Clown pleco care
Panaqolus maccus · Orinoco and Caroni basins, Venezuela and Colombia
Clown plecos stay under 4 inches and suit a 20 gallon or larger tank, but they rasp and eat wood: give them driftwood, caves and vegetables.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 73 to 82 °F (23 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 3.5 in
- pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 8 to 12 years
- Diet
- Wood and plant matter
- Care level
- Easy
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep clown plecos
Clown plecos stay under 4 inches and suit a 20 gallon or larger tank, but they rasp and eat wood: give them driftwood, caves and vegetables. They produce a lot of fine wood waste, so filter and vacuum well.
Diet: Wood and plant matter: driftwood to rasp, vegetables, algae wafers. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Clown pleco tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Dwarf gourami
3.5 in · 10+ gal · 77–82 °F
Paradise fish
3.5 in · 20+ gal · 61–79 °F
Five-banded barb
3.5 in · 29+ gal · 74–84 °F
Thick-lipped gourami
3.5 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Indian glassfish
3.1 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Upside-down catfish
4 in · 29+ gal · 72–79 °F
Keyhole cichlid
4 in · 30+ gal · 72–80 °F
Golden wonder killifish
4 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: clown plecos need 73 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as clown plecos.
Jewel cichlid: Jewel cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as clown plecos.
Saulosi cichlid: Saulosi cichlids belong with other Lake Malawi cichlids, not with clown plecos.
Red-tail dwarf puffer: Red-tail dwarf puffers belong in a tank of their own.
What a clown pleco tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon clown pleco tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon clown pleco tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Clown plecos need 73 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding clown plecos.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 73 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank · Heaters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common clown pleco problems
- Without driftwood they waste away.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Panaqolus maccus. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Dwarf gourami Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Paradise fish André Karwath; edited by Muhammad, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Five-banded barb NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Thick-lipped gourami Oliver Gorski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Indian glassfish opencage, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Upside-down catfish John P. Friel Ph.D., CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Keyhole cichlid D.W., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Golden wonder killifish Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Jewel cichlid NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Saulosi cichlid Gerard Delany, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red-tail dwarf puffer Neale Monks (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pygmy corydoras Birger A, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Salt-and-pepper corydoras D.W., CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bronze corydoras Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Panda corydoras Chronotopian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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