Galaxy / Vampire Pleco Care Guide
Basic care guide to keep L240 Leoporacanthicus cf. galaxias
Similar Care Guide (no narration)
L240 Eating Shrimp
L240 Extra Footage
Rare Plecos Eating
Plecos Eating Zucchini
Rough notes below
Please Like & Subscribe!
Leporacanthicus cf. Galaxias L240
*also known as Galaxy or Vampire pleco
*Origin: Rio Orinoco, Venezuela, Amazon, Colombia
*black body with white spots, edges of fins are spotless
*grow to about 9-12 inches
*can live for over 15 years
*have tiny teeth, hence the name “Vampire Pleco
*carnivorous pleco, needs a high protein diet
*little aggressive but can be kept with fast moving fish
*pretty hardy fish, moderate difficulty to keep
*light sensitive fish, therefore, may hide a lot
*nocturnal
*when there is food around, they become very active looking for it
*similar to the L241, L007 Pleco and a few more, they share the same colour and pattern as well
*can become aggressive and territorial with males of the same species or genus
*mine have become extremely aggressive after 2 years
*in nature, they live in rapids and fast flowing streams
*the aquarium should have high flow, high current, high oxygen concentration
*this can be achieved through power head pumps and air stones, just using a filter might not be enough
*tank parameters: temperature 78-82F (25.5-27.8C), pH 6.0 – 8.0, KH 8-12, Minimum tank size 75 gallons, high flow, high oxygen
*aquarium should have a lot of driftwood, stones and caves
*L240 plecos are carnivores and need protein rich foods
*have teeth that can open cracks in stones, wood, snail shells and mussels
*some great food choices are frozen bloodworms, prawns, shrimp, tablet food, shelled crustaceans, fish meat and mussels
*my go-to is usually frozen shrimp from the grocery store (tail off, out of shell)
*not a true vegetarian, but love munching on cucumber or zucchini
*scrapes/grazes on wood as well, but not part of their main diet like other plecos (aids in digestion)
*gender differences, males have a broader head, females is pointy, female bellies are rounder due to eggs, males have longer odontodes on snout and gills, sides if the tail are more spikey with males,
*breeding is difficult, they are cave spawners
*caves need to be provided or created for spawning to take place
*keep at least 1:1 female to male ratio or a few more females if possible
*males can get very aggressive with one another, so they need a lot of space to hide
*simulate the dry/wet seasonal periods with several water changes
*few degrees Fahrenheit cooler, but not much!
*usually around 50-150 eggs per spawn
*eggs are quite large, 5-6mm, orange in colour
*eggs are very sensitive to water conditions
*males will guard the eggs until they hatch, sometimes longer
*acidic pH, good water quality is recommended for optimal fry survival rates
*fry will absorb the yolk sac within 12 days
*recommended to feed fry baby brine shrimp, crushed pellets, artemia, mysis
*even having a sponge filter in the tank, fry will graze on it
Please Like & Subscribe!
Instagram: Mikefish316
TikTok: Mikefish316
Facebook: Mikefish
Twitter: xxmike316xx
Reddit: Mikefish316
Gaming channel:
#aquarium #fish #aquascape
Original Source Link
