Care
The Blue Phantom Plec is an attractive suckermouth catfish species suitable for large, mature
softwater aquaria. In the wild, these fish live amongst rocky substrates in
fast flowing rivers and therefore require decent current and a good level of
oxygenation within the aquarium. Provide plenty of rockwork and create numerous
shady caves for the fish to hide amongst. Try to ensure that the strongest
areas of current flow through these hiding places. Bogwood is not strictly
necessary, although it may make the tank look more aesthetically pleasing. A
powerful filtration system is recommended as these fish, like other Loricariids,
produce a lot of waste. Tankmates for the mid level of the tank could include
some of the medium sized characins e.g. silver dollars (
Metynnis sp.),
Hyphessobrycon
sp.,
Semaprochilodus sp. etc. If
keeping more than one Blue Phantom Plec, or if keeping together with other
Loricariid species, ensure that the tank is spacious and that there is an
abundance of visual barriers amongst the décor, as these fish can be
territorial. Ensure that the fish have been rested after import and that they
are feeding well before purchase, as they can be sometimes be a little
sensitive to the shipping process. The body colour and size/distribution of the spots can vary depending on collection location; the darker forms
have been collected from the northern part of the river, with the fish becoming
progressively lighter as the river wends its way south. At the bottom of its
range, the Blue Phantom L128 is displaced by the dark form of the Green Phantom
Plec L200 (which, interestingly, also becomes gradually lighter the further
south the river travels). At present the jury is still out as to whether these
two fish, which are morphologically very similar, are indeed separate species
or in fact regional colour variations of the same species.
Feeding
Omnivorous. Offer a variety of
foodstuffs including sinking catfish pellets/granules/tablets/algae wafers and
frozen foods such as mosquito larvae, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, Mysis
shrimp, chopped krill etc as well as vegetable matter such as cucumber,
courgette, blanched spinach, kale, etc.
Breeding
Captive breeding reports are
few and far between. However, given the natural habitat, it is likely to be a
cave spawner, with the male taking on the role of guarding the eggs.
