Name: Hypancistrus zebra
Size pHGHTemp Origin: Brazil (Rio Xingu)
10 cm 6.7 8 25°C This little fish is astonishing, a true rare gem of nature. I have a Zebra Pleco in my 200 L planted tank, who shares the bottom with a Tiger Pleco and a Gold Nugget Pleco, plus a few Cories and Loaches. Right now he's the smallest of all, (about 6 cm) and is extremely shy. Luckily he chose a cave near the front of the tank, which allows me to see him well all day long. He's the only Pleco that doesn't come out when I feed during the day. In fact, I never see him eat, but since he's been alive and well for almost a year I guess he gets his share of algae, uneaten food and spirulina discs that I throw in almost every night. This species is omnivorous, and not such a good algae eater as other Loricarids. They say that in Rio Xingu it lives in deep waters (20 to 40 meters), and maybe that's why it took so long to be "discovered" (it was only classified in 1991). Contributed by Marcos Avila This is one of my favorite fish...I first bought one for about $50, but later found a shop that sold them to me for $20. Find these shops...I hate dealers that rip everyone off. I've seen pricing books wholesale these for 12-15 dollars...50-60 bucks is ridiculous. Now I have 5 in my 300 liter tank...a very beautiful fish with interesting night behavior. When I only had one, he just sat under a piece of driftwood and never came out, not even with a dim red ...

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