The Queen Arabesque Pleco is much smaller than some other popular species of Plecostomus, making them well suited for smaller tanks.

Queen Plecos are members of the catfish family "Loricariidae". There are a large number of popular aquarium fish from this family, and a large number of them are commonly referred to by number. Queen Plecos are often referred to as the L260 for this reason. Queen Plecos are relatively shy fish and they do quite well in community tanks and may be safely housed with a variety of fish including many livebearers, Danios, Barbs, Gouramis etc. Additionally many Queen Plecos do quite well in many cichlid tanks. These are not highly fast or competitive fish, so it is important to monitor tank-mates. If they are placed with very fast, competitive fish the Queen Pleco will often starve. Like many other Plecos these are primarily nocturnal fish and for this reason they should be fed in the evening hours. Queen Plecos are more expensive than some other popular aquarium fish, but this does not seem to be affecting their popularity. They are not very difficult to find, and are usually readily available in most aquarium stores.

The Queen Pleco is classified as a Dwarf Pleco, and will usually not exceed 4 inches in length.

The Queen Pleco is native to South America.

Unlike some Plecos the Queen Pleco is not at all picky. They are omnivorous and will eat a variety of foods. The majority of their diet in captivity is composed of left over food and algae. These are very handy cleaner fish for this reason. Though it should be noted that the Queen Pleco is not as good of an algae eater as other Pleco species. They are more carnivorous than anything else. If their tank does not provide them with enough leftovers and algae feed sinking carnivore and algae pellets. It is important that they receive a substantial amount of carnivore diet in addition to the vegetarian diet. For this reason it is a good idea to feed them live food such as bloodworms and brine shrimp.

The Queen Pleco does well in a 50-gallon tank with an average pH of 7. Temperatures should be maintained between 73 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit and water hardness should be kept between levels of 8 and 10. Driftwood is an excellent tank decoration for this fish because it provides plenty of hiding places for this shy species.

There is currently no special breeding information in our databases for this animal. To submit breeding / propagation information that is specific to this animal please click here.