Zebra pleco tank mates

Good matches

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The safest picks for zebra plecos are bettas, angelfish and kuhli loaches. Each match shares zebra plecos' temperature and pH and leaves them alone.

Warm-water pleco that eats meaty food, not algae.

Temperature

79–88°F

pH

6–7.5

Temperament

Peaceful

Minimum tank

30 gal

With care

40

Avoid

24

Good tank mates

• Betta79–82°F
• Angelfish79–84°F
• Kuhli loach79–86°F
• Discus82–88°F
• Guppy79–82°F
• Yoyo loach79–86°F
• Tiger barb79–81°F
• Honey gourami79–82°F
• Congo tetra79–82°F
• Clown loach79–86°F
• Pearl gourami79–82°F
• Rummy nose tetra79–84°F
• Cardinal tetra79–84°F
• Sparkling gourami79–82°F
• Blue gourami79–82°F
• Dwarf gourami79–82°F
• Severum79–84°F
• Cherry barb79–81°F
• Ember tetra79–84°F
• Lemon tetra79–82°F
• Pencilfish79–82°F
• Kissing gourami79–82°F
• Hatchetfish79–81°F
• Silver dollar79–82°F
• Black neon tetra79–81°F
• Dwarf neon rainbowfish79–82°F
• Chili rasbora79–82°F
• Electric blue acara79–82°F
• Boesemani rainbowfish79–82°F
• Elephant nose fish79–82°F
• Bristlenose pleco79–81°F
• Clown pleco79–82°F
• Mystery snail79–82°F
• Endler's livebearer79–82°F

Possible, with care

• Pea puffer Pea puffers are aggressive, though zebra plecos are big enough to shrug most of it off.
• German blue ram Both claim territory on the bottom. Give each its own cave and plenty of floor space.
• Firemouth cichlid Both claim territory on the bottom. Give each its own cave and plenty of floor space.
• Black skirt tetra They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Common pleco Both claim territory on the bottom. Give each its own cave and plenty of floor space.
• Paradise fish They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Bala shark Bala sharks grow to 13 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for zebra plecos.
• Harlequin rasbora They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Apistogramma Both claim territory on the bottom. Give each its own cave and plenty of floor space.
• Neon tetra They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• GloFish tetra They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Corydoras They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Odessa barb They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Glass catfish They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Glowlight tetra They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Blood parrot They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Serpae tetra They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Kribensis They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Bolivian ram They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Pygmy cory They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Pictus catfish They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Molly Water chemistry is a squeeze. The only pH that suits both is around 7.5.
• Bamboo shrimp Zebra plecos will eat baby shrimp and may chase adults. Dense plants or moss give bamboo shrimp somewhere to hide.
• Platy They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Celestial pearl danio They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• African dwarf frog African dwarf frogs eat slowly and nearly blind. Fast zebra plecos will take the food first, so target-feed them.
• Upside down catfish They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Otocinclus They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Zebra loach They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Electric yellow cichlid Different water: yellow labs want pH 7.8–8.6, zebra plecos want pH 6–7.5.
• Tinfoil barb They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Amano shrimp They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Rainbow shark They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Chinese algae eater They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Peacock cichlid Different water: peacock cichlids want pH 7.8–8.6, zebra plecos want pH 6–7.5.
• Red tail shark They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Swordtail They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Siamese algae eater They only share 79°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Assassin snail They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.
• Ramshorn snail They only share 79–80°F. Keep the heater set there and steady.

Avoid

• Axolotl Axolotls are coldwater animals (60–66°F); zebra plecos need 79–88°F. No temperature suits both.
• Oscar An adult oscar eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 3.5 inches zebra plecos do.
• Jack Dempsey An adult jack dempsey eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 3.5 inches zebra plecos do.
• Goldfish Goldfish are coldwater animals (60–74°F); zebra plecos need 79–88°F. No temperature suits both.
• Flowerhorn An adult flowerhorn eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 3.5 inches zebra plecos do.
• Silver arowana An adult silver arowana eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 3.5 inches zebra plecos do.
• Rosy barb No shared temperature. Rosy barbs need 64–77°F, zebra plecos need 79–88°F.
• Gold barb No shared temperature. Gold barbs need 64–75°F, zebra plecos need 79–88°F.
• White cloud minnow White cloud minnows are coldwater animals (60–72°F); zebra plecos need 79–88°F. No temperature suits both.
• Convict cichlid Convict cichlids are aggressive and will bully peaceful zebra plecos.
• Zebra danio No shared temperature. Zebra danios need 65–77°F, zebra plecos need 79–88°F.
• Black ghost knife An adult black ghost knife eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 3.5 inches zebra plecos do.
• Killifish No shared temperature. Killifish need 70–77°F, zebra plecos need 79–88°F.
• African cichlid African cichlids are aggressive and will bully peaceful zebra plecos.
• Bichir An adult bichir eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 3.5 inches zebra plecos do.
• Cherry shrimp A zebra pleco is big enough to swallow adult cherry shrimp.
• Koi Koi are coldwater animals (59–77°F); zebra plecos need 79–88°F. No temperature suits both.
• Panda cory No shared temperature. Panda corys need 68–77°F, zebra plecos need 79–88°F.
• Hillstream loach No shared temperature. Hillstream loaches need 68–75°F, zebra plecos need 79–88°F.
• Ghost shrimp A zebra pleco is big enough to swallow adult ghost shrimp.
• Fancy goldfish Fancy goldfish are coldwater animals (65–74°F); zebra plecos need 79–88°F. No temperature suits both.
• Crayfish No shared temperature. Crayfish need 65–77°F, zebra plecos need 79–88°F.
• Dojo loach No shared temperature. Zebra plecos need 79–88°F, dojo loaches need 59–77°F.
• Nerite snail No shared temperature. Nerite snails need 72–78°F, zebra plecos need 79–88°F.

Planning a mixed tank? The tank mate checker tests every pair at once. Or read the zebra pleco care sheet.