Royal Red Eye Pleco (Panaque schaeferi)

Royal Red Eye Pleco (Panaque schaeferi)

The Royal Red Eye Pleco (Panaque schaeferi) is a magnificent and highly sought-after pleco, admired for its striking body pattern, vibrant red eyes, and impressive adult size. Native to the Orinoco River basin in South America, this spectacular species is an outstanding centrepiece for large freshwater aquariums.

With its bold markings, powerful body, and unique appearance, the Royal Red Eye Pleco quickly becomes the focal point of any aquarium. Like other members of the Panaque genus, it is a specialised wood-grazing species that requires driftwood as an essential part of its diet and enjoys aquariums with plenty of caves, wood, and shaded hiding places.

Although generally peaceful, mature specimens can become territorial towards other plecos and bottom-dwelling fish. They are best kept with medium to large community fish and peaceful cichlids in spacious, well-filtered aquariums.

Feeding

Royal Red Eye Plecos are herbivorous wood grazers and require constant access to natural driftwood, which plays an important role in their digestion.

Supplement their diet with quality herbivore pellets, algae wafers, and a variety of fresh vegetables including zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin, green beans, capsicum, and peas. They will also graze on biofilm and naturally occurring algae within the aquarium.

As with other Panaque species, they produce a considerable amount of waste, making powerful filtration and regular water changes essential.

Why We Like This Fish

• Striking red eyes and bold striped pattern
• Impressive centrepiece for large aquariums
• Unique wood-grazing behaviour
• Hardy and long-lived with proper care
• Peaceful with most similarly sized fish

Recommended Tank Parameters

• Temperature: 24–30°C
• pH: 6.0–7.5
• GH: 2–15 dGH
• Minimum Aquarium Size: 600 litres
• Preferred Setup: Strong filtration, excellent water movement, abundant driftwood, caves, and open swimming space

Care Information

• Diet: Herbivore/Xylivore – requires driftwood as part of its diet, supplemented with herbivore pellets, algae wafers, fresh vegetables, and biofilm.
• Temperament: Peaceful to semi-aggressive, particularly towards other plecos.
• Social Behaviour: Best kept singly or with other large bottom-dwellers only in very spacious aquariums.
• Origin: Orinoco River Basin, Colombia and Venezuela.
• Maximum Size: Approximately 45–50 cm.
• Tank Level: Bottom.

Compatibility: Suitable with larger tetras, silver dollars, Severums, Geophagus, peaceful cichlids, bichirs, stingrays, and other robust community fish. Avoid housing multiple large Panaque species together unless the aquarium provides ample space and well-defined territories.

Please note: Sample photos are for reference only. Colour, pattern, and size may vary slightly as each fish is unique.