AquaNexus verified profile
Zebra pleco
Hypancistrus zebra
A highly endemic and threatened Xingu loricariid. Correct warm-water oxygenation, cave structure, male brood care and lawful captive-bred provenance are non-negotiable.
Outcome: PASSED Permanent ID: 753
Profile overview
- Scientific Name
- Hypancistrus zebra
- Identity and search names
- Zebra pleco, L046, L46 pleco
- Category
- Freshwater fish
- Subgroup
- Plecos and suckermouth catfish
- Environment
- Freshwater
- Origin
- Volta Grande and middle Xingu River, Pará, Brazil
- Care
- Advanced
- Adult Size
- About 8–10 cm
- Lifespan
- 7–15+ years
- Tank
- At least 120 L for a compatible pair or small managed group, with one correctly sized cave per fish plus extras
- Temp
- 27–30 °C
- pH
- 6.0–7.8
- Hardness
- Soft to moderately hard
- Salinity
- Freshwater
- Lighting
- Normal aquarium lighting
- Placement
- Bottom and surfaces
- Diet
- Protein-oriented omnivore and benthic insectivore; use high-quality meaty sinking foods with some plant matter, not wood as a staple
- Filtration
- Use mature biological filtration with effective mechanical solids capture and turnover matched to the species’ natural flow needs. Protect intakes, preserve established media during cleaning and keep ammonia and nitrite at zero.
- Aeration
- Maintain continuous surface agitation and dependable dissolved oxygen across the whole aquarium. Increase oxygen reserve in warm water, strong-current systems, dense groups, medication periods and power interruptions.
- Maintenance
- Observe feeding, respiration, body condition and social behaviour daily; test nitrogen waste and key chemistry on a schedule; clean mechanical media before trapped waste decomposes; and perform regular temperature- and chemistry-matched water changes.
- Welfare
- Maintain the stated adult space and social structure, verify feeding, and intervene early when injury, exclusion, weight loss, abnormal respiration or altered behaviour appears. Wild provenance is a major conservation and trafficking risk. Buy only documented lawful captive-bred stock and never compromise oxygen at 28–30 °C.
- Biosecurity
- Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.
- Review Status
- PASSED
- Source Status
- CURRENT — accepted identity or explicitly bounded species profile; husbandry, welfare, sources and Australian/South Australian biosecurity rechecked. CURRENT
App-ready care, welfare and biosecurity details
Identity Scope
Single-species profile for Hypancistrus zebra. Preserve permanent AquaNexus ID 753, slug zebra-pleco and route /species/zebra-pleco/; retain former combinations, locality labels and trade names only as searchable aliases.
Adult Size And Space
Expected adult size: About 8–10 cm. Minimum permanent housing: At least 120 L for a compatible pair or small managed group, with one correctly sized cave per fish plus extras. Plan around adult dimensions, activity, social structure, aggression, oxygen demand and waste production rather than sale size.
Social Structure
Keep singly, as a compatible pair or in a carefully structured small group with multiple caves and distributed feeding
Swimming Zone
Primary zone: Bottom and surfaces. Keep that zone usable for movement, feeding, refuge and escape.
Feeding Ecology
Protein-oriented omnivore and benthic insectivore; use high-quality meaty sinking foods with some plant matter, not wood as a staple
Feeding Plan
Small appropriate meals based on age and body condition
Water Stability
Maintain 27–30 °C; pH 6.0–7.8; hardness or minerals: Soft to moderately hard; salinity: Freshwater. Stable oxygenation and nitrogen-cycle control matter more than chasing one exact value.
Habitat Structure
Very warm, exceptionally oxygen-rich Xingu-style aquarium with strong current, high-capacity filtration, rock crevices, secure caves and guarded intakes
Compatibility Plan
Choose tankmates that will not steal all sinking food or harass caves.
Breeding Plan
Cave spawner; the female deposits eggs in a male-held cave Parental care: The male guards and fans the clutch and remains with embryos until they are developed.
Quarantine
Quarantine new livestock in a separate cycled system for at least 30 days. Observe appetite, respiration, waste, skin, fins and behaviour; use dedicated equipment and never add transport water to the established aquarium.
Welfare Checks
Maintain the stated adult space and social structure, verify feeding, and intervene early when injury, exclusion, weight loss, abnormal respiration or altered behaviour appears. Wild provenance is a major conservation and trafficking risk. Buy only documented lawful captive-bred stock and never compromise oxygen at 28–30 °C.
Biosecurity And Release
Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.
Main Risk
Wild provenance is a major conservation and trafficking risk. Buy only documented lawful captive-bred stock and never compromise oxygen at 28–30 °C.
Adult Projected Load
Plan filtration and stocking for the full adult size (About 8–10 cm), the complete social group and peak feeding waste, not the current shop size. Permanent housing remains At least 120 L for a compatible pair or small managed group, with one correctly sized cave per fish plus extras.
Filtration
Use mature biological filtration with effective mechanical solids capture and turnover matched to the species’ natural flow needs. Protect intakes, preserve established media during cleaning and keep ammonia and nitrite at zero.
Aeration
Maintain continuous surface agitation and dependable dissolved oxygen across the whole aquarium. Increase oxygen reserve in warm water, strong-current systems, dense groups, medication periods and power interruptions.
Maintenance
Observe feeding, respiration, body condition and social behaviour daily; test nitrogen waste and key chemistry on a schedule; clean mechanical media before trapped waste decomposes; and perform regular temperature- and chemistry-matched water changes.
Overridable Warnings
Documented lawful captive-bred provenance, warm highly oxygenated water, adult cave territory and no-release requirements cannot be overridden. Never accept undocumented wild-origin stock.
Sources and review basis
- Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes — Hypancistrus zebra: Taxonomy — accepted name, former combinations, synonyms and family placement
- Sousa et al. — conservation and trade of Hypancistrus zebra: Conservation, provenance and captive breeding — Xingu endemic threatened by habitat change and trafficking
- IUCN Red List — Hypancistrus zebra: Conservation and provenance — current wild-status and collection-risk cross-check
- PIRSA — South Australian noxious fish list: Australian biosecurity — current South Australian possession, trade and movement restrictions
- DAFF — importing live ornamental fish to Australia: Australian biosecurity — national live-fish import pathways and permitted-species warning
AquaNexus uses original editorial synthesis. Exact import, possession, movement and disposal requirements must be rechecked with the current authority before acquisition or transfer.