Leopard frog pleco care
Peckoltia compta · Tapajós basin, Brazil
The leopard frog pleco (L134) is one of the smallest plecos, about 2½ inches without the tail, banded black and gold.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 77 to 84 °F (25 to 29 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2.4 in (standard length, without the tail)
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 10 dGH
- Lifespan
- 8 to 12 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep leopard frog plecos
The leopard frog pleco (L134) is one of the smallest plecos, about 2½ inches without the tail, banded black and gold. A 20 gallon or larger tank with caves, driftwood, warm water and good current suits one. It eats both meaty food and vegetables, so feed a mix rather than algae wafers alone.
Diet: Omnivore: sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm, algae wafers and vegetables; driftwood to graze. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Leopard frog 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.
Diamond tetra
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Bleeding heart tetra
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 72–80 °F
Penguin tetra
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Chocolate gourami
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 77–81 °F
Platy
2.5 in · 10+ gal · 70–80 °F
DrawingGolden pencilfish
2.6 in · 15+ gal · 75–82 °F
Bloodfin tetra
2.2 in · 20+ gal · 65–82 °F
Guppy
2.8 in · 10+ gal · 72–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: leopard frog plecos need 77 to 84 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Reticulated hillstream loach: No shared temperature: leopard frog plecos need 77 to 84 °F, reticulated hillstream loaches 68 to 75 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: leopard frog plecos need 77 to 84 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as leopard frog plecos.
Crystal red shrimp: No shared temperature: leopard frog plecos need 77 to 84 °F, crystal red shrimp 62 to 76 °F.
What a leopard frog 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 leopard frog 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 leopard frog pleco tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Leopard frog plecos need 77 to 84 °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 leopard frog 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 77 to 84 °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 leopard frog pleco problems
- Endangered in the wild: dams have damaged its river and its numbers, so captive-bred fish are the better buy.
- Males defend caves from each other; give one cave per pleco.
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: Peckoltia compta. 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.
- Leopard frog pleco Frank M Greco, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diamond tetra SOK, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bleeding heart tetra 5snake5, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Penguin tetra Kkonstan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Chocolate gourami OSt DD, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Platy Monika Korzeniec, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bloodfin tetra VGW2006, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Guppy Marrabbio2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reticulated hillstream loach Spiketooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Crystal red shrimp DirkBlankenhaus, 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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