Freshwater Fish
Phantom Pleco.
A standout spotted pleco from the fast, oxygen-rich rivers of the Orinoco. It wants clean, well-oxygenated water, driftwood to graze, and its own territory in a 55-gallon-plus tank. For the keeper ready to dial in conditions — offered as the deep-blue L128 or the green phantom.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Temperament
- Semi aggressive
- Community
- Semi community
- Adult size
- 7"
- Min tank size
- 55 gallons
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Scientific name
- Hemiancistrus spp.
Good tank mates
Semi-aggressive and territorial over its own patch, so it wants similarly-sized, not-timid tankmates rather than a peaceful nano community. Pair it with active mid-water fish that can hold their own (larger barbs, bigger tetras, peaceful cichlids) and give each pleco its own driftwood territory. Avoid other bottom-dwelling plecos crowding its space, very delicate or tiny fish, and anything that will outcompete it at feeding time.
Good to know
The blue phantom pleco (catalogued as L128) comes from the fast, oxygen-rich rapids of the Orinoco River in Venezuela.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Cardinal Tetra
Peaceful schooling species that occupies the upper and mid water column — a completely different tank zone from this bottom-hugging pleco — while sharing the same soft, warm, acidic Orinoco-basin water requirements. No predation or competition risk.
Red Spot Silver Dollar
Mid-water Orinoco characin explicitly named by Seriously Fish as a suitable companion in biotope setups matching the Blue Phantom's native habitat. Strictly herbivorous — poses no predatory threat to the pleco — and occupies a completely different water column zone.
- S
Silver Hatchetfish
Strict surface dweller that never competes for bottom territory; thrives in the same soft, acidic, warm blackwater conditions. Strong flow from powerheads can be directed along the substrate where the pleco lives, leaving the calmer surface layer the hatchetfish prefer.
- S
Striped Headstander
Reophilic South American characin from overlapping river systems, listed by Seriously Fish as a compatible mid-level tankmate. Fin-nipping is directed at long-finned species; multiple sources explicitly call out short-finned, armored catfish and loricariids as ideal headstander tankmates.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.