Should I buy it?
Clown Pleco
Panaqolus maccus
Also known as: clown panaque, l104, Clown panaque, L104
Fishori provides conservative planning guidance, not guarantees.
Based on typical aquarium care sources; details may vary between setups. Use the numbers here as planning defaults — your room, water, and routine still shape real-world outcomes.
A small pleco at 9 cm that stays manageable. Needs driftwood to rasp and caves to hide. Does not control algae reliably.
Best for
Planted community tanks 110L or more with caves and driftwood. A manageable pleco that won't outgrow the tank.
Avoid if
You want algae removal. Clown plecos prefer wood and soft foods over glass algae.
Top things that go wrong
- Shrimp & snails. Shrimp: compatible in most setups. Cherry shrimp and other dwarf species coexist with peaceful small fish, though baby shrimp are food for almost any fish that gets to them.
Common mistakeNo driftwood in a clown pleco tank. Without wood to rasp they develop digestive problems and bloat within months.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Buying a clown pleco without driftwood ready. The fish needs cellulose, not just wafers, and dies if you skip the wood.
- 2.Stocking it as a generic algae cleaner for a new tank. Clown plecos do not strip green algae, they rasp wood.
- 3.Real driftwood is the diet, not decoration. Add sinking algae and vegetable wafers at night.
- 4.Wood fibre in the diet matters long term; not a substitute for algae-only maintenance.
About this species
Small wood-eating loricariid with bold bands. Needs driftwood for fibre intake and good filtration. Not a generic algae cleaner for brand-new tanks.
- Siamese Algae Eater100L min · same group, comparable tank size
- Bristlenose Pleco80L min · same fish family
- Otocinclus60L min · same fish family
- Royal pleco500L min · same fish family
- Common Pleco600L min · same fish family
- Adolfoi coryalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- African freshwater butterflyfishalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Bamboo Shrimpalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Black ruby barbalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Boesemani Rainbowfishalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
- Bolivian Ramalso intermediate peaceful, similar tank size
No reverse lookups on file yet.
Plan grid
Key limits are shown above; this section adds planning detail: pH band, swim level, bioload and activity, and the radar.
Swim zones
Planning trait chart
Six indices for comparing species on paper before you spend.
- Beginner ease32
- Peacefulness82
- Community fit73
- Small-tank fit100
- Hardiness54
- Energy24
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Common setup sketches
Conservative patterns from Fishori fields — still run the pair checker for every species you add; sketches are not a stocking guarantee.
Rough 110L+ layout: one calm centrepiece, 8–12 small tetras/rasboras, 6–8 corydoras-type bottom fish — verify every name in the pair checker before buying.
Safe directions on file include: Neon Tetra, Corydoras Catfish, Harlequin Rasbora.
Avoid “one of everything” baskets — Clown Pleco belongs in a plan built around territory, line-of-sight breaks, and matched water chemistry.
Tank mate intelligence
Use the "Often compatible" lists as a shortlist, not a stocking plan. Always run the pair tool and check the footprint of your actual tank first. Verify behaviour for Clown Pleco against your own reading before you buy.
Pair-level compatibility with this fish as anchor.
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Clown Pleco + Neon Tetra
Behaviour, temperament, and what to watch
Prose and lists come from the same record: read temperament first, then glass-level signals so you are not surprised after day three.
Clown Pleco is peaceful in mixed company. Holds territory on substrate, in caves, or at the surface film. Break the sight lines with hardscape to keep the resident off the visitor.
Stress / aggression triggers on file
- Sudden crowding
- Poor water quality
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper, but individuals can still test fins under stress or in a crowded tank.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly-sized community fish. The usual community caveats about mouth size still apply for very small fry or shrimp.
Territory: Holds territory on substrate, in caves, or at the surface film. Break the line of sight with hardscape, and avoid placing the tank where the fish can see its own reflection.
Planted tanks: good — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- Often calm on the glass — bursts of movement around food or tank disturbance.
- Clamped fins, gasping at the surface, hiding non-stop, or refusing food after the first week.
- Rapid breathing when parameters swing — fix ammonia/nitrite first, then reassess mates.
- Corner guarding, flaring, or body-blocking — territory is normal until it becomes relentless.
- Separate or rehome if injuries appear, one fish is pinned, or feeding becomes a daily chase.
- If water is stable but behaviour worsens, reduce stocking or remove the highest-impact species first.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Care parameters: water, food, inverts, grouping
Chemistry and group rules sit here so you are not re-reading the same line from tank mate or temperament blocks. Swim level is in the plan grid above.
Hardness
soft
Diet
herbivore
Vegetable matter, algae, and plant-based prepared foods. Long-term protein-only feeding causes bloat in herbivorous species.
Shrimp & snails
Shrimp: compatible in most setups. Cherry shrimp and other dwarf species coexist with peaceful small fish, though baby shrimp are food for almost any fish that gets to them.
Kept singly or as a paired setup. Check the species profile before doubling up in one tank.
Breeding behaviour depends on the species. Research before you buy a mixed-sex group of this fish.
- Hold 24 to 30 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 5.5 to 7.5 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Footprint: short wide tanks and tall narrow tanks fish differently for the same volume. Match the tank shape to the swim pattern, not just the litre count.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 110L published minimum for adults.
- Heater can hold 24–30°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
Explore and stocking hubs
Same library as the rest of Fishori: tank-mate index for this species, category peers, guides, and litre-based stocking lists where min tank on file is within the hub volume.
Plan with tools
Pair-level rules and multi-fish stocking use the same conservative engine — add this fish in the tank builder only after mates pass pair checks.
Filtration & heating
A 110L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 440L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 24–30°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Clown Pleco does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 24–30°C and pH 5.5–7.5:
Profile status: partially verified · Evidence tier: medium · 2 linked source(s). Fishori does not fabricate citations.
Fishori uses conservative planning rules based on these sources.
Confidence is explained in the summary at the top of this page (same tier as here), not repeated below.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Planet Catfish. Panaqolus maccus (clown plec / L104, Cat-eLog)
Primary: hobby standard wood-eater sheet: L-number link, size, feeding, and the driftwood-dependence reality for Panaqolus maccus.
- FishBase. Panaqolus maccus
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
Evidence notes
- A Seriously Fish Panaqolus maccus profile was not available at a stable URL during curation; Planet Catfish is the de facto L-number hobby reference for this species and wood diet.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
- Fishori profiles work from typical aquarium trade sizes and hobby care norms. Specialist site checks and literature review for this species are not yet recorded here, so the ranges on this page are planning numbers rather than guarantees.