Royal Pleco
Panaque nigrolineatus
Loricariidae
FishDifficulty: ●●●○○Data: well-established
About
The royal pleco comes from the Orinoco and middle-to-lower Amazon tributaries of South America. Its grey body is covered in bold dark squiggled lines, set off by striking red eyes and a heavy suit of armour plates. Largely nocturnal, it spends the day wedged under wood and grows into a roughly 43 cm giant that claims the bottom of the tank as its territory.
Care
Needs a 150 cm, 500 L+ tank with oversized filtration, strong oxygen-rich flow and plenty of driftwood; keep one per tank, as it defends its patch of the bottom and can injure other large plecos.
Diet
A true wood-eater: driftwood it can constantly rasp is a dietary requirement, not decoration. Add sinking vegetable wafers and blanched veg; give protein foods only as an occasional treat, and expect heavy sawdust-like waste.
Tankmate compatibility
Avoid (271)
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Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
What works for this species, most reliable first.
- Bristles and cheek spinesStrong · from about a year
Male plecos grow odontodes — spiny growths on the cheeks and along the leading pectoral rays. Bristlenose males additionally grow branching tentacles across the snout and over the top of the head.
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Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Royal Pleco need?
- A Royal Pleco needs an aquarium of at least 500 litres (132.1 US gallons) with a footprint at least 150 cm (59.1 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Royal Pleco need?
- Royal Pleco does best at 22–30 °C (71.6–86 °F), pH 6.5–7.5 and a general hardness of 2–15 °dGH.
- Is the Royal Pleco suitable for beginners?
- Royal Pleco sits in the middle of the difficulty scale — manageable for a careful beginner who has done the reading, but it has specific needs worth researching first.
Sources
Water & tank
Temperature22–30°C
Optimal temp.24–27°C
pH6.5–7.5
Hardness (GH)2–15°d
Carbonate (KH)2–10°d
Adult size43 cm
Min. volume≥ 500 L
Min. tank length≥ 150 cm
Group size≥ 1
Swimming zoneBottom
TemperamentPeaceful
Water typeFreshwater
FlowStrong
Lifespan~12 yrs
Try in the calculator