Description
Hypostomus hemicochliodon is an elongated pleco, dark brown and dotted with closely spaced spots, that reaches about 36 cm. It lives in the Amazon, in Peru, Ecuador and Brazil, and in the upper reaches of the Negro and the Orinoco. It belongs to the group of spoon-toothed Hypostomus, those that specialise in gnawing wood; its own teeth are only half that shape.
It is a fish for a large tank with logs and caves. It grows a lot and, like almost all plecos of its size, it makes a mess: it needs a generous filter.
Behavior
Like other Hypostomus, it can be expected to be peaceful with other fish and to defend its cave against other plecos. It needs logs and roomy caves, and filtration that can cope with a fish of its size.
It lives well with robust medium or large fish that do not occupy the bottom, such as calm South American cichlids.
Avoid housing it with other territorial plecos and with slow, long-finned fish, which may end up nibbled.
Habitat
Hypostomus hemicochliodon lives in the Amazon River, in Peru, Ecuador and Brazil, and in the upper Negro and the upper Orinoco, in Venezuela. Its specific environment has not been described.
Details
🌊 Water parameters
🐠 Minimum tank size
Breeding
There are no data on its breeding in the aquarium. Hypostomus usually spawn in caves and the male guards the eggs, but that is not documented in this species.
Diet
A plant-leaning omnivore that gnaws wood and scrapes the surface of logs and stones.
- Staple: sinking pleco tablets, and vegetables such as courgette or cucumber.
- Supplement: submerged wood to gnaw and some protein, such as frozen shrimp or mosquito larvae.
What about your tank?
Enter your tank's values to see only the compatible species that fit them. Litres apply to fish.
Compatible fish
General guidance based on water parameters, behaviour and known exceptions; always review the individual animals' and aquarium's specific needs.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 26–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 25–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–25 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 27–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 25–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 26–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 24–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 24–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–6.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.2 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.2 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.2 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.2 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.2 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 26–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 25–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–6.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
Compatible invertebrates
General guidance based on water parameters, behaviour and known exceptions; always review the individual animals' and aquarium's specific needs.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–6.5 and 24 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–25 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 24–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 26–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–6.8 and 24 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6–6.8 and 24 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 27–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 27–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–6.5 and 24 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
Sources
- FishBaseFroese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2026. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication.
There is no source for this species' water: none of the accepted sources records its pH, temperature or hardness, and the profile's ranges are estimated from its congeners or species of the same genus.
Water: the ranges (pH 6-7.5, 5-15 dGH and 24-28 °C) are estimated from those of Ancistrus cirrhosus and A. dolichopterus, Amazonian loricariids in the catalogue: Hypostomus has no congeners in it. Size: 36.2 cm TL and 510 g as a maximum. Teeth: according to FishBase's etymology, they are about half as spoon-shaped as those of the wood-specialised members of the H. cochliodon group. Distribution: the Amazon in Peru, Ecuador and Brazil, and the upper Negro and upper Orinoco in Venezuela. Diet and breeding: FishBase does not record them; what the text says is general knowledge of Hypostomus, not of the species.
Litres per fish, tank sizes and lifespan: the profile's own judgement. The sources consulted do not give them.
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