard pleco. Thank you for the reply and the great video

[@5milemacc737]

@@slipperythought89check out the Royal Pleco or Snowball Pleco

[@Sophie-Sojo]

Hi I'm hoping for some reassurance to be honest, I've got a young clown pleco, about 1.8 inches, I've had her for about a month now and she's very shy and at first was hiding away . The last weeks she's been near the top of the tank in the corner but today I noticed she was at the bottom not moving, I had earlier dropped some food in but she was right next to it for hours so I put my net in to take out the food and she didn't move at all so I put the net close to her and nothing, the motion of the water made her roll over and I thought she was dead, I then went to net her out and she swam away, I'm completely worried about her and surely this isn't normal behaviour?? Sorry my post is so long but I'm so desperate to help my baby, any help would be greatly appreciated.

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Hello Chugg, Plecos are notoriously shy fish when you first get them, the part that makes me think something is wrong is that she was rolled over by the water motion. First step with any fish that are acting out of the ordinary is to test your water, make sure your ammonia & nitrite are 0ppm, and ideally you will want nitrates below 20ppm. Next is to make sure that your temperature is right, between 22-27 C is generally acceptable for Clown Plecos. If you notice your pleco on the glass at any point, try and have a look at her stomach, check to make sure it is not concaved as this would be a sign of malnourishment. Most loricariid catfish are nocturnal eaters, a recommendation would be to put an algae wafer in the tank as the lights go out, have a look in the morning and remove any uneaten food. If all of the above are in check, I wouldn't be too worried about her not swimming away until you have disturbed her, many plecos will play 'dead' until the very last minute to avoid detection. Let me know how things go :)

[@Sophie-Sojo]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics Thank you for replying, my water parameters and temp are all bang on, I've uploaded a video of her from 2 days ago, so you can have a look at her. I woke up this morning and she was under the filter in the corner, I have 2 other BN pleco, they are older, Zeb Is a common BN at 3.2 inches and Rusty is a calico at 2.5 inches, they seem to get along with Coco and are very active all over the shop, I think it just scared me the difference between coco and the other 2 but I do understand they are different plecos lol thank-you for taking the time help me, my names Sophie 🙂

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Just looked at the video, I don't see anything out of the ordinary with your pleco in terms of body mass, and she had nice strong colours. Keep an eye on her, if she starts to lose colour and body weight... then you might need to intervene, the only other thing I can suggest would be to ensure there are enough hiding spots for all three plecos - but from your video it seemed to have good plant cover. No problem Sophie, always happy to help where I can!

[@Sophie-Sojo]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics 🙂 thank you for watching, today she has been in a dark spot under the filter but I have noticed she had moved further up the corner as my lights are the aqua sky ones and I have them gradually getting brighter through the day so I'm pretty reassured she's doing OK because she's still vibrant as you say and she doesn't look skinny to me either and I know this is disgusting but I leapt for joy when I woke this morning and after I posted you the video I was watching her and saw a small bit of poop coming out lol but that's surely a good sign too. I've got 2 coconut caves I carved and a pleco cave and it is quite planted. Thank you so so much for your help

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Haha! Only fish keepers get those good feelings from watching a fish poo! Well that's great news then, she is certainly eating something! No worries at all!

[@tonyc698]

BEWARE:Sometimes these plecos are carnivorous. They can get very territorial and will attack any other fish especially when feeding ..especially pleco wafers.I had mine eat several shrimp, attack guppies,and eventually kill and eat a few of my otocinclus. They're definitely a hit or miss when it comes to having a peaceful calm behavioral character.

[@bobbda]

I am not clear how you would limit the clown pleco to eating protein only once a week when you have a community tank with other fish that need protein possibly even daily. Can you please explain? How Thanks.

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Hello, If you have a community tank with mixed dietary needs, it will depend on the type of stocking, but if you have mid-upper water swimming fish that require protein in their diet, by ensuring that you feed them floating/slow sinking foods in controlled amounts that the fish consume before reaching the bottom is a good way to prevent unnecessary protein rich foods being available to your pleco :)

[@cbreezy1590]

Can these live with no heater

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Depends how hot your home is. They can be kept at low 22-24C but for them to thrive and long term health you will want them to have a spell of the 25-27C for a good period of the year.

[@John-cj1xd]

Got one in my 38 gallon. Dose not do much just hinds in his rock and on his wood

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Much more active at night :)

[@goochma]

I added a clown pleco to my 29 gallon planted tank about a year ago. I saw it swimming on the glass a couple of times went I first bought it. Then I never saw it again. I was convinced it had died Today while adding root tabs to my jungle val low an behold the little bugger appeared out of nowhere then disappeared back into the jungle val. I also have a snowball pleco that constantly hides in a log and never shows itself. Is this normal behavior for these fish? The plecos tank mates are neon and cardinal tetras, cory cats, and four otto cats. Are the snowball and clown plecos compatible or are they hiding because they don't get along. I want to give my fish the very best life they can have in my aquarium. I do water changes twice a week and all my water parameters are spot on. Should I be worried that they never show themselves in the daylight hours?

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Most Pleco's/Loricariids are nocturnal fish, so it isn't unusual for them to hide during daylight hours. You have two very different pleco's living in your aquarium, as long as they have space, there shouldn't be a problem. Your Clown Pleco is a member of the Panaqolus family, the vast majority of this group are Xylivores, which means feed mainly on micro organisms that are found growing on drift/bog wood in your aquarium. Your Snowball Pleco, could be one of many, but most common fall under the Hypancistrus or Baryancistrus - these are omnivorous fish, the hypans are more carnivorous. I would ensure that you have some wood in the aquarium any maybe introduce another hide, given time they will become more confident.

[@goochma]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics Thank you for getting back to me. I do have a good sized piece of drift wood in the tank. But I will probably add one more to give the Clown Pleco more wood to forage. It just amazes me that the Clown Pleco has been hiding out in the thick crop of jungle vallisneria all this time and despite water changes/vacuum's 2-3 times a week I haven't seen him in nearly nine months until today. He/she looked very healthy. My guess is it's been burying itself in the thick undergrowth of the jungle val which just so happens to be where I placed the drift wood when I first set up my tank. The Snowball Pleco resides on the complete opposite side of the tank and hangs out in an ornamental tree stump right next to my Amazon Sword. Hopefully there is enough space between them to keep them from fighting. I would not have added the Snowball to my tank if I had known the Clown was still present. Thanks again for your great advice and knowledge. I'll be sure to give you a thumbs up and click that subscribe button.

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Yes, it is crazy to think it could have been hiding away all that time! obviously loves the val jungle that you have made! They should do fine if they have enough hides, I myself keep my pleco's in groups and the key to avoid aggression is hiding spots :) You are welcome, I'm glad my advice is of use! Thank you for subscribing - the support is truly appreciated!

[@aknadiri2520]

Couchpotato fish lol. Its funny to look at them just lay there :D

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Sometimes I do wonder what they are thinking :)

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

I had to move mine to my shrimp tank as I don't think he was eating anything, only scraping wood and I rarely saw it. He looks a bit skinny but he has been in the tank for about 8 months :/

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Yeah, Clown Plecos can become malnourished due to being so shy! Hopefully being in a smaller aquarium with shrimp so you can target feed will give it the opportunity to pack on some weight! Thanks for watching the video and taking the time to share your experiences :)

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics Mine never did really move around much especially during the day. He still sits under a log and chases out any other fish which try to get in there. He even cleans his den himself and wafts out any mess which gets in there. Doesn't eat much but he seems happy tbh.

[@flemmingj1965]

I see my 2 a lot

[@fishkeepingfreak]

Im a beginner here ...i have 8 red eye tetras and 4 panda corys...once the red eyes get about 1.5 inches im going to have to trade them in at my pet shop. In the meantime i do need an algae eater. I have a 15g fluval flex. Would this clown pleco work with my tank and particularly the pandas? When i trade in the red eyes ill get more community fish...maybe chili rasboras

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Hello! And welcome to the hobby! If I was to provide an algae eating option for an aquarium of 15USG I would suggest an Otocinclus, they get about 5 cm in length and don't produce anywhere near as much waste as a clown pleco would. Long term you'd probably find your Clown Pleco would need to be re-homed in a 15USG as they reach up to 10cm :)

[@fishkeepingfreak]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics ok thank you so much...i appreciate it

[@flemmingj1965]

i see my 2 clown plecos a lot

[@reaperslasherhaunts2714]

my has been hiding for a 2months why

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

They can be shy fish, I'd wager your pleco is venturing out of it's hiding place at night looking for food. My pleco's only really come out of their hiding spots when they are being fed or after lights out :)

[@livencali1]

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[@loganwilder5262]

Mine doesn’t move, at all

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

A hermit pleco ;)

[@StephanieSakalian]

Love my clown pleco! He won’t even touch veggies though 😕 anyone else’s like this?

[@kylewess253]

I bought a pleco and didn’t realize how big they can get, I’m not sure what I’m going to do with him.

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Hello Kyle Wess, ahh that is a shame! A lot of the species of pleco can reach a large size. short of buying a new, larger aquarium I would recommend getting in touch with your local fish shop and seeing if they wouldn't mind taking it off your hands.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

Common and royal plecos get big, well over 1ft sometimes more than 2ft. You can put them in a pond for summer when the water gets warmer (more than about 16c), but they will grow very quick since they will eat algae none stop. If you are lucky enough to have an indoor pond in a heated room they can live in that all the time pretty much. Thing is though you can usually get a lot of money for an adult royal pleco. So you can grow them to a certain size in the aquarium and sell them on after a few years.

[@jungleman4800]

Clown plecos dont get any bigger than 3-4 inches. You may have had the common pleco.

[@natetinsley3119]

My clown pleco is aggressive! He picks at every other fish and doesn't allow any other fish inside my decorative log.

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Ah, yes some pleco's can be very territorial when it comes to their home, like most people, some are placid and some are aggressive. My recommendation would be to add another similar hide for those other fish that also would like to hide in your aquarium.

[@natetinsley3119]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics I only have a clown and a spotted bristlenose, I'm good for now, thanks for the advice though 😊

[@Aolsucs]

My clown - named Caino, has NO interest in showing himself when the lights are in. Turn off the tank lights? He comes right out.

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Pleco's can be notorious for hiding during the day. One way of 'training' them to come out is to feed in the middle of the time you have your aquarium lights on, it can help them slowly get used to being out... can take a while though as they are very shy.

[@Aolsucs]

@@BigFishLittleFishAquatics I went the other route and put up a moss curtain that partitions off part of the tank to be mostly dark, and Caino mostly stays over there under his drift now. My rupperlip and my stary night, (Angelina Jolie and Vincent Van Gogh) both love to be out in the open in the sunny side of the tank. I kind of like having the different attitudes, even if I do get worried about Caino not showing himself sometimes.

[@no-knickers-emma1112]

Do they dig and uproot plants like the Bristlenose?

[@BigFishLittleFishAquatics]

Hello, Yes, as with most plecos, Clown Plecos are known for digging in the substrate, this is mainly during spawning, or if they have not got a sufficient cave to hide in.