Green Phantom Pleco L200 care guide
Green Phantom Pleco L200 (Hemiancistrus subviridis) — minimum tank 200 L, temperature 24-28 °C, pH 6-7.5.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
The Green Phantom Pleco (Hemiancistrus subviridis), known in the L-number system as L200, is a medium-sized loricariid from the Orinoco basin in Venezuela. The body is olive-green to yellow-green with paler spotting.
Taxonomy
- Family: Loricariidae
- Genus: Hemiancistrus
- Scientific name: Hemiancistrus subviridis
- Common synonyms: L200, Hemiancistrus subviridis
Habitat
Native to fast, oxygen-rich main channels of the upper Orinoco and tributaries in Venezuela, in habitats with rocky substrates and submerged wood.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 200 L (52.8 US gal)
- Adult size: 15-18 cm
- Temperature: 24-28 °C (75-82 °F)
- pH: 6-7.5
- GH: 2-12 °dGH
- Water flow: strong
- Lifespan: 8-12 years
Diet
An omnivore with a strong herbivorous component. Offer sinking algae wafers, blanched vegetables and occasional protein-rich foods (frozen bloodworms, shrimp).
Compatibility
A semi-aggressive territorial species. Keep one specimen per aquarium unless the tank is very large with multiple caves and visual barriers; conspecifics will fight. Compatible with active mid-water species that can tolerate strong flow.
Breeding
Cave-spawner. Captive breeding has been achieved by specialised hobbyists using cool, well-oxygenated water and narrow caves; the male guards the brood.
Green Phantom Pleco (L200) Breeding Guide
Overview
The green phantom pleco (Hemiancistrus subviridis, L200) is a loricariid catfish reaching about 15 cm, native to the Orinoco and Casiquiare drainages of Venezuela, where it lives in flowing water among granitic rocks. It is one of two species sharing the L-200 label, the other being Baryancistrus demantoides. Confirmed aquarium breeding is rarely reported, so breeding should be approached as challenging and not guaranteed.
Sexing
Detailed sexing characters are not well documented in the sources reviewed. In a documented spawning, the female was identified by being visibly ripe with eggs and becoming noticeably slimmer after spawning.
Breeding Setup
The species is found in flowing water among granitic rocks in the Orinoco and Casiquiare drainages, so a breeding attempt should reproduce strong flow and high oxygenation. Provide several enclosed cave-like spawning sites so a male can claim and defend one against rivals. Soft, warm water in line with the species' general range is appropriate, kept under very stable, clean conditions; this is a territorial bottom-dweller, so spacing the caves apart reduces conflict.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
In a documented account from imported fish around 8-10 cm, the male selected one of the available caves and chased other fish away from it, behaviour consistent with a male cave-spawner that guards the eggs. The pair spawned several times, judged from the female repeatedly becoming slim afterwards, although the spawning act itself was not directly observed. In comparable cave-spawning loricariids the male typically remains in the cave to fan and guard the developing eggs.
Common Challenges
Because reliable breeding protocols are not well established for this species, success is uncertain. The main practical hurdles are recreating the strong-current, highly oxygenated conditions of its native rivers and providing defensible caves; without these, spawning is unlikely.