Snowball pleco care
Hypancistrus inspector · Upper Orinoco basin in Colombia and Venezuela, and the Rio Negro basin in Brazil
The snowball pleco (L102) is a black pleco covered in white spots that grows to about 5 inches without the tail.
- Tank size
- 30 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 77 to 84 °F (25 to 29 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 5 in (standard length, without the tail)
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 12 dGH
- Lifespan
- 10 to 15 years
- Diet
- Omnivore leaning to meaty food
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 30 gallon
36¼ × 12⅝ × 16¾ in outsideHow to keep snowball plecos
The snowball pleco (L102) is a black pleco covered in white spots that grows to about 5 inches without the tail. Give it a 30 gallon or larger tank with caves, warm, well-oxygenated water and some current. Unlike the common pleco it eats more meaty food than algae, so feed sinking pellets and frozen foods after the lights go off.
Diet: Omnivore leaning to meaty food: sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, some algae wafers and vegetables. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Snowball 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.
Amazon puffer
5 in · 29+ gal · 74–82 °F
Moonlight gourami
5 in · 30+ gal · 77–84 °F
African butterflyfish
5 in · 30+ gal · 73–86 °F
Swordtail
5.5 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Pearl gourami
4.5 in · 29+ gal · 77–82 °F
Angelfish
6 in · 29+ gal · 76–84 °F
Three-spot (blue) gourami
6 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Electric blue acara
6 in · 40+ gal · 72–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: snowball plecos need 77 to 84 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Reticulated hillstream loach: No shared temperature: snowball 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: snowball plecos need 77 to 84 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as snowball plecos.
Crystal red shrimp: No shared temperature: snowball plecos need 77 to 84 °F, crystal red shrimp 62 to 76 °F.
What a snowball pleco tank needs
A tank of 30 US gallons or more (such as the 30 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 20
Rated by the maker for up to 30 US gal, which covers a 30 gallon snowball 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 30 gallon snowball pleco tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Fluval E100
Snowball 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 snowball 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.
We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common snowball pleco problems
- Males claim caves and chase other plecos away from them; give one cave per pleco.
- Faster tank mates take the food first; feed sinking food after lights out so it gets its share.
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: Hypancistrus inspector. 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.
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Moonlight gourami H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- African butterflyfish Toniher, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Swordtail Usien, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pearl gourami h080, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Angelfish Citron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Three-spot (blue) gourami Peter Jung, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Electric blue acara 5snake5, CC0, 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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