Zebra pleco care
Hypancistrus zebra · Xingu River, Brazil
The zebra pleco (L046) is a small black-and-white striped pleco that needs warm (79 to 86 °F), very clean, well-oxygenated water with caves and current.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 79 to 86 °F (26 to 30 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 3.2 in
- pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 12 dGH
- Lifespan
- 10 to 15 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Demanding
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep zebra plecos
The zebra pleco (L046) is a small black-and-white striped pleco that needs warm (79 to 86 °F), very clean, well-oxygenated water with caves and current. Unlike most plecos it eats meaty foods, not algae.
Diet: Carnivore: frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp, sinking carnivore pellets. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Zebra 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.
Indian glassfish
3.1 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Betta
3 in · 5+ gal · 76–82 °F
Black skirt tetra
3 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Glass catfish
3 in · 29+ gal · 75–82 °F
Buenos Aires tetra
3 in · 29+ gal · 64–82 °F
Celebes rainbowfish
3 in · 29+ gal · 68–82 °F
GloFish tetra
3 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Dwarf gourami
3.5 in · 10+ gal · 77–82 °F
Keep apart
Celestial pearl danio: No shared temperature: zebra plecos need 79 to 86 °F, celestial pearl danios 72 to 78 °F.
Zebra danio: No shared temperature: zebra plecos need 79 to 86 °F, zebra danios 64 to 77 °F.
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: zebra plecos need 79 to 86 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Panda corydoras: No shared temperature: zebra plecos need 79 to 86 °F, panda corydoras 68 to 77 °F.
Reticulated hillstream loach: No shared temperature: zebra plecos need 79 to 86 °F, reticulated hillstream loaches 68 to 75 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
What a zebra 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 zebra 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 zebra pleco tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Zebra plecos need 79 to 86 °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 zebra 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 79 to 86 °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 zebra pleco problems
- Endangered in the wild and protected by Brazil; buy captive-bred fish only.
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 zebra. 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.
- Zebra pleco Peaceinpianos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Indian glassfish opencage, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Betta ivabalk (Pixabay), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black skirt tetra emptyvi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glass catfish Martin Fisch, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Buenos Aires tetra Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Celebes rainbowfish Brent Tibbatts, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- GloFish tetra Bobby823Sk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf gourami Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Celestial pearl danio Cisamarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Zebra danio Roundish, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Panda corydoras Chronotopian, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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
- 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
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