Zebra pleco
Hypancistrus zebra
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The zebra pleco (L046), striped black and white, is endemic to one stretch of the Xingu River in Brazil. It is critically endangered: the Belo Monte dam has greatly reduced the flow of the river where it lives, and since 2004 Brazil has banned its export. Fish in the legal trade are captive-bred. It needs warm, highly oxygenated, flowing water and eats mainly animal food. The male has a broader head and guards the eggs inside the cave.
- Scientific name
- Hypancistrus zebra
- Family
- Loricariidae
Fact sheet
General
- Water
- Freshwater
- Group
- Fish
Taxonomy
- Family
- Loricariidae
- Order
- Siluriformes
Origin
- Native region
- América do Sul
Water
- Temperature
- 26–30 °C
- pH
- 6–7.5
- General hardness (GH)
- 2–15 °dGH
Size and lifespan
- Adult size
- 8 cm
- Minimum tank (volume)
- 54 L
- Minimum tank (length)
- 60 cm
Behavior
- Temperament
- Semi-aggressive
- Swimming level
- Bottom
Care
- Care difficulty
- Easy
Reproduction
- Breeding strategy
- Substrate or cave spawner
Conservation and trade
- IUCN status
- Critically endangered (CR)
- CITES appendix
- Appendix II
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