Leopard Frog Pleco

 Leopard Frog Pleco (Peckoltia compta), also known as the Imperial Tiger Pleco, is a member of the Loricariidae family of South American suckermouth catfishes.   Its bright yellow and black, zebra-like striping combined with its relatively outgoing personality make it a very striking fish for the planted or nano aquarium.  The color of the stripes can range from a cream to a yellow color.  Like many plecos, the Leopard Frog Pleco has generally been a wild-caught species, but we are proud to be among the first stores to offer tank-raised juveniles at a much lower cost than wild-caught specimens!

A generally peaceful and hardy species, the Leopard Frog Pleco is an excellent, undemanding candidate for most aquariums.  Unlike the widely-seen Common Pleco (Hypostomus plecostomus) and Trinidad Pleco (Hypostomus punctatus), which easily reach a monstrous size of 18 to 20+ inches (45 to 51+ cm), the Leopard Frog Pleco grows to a size of only 3.5 to 4.2 inches (8.9 to 10.7 cm).  This smaller size makes for a much more manageable (and less messy) pleco that can thrive permanently in a well-maintained aquarium as small as 30 to 40 gallons.  Male plecos may be somewhat territorial with other males of their species, but disputes can usually be diffused by providing ample territory and hiding places for each fish.  All other tankmates will be generally ignored, although it is possible that small shrimp fry might fall prey to the Leopard Frog Pleco.  However, some large-scale shrimp suppliers breed Leopard Frog Plecos in the same pools they use for shrimp breeding.

The Leopard Frog Pleco is primarily nocturnal, but will often become active during daytime hours once established in an aquarium with plenty of driftwood, rockwork, and other hiding places.  It is not known to eat wood heavily like some plecos (Panaque sp., etc.), but it may benefit from some supplementary wood (or bio-film on driftwood).  The Leopard Frog Pleco will not bother most plants and it is not an effective algae eater.  Feed the Leopard Frog Pleco a diet heavy in meaty foods supplemented with vegetable matter, including high-quality vegetable flakes, sinking algae wafers, and pellets.  This omnivorous species requires a high-protein diet rich in meaty foods and will enjoy frozen foods such as bloodworms and Tubifex.  It will also appreciate being fed some fresh vegetables such as shelled peas, spinach, zucchini, and cucumber.