L-128 Blue Phantom Pleco

Temperature

Since they originate from Venezuela, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that the Blue Phantom Pleco prefers for their water to be moderately warm. If the tank’s temperature remains within the 70-78 degrees Fahrenheit range, the Blue Phantom Pleco should be content and capable of remaining healthy.

Water pH

The Blue Phantom Pleco prefers water with a pH that stays within the rather neutral range of 6.0-7.0. Unfortunately, this species is very sensitive to changes in the water parameters and can become quite stressed out and, in extreme cases, also quite ill.

Blue Phantom Pleco Size

The rate your Blue Phantom Pleco grows will help determine if you are taking good care of the fish. When they are healthy, they’re likely to grow larger than if they weren’t healthy and properly cared for.

The Blue Phantom Pleco can grow to approximately 7.5 inches long, but those are usually the larger specimen. Being that they are expected to grow to an average of about 7 inches, you should note that if your fish doesn’t reach that size, it may hint that it isn’t as healthy as it should be. If your fish truly is healthy, there’s a chance that they will surpass that estimated 7 inches.

Food & Diet

The Blue Phantom Pleco is an omnivorous fish and will be perfectly content with a diet that is vegetable-based, or a diet that is meat-based, leaving bloodworms, green plants, and tiny portions of brine shrimp as options for you to use to feed your pleco. Thankfully, their lack of dietary restrictions makes it easy to feed them.

Are Blue Phantom Pleco good algae eaters?

Blue Phantom Plecos are good algae eaters. This is an important fact about them because the number of algae present in your tank will help you determine how often you feed them with supplemental food. If they have enough algae in the tank to munch on as they please, you won’t have to add supplemental food as frequently. This may also vary depending on how many algae eaters you have in the tank.

Blue Phantom Pleco Lifespan

As is the case with most living things, fish included, the care Blue Phantom Plecos receive will affect how long you can expect them to live. Provided that your caretaking ensures that the fish stays well fed on a regular basis, and the water parameters are kept within their ideal range, you can expect your fish to live longer than if the opposite was the case.

This species also has a chance to live longer than they would in the wild, in captivity. You can expect your pleco to live for anywhere between five and eight years, again, depending on the quality of the care that you provide and that they receive.

Blue Phantom Pleco Tank Size

Taking the size that these fish will grow to be into consideration, tank size does matter. Due to their size and high activity level, these fish need larger tanks. 20-gallon tanks seem to be sufficient for a Blue Phantom Pleco. Still, suppose you were looking to have multiple. In that case, it’s important to consider overcrowding and territorial behaviors and consider getting a larger tank before adding more of this species.

At the absolute minimum for an active fish of this size, there should be a designated 10 gallons per fish. However, each fish would have 25-50 gallons in a perfect world.

Blue Phantom Pleco Tank Setup

Due to their natural habitat being in a body of water that frequently experiences turbulence, the Blue Phantom Pleco enjoys it when their tank has a current. They are accustomed to environments that are comparable to a stream. They also prefer well-oxygenated water, which can be achieved by purchasing an air pump if you don’t already have one in the tank.

How to set up a tank for Blue Phantom Plecos

As with most fish, the way to ensure they are happy with their current living situation is to do your best to replicate their habitat in the wild. In this case, it’s important to know what the fish needs and prefers in order to be happy.

The Blue Phantom Pleco is quite active and needs a decent amount of space in the tank that it will be able to navigate as they swim around. They are also huge fans of decorations in the tank because they will be provided places to hide when they choose to keep to themselves.

Plecos, in general, prefer a smooth substrate in their habitat, such as fine sand, as there is less of a chance of them getting hurt or being uncomfortable, and the Blue Phantom Pleco is no different. If you were to use a rough and potentially sharp substrate in the tank, there’s a chance that the pleco will hurt itself during its search for food.

These plecos do not need a lot of wood in their tank and would be content with a discreet presence of driftwood and twigs. While some may think that placing more wood in the tank would be good for these fish to hide behind or under, there is also the option to use the tank’s vertical space.

Being that these fish are scavengers, it could be problematic if most of the bottom of the tank is full of obstacles that keep the plecos from being as active as they’d like or searching for food. Having taller rocks and caves available as hiding places for the pleco will be beneficial because the real estate on the bottom of the tank won’t be taken up as much.

Plants might be a good addition to the tank as it would make the Pleco feel more at home, but any aquarist should be made aware that there’s a chance that this species will uproot plants and occasionally snack on them. If you can look beyond plants getting some damage, the odds are that you will have a happy fish. Having green plants, they can munch on whenever they please similar to monitoring your tank’s algae population. If there is a significant food source in the tank, you won’t have to feed your Pleco as often.