Ugly Animals: Pleco

These common algae eaters are known for their unique, suction-cup-shaped mouth. Aquarium experts will recommend them to any fish-keeper with an algae problem in their tank. The way they attach themselves to glass and rock never ceases to amaze.

Pleco is the common name for Catfish species in the Family Loricariidae. The name Pleco is derived from the Latin name of one of the species in this family, the Hypostomus plecostomus, and is today widely used even for the other species in this family. The Family Loricariidae is also known as the Armored Catfish family, since the fish in this family display longitudinal rows of scutes over the upper parts of the head and body, and this pattern is somewhat similar to an old armor.

Plecos are very popular aquarium fish, even for beginners. They can help keeping unwanted algae growth under control in the aquarium, since algae and plant material are their staple foods in the wild. If you want to read more about how to care for your Plecos we suggest that you read some of the featured articles below.

Ugly Animals - Plecos

18 comments:

AnonymousMarch 4, 2012 at 2:12 PM
Pleco's are not ugly.
AnonymousMarch 23, 2012 at 9:31 PM
I have got some fishes that i want to give away, does any1 know some1 who myt be interested in keeping them ?
AnonymousApril 6, 2012 at 10:06 PM
I love my pleco i think they are lush
LuApril 13, 2012 at 2:16 PM
plecos are adorable..
AnonymousMay 31, 2012 at 8:55 PM
we have 2 pleco in our tank , we love then ,they are called posh and becks .....
AnonymousJuly 31, 2012 at 3:57 AM
cool site post some of them up on http://www.grandaquatica.org
AnonymousAugust 14, 2012 at 2:32 PM
pic 5 is not a pleco, but rather an adult Bristlenose catfish...

But then again, I reckon they deserve to be on this blog more then the plecos! =)
AnonymousDecember 6, 2012 at 12:26 AM
The Bristlenose IS a plecostomus... Genus of Ancistrus
MichelleDecember 10, 2012 at 3:09 AM
UGLY animals?!? I happen to think that Plecos are among the most magnificent, beautiful, handsome (or shall I say finsome?) creatures I've ever observed...or owned/befriended! I ADORE them!! 8-D
AnonymousDecember 10, 2012 at 7:50 AM
Also, gotta correct the last comment, which attempted to be a correction itself...but is wrong. The fifth one is a Bristle-nose pleco, of course.
AnonymousDecember 13, 2012 at 9:17 AM
Plecos are adorable!!
AnonymousJanuary 6, 2013 at 8:04 AM
You are one of the dumbest girls I've ever have seen. Your view of "ugly animals" is so askew it's horrific.
Maybe you should get your eyes checked.
SammyMarch 31, 2013 at 6:37 PM
What is the matter with the comments here? This is just someone's hobby! "Ugly" is obviously a subjective term people! She's shining a spotlight on some interesting animals and poking a little fun as she does it. Lighten up!
ShelzJune 10, 2013 at 2:08 AM
"She's shining a spotlight on some interesting animals and poking a little fun as she does it. Lighten up!"

^ Which is awesome, and could be done without insulting them, seein' as how the vast majority of the selected animals are almost as far from "ugly" as possible (in the opinions of many)--but yeah, it's obviously all in good fun, and educational to boot. I know that no offense is meant to the animals or people who love them. And I guess a lot of people would classify some of the critters profiled on here as being in the "so ugly they're cute/pretty" category.
AnonymousOctober 16, 2013 at 10:11 AM
Baby plecos are soooo cute! Plecos are certainly NOT ugly!
RogerApril 17, 2014 at 7:32 AM
Whoa! Check these out!
Rabbit ImagesAugust 20, 2014 at 8:52 AM
Looks creepy when held. It is like a black stone with spikes.
AnonymousSeptember 26, 2014 at 9:11 AM
Do plecos ever eat smaller fish? My guppies are disappeaing and my pleco is GROWING very fast.......