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Encyclopedia / Catfish & Plecos / Blue-eyed pleco
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Blue-eyed pleco

Panaque cochliodon · Blue eyed panaque, Panaque cochliodon

Peaceful to other fish but territorial with other plecos; needs big tank.

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30 cmAdult size ✓
UnknownTemperature ?
UnknownpH ?
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.

Not recommended
  • Oscar is aggressive and will bully peaceful blue-eyed pleco.
Not recommended
  • Convict cichlid is aggressive and will bully peaceful blue-eyed pleco.
Not recommended
  • Jack Dempsey is aggressive and will bully peaceful blue-eyed pleco.
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ?Can live alone
Temperament ?Peaceful
Swims at ✓Bottom
Care level ?Hard
Diet Herbivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 5–10 cm
Growth Slow

Behavior

Peaceful to other fish but territorial with other plecos; needs big tank.

  • cave
  • wood
  • current

Food

Algae wafers, blanched vegetables (courgette, cucumber), and driftwood to rasp; add some frozen or sinking protein.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

MaleBroader head with bristles or odontodes; slimmer body
FemaleRounder, fuller body, narrower head
TipCompare head width and odontodes from above once adult
How hard to tellModerate

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Cave spawner · Hard

Cave spawner; occasionally spawned.

Pairing

Grow out 6-8 juveniles and let a pair form; keep the group in a well-oxygenated, stable tank.

Setup

100-200 L tank with strong flow, many caves sized to the fish (PVC or ceramic tubes), and very clean, warm water.

What starts it

Cool water changes, increased flow and a seasonal drop in temperature, plus rich protein feeding.

Eggs

The male guards a small clutch (5-30 large amber eggs) in the cave for around 5-10 days until they hatch; the fry carry a big yolk sac.

Raising the fry

Fry stay in the cave until the yolk is gone, then feed on sinking algae wafers, blanched veg and crushed flake. Keep nitrate low.

Common mistakes
  • Too few caves
  • Warm, stagnant water
  • Moving the male while he guards eggs
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSouth America – Magdalena basin, Colombia
Rivers and lakesRío Magdalena and Río Cauca
HabitatLarge rivers with sunken wood
Native rangeAbout 400 km across
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The story of the blue-eyed pleco

A dark grey to black wood-eating Panaque with bright turquoise eyes, found only in Colombia's Magdalena and Cauca basins. Popular in the 1980s-early 1990s but now rarely traded. IUCN: Near Threatened.

Franz Steindachner described this striking pleco in 1879 from the Magdalena basin of Colombia. Its bright blue eyes make it one of the most famous Panaque species and gave it the trade code L190. Like its relatives, it rasps on sunken wood as part of its diet.

First described by Franz Steindachner in 1879.

  • Young fish have vivid sky-blue eyes.
  • Panaque plecos have spoon-shaped teeth for scraping wood.
  • It can grow to over 30 cm long.

Sources

6 facts checked with sources