Suckermouth catfish
Hypostomus plecostomus
- Tank length
- 180 cmabout 6 ft (71 in)
- Start with
- 1
- Temperature
- 20–30 °C68–86 °F
- pH
- 6.5–8
- Adult size
- 30 cm12 in
- Lifespan
- 10–20 yrs
Commonly sold tiny but grows huge and produces heavy waste; plan for a very large tank with driftwood from the start.Commonly sold tiny but grows huge and produces heavy waste; plan for a very large tank with driftwood from the start.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- Alligator gar
Alligator gar may eat Suckermouth catfishAlligator gar may eat Suckermouth catfish
- Arapaima
Arapaima may eat Suckermouth catfishArapaima may eat Suckermouth catfish
- Atahualpa dwarf cichlid
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Dourada
Dourada may eat Suckermouth catfishDourada may eat Suckermouth catfish
- Elizabeth's dwarf cichlid
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
Iridescent sharkIridescent shark may eat Suckermouth catfishIridescent shark may eat Suckermouth catfish
- Olga cory
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Panda dwarf cichlid
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Paroon shark
Paroon shark may eat Suckermouth catfishParoon shark may eat Suckermouth catfish
- Piraiba
Piraiba may eat Suckermouth catfishPiraiba may eat Suckermouth catfish
- Redline rasbora
No shared pH rangeNo shared pH range
- Redtail catfish
Redtail catfish may eat Suckermouth catfishRedtail catfish may eat Suckermouth catfish
Data used by the planner
| Temperature | 20–30 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 6.5–8 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Hardness (dGH) | 5–20 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Origin | Guianas and northern South America | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Beginner friendly | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Care level | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Activity | sedentary | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Swimming level | bottom | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Temperament | semi aggressive | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Nips fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Long fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Territorial | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lives in groups | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum group | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Diet | herbivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lifespan (years) | 10–20 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Months to adult size | 24 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Safe with plants | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum tank length | 180 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |