Care
The Blue Phantom Plec is an attractive suckermouth catfish species suitable for large, matures of water aquaria. In the wild, these fish live amongst rocky substrates in 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.), Hyphessobryconsp., Semaprochilodus sp. etc. Keeping more than one Blue Phantom Plec, or if keeping together with otherLoricariid species, ensure that the tank is spacious and that there is an abundance of visual barriers amongst the decor, 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 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 itsrange, the Blue Phantom L128 is displaced by the dark form of the Green PhantomPlec L200 (which, interestingly, also becomes gradually lighter the furthersouth the river travels). At present the jury is still out as to whether thesetwo fish, which are morphologically very similar, are indeed separate species 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 brine shrimp, Mysisshrimp, 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 active spawner, with the male taking on the role of guarding the eggs.
