There seems to be a lot of confusion about what the normal prices of pleco catfish are.
After all, there is a difference in price between species, institutions (hobby vs. commercial), and the size of the fish.
So, to help you out I’ve conducted a study that lists the average prices of the 20 most common species.
How much do plecos cost?
Plecos are a diverse group of fish, and they’re very popular amongst aquarists. But what’s the average price of a pleco catfish?
Most pleco types cost around $8-$20 per juvenile fish. The cheapest plecos fall in the $5-$10 range, while some very expensive species can cost many hundreds of dollars. This price highly depends on the type, and sexually mature fish are usually more expensive.
This guide provides you with average prices for the most popular pleco types.
Prices are composed of numbers obtained via both commercial (online) stores and hobbyist marketplaces. If you want a more detailed breakdown, click on the link.
*Data obtained at time of writing, april 2023 for juvenile fish
Pleco Type | Avg. Price Range |
|---|---|
Common pleco | $3.99-$7.99 |
Bristlenose pleco | $4-$6 |
Clown pleco | $7.99-$17.99 |
Gold nugget pleco | $50-$70 |
Sunshine pleco | $125-$200 |
Snowball pleco | $40-$50 |
Sailfin pleco | $10-$15 |
Royal pleco | $30-$40 |
Rubberlip pleco | $8-$15 |
Leopard frog pleco | $50-$70 |
Peppermint pleco | $40-$60 |
Please note: prices on Aquabid and Getgills are often hobby breeders.
There is also a difference between commercial institutions such as PetSmart, LiveAquria, Aqua-Imports and USA-owned farms that mostly breed the selled fish (recommended) such as AquaHuna and Consolidated Fish Farms.
Common pleco price
As the name suggests, common plecos are one of the most readily available pleco types.
However, they’re rarely sold by hobbyists. Almost all juveniles are sold in commercial (chain) stores. Here, they are rather cheap making them an attractive choice for many.
The common pleco is bred in large quantities in fish farms, which decreases prices.
Adult fish can get huge, and many adult fish get released into ponds or given away because people can’t care for them.
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
PetSmart | $3.99-$7.99 |
Petco | $6.99 |
The biggest cost of keeping this fish is maintenance. These fish consume huge amounts of food and require a big tank, with strong filter equipment.
Zebra pleco price
Zebra plecos are one of the most iconic fish in the hobby.
Many people dream of ever keeping this fish.
However, the price is very high, so it stays a dream for most people.
Even amongst hobby breeders, prices are very high.
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
Aquabid listing 1 | $229.99 |
LiveAquaria | $299.99 |
Aquarium Fish Sale | $366.99 |
Why zebra plecos are so expensive
Zebra plecos are one of the only plecos species banned from importing.
They inhabit the warm waters of the Rio Xingu, and their habitat is threatened by dams built by the Brazilian government.
Their populations continue to decrease, so wild-caught Hypancistrus zebra specimens are illegal (and rightly so).
This is part of the reason why they’re so expensive.
The other reason is basic supply-demand. The demand for these fish is high due to their unique appearance, and there aren’t many specimens bred.
Adult females only produce 8-20 eggs per clutch, and these fish take around three years to become sexually mature.
Unlike f.e. bristlenose plecos (that spawn easily), this species needs more optimal conditions and water parameters in order to produce offspring.
Then, it takes much longer for the youngsters to grow up to a sellable size.
Conclusion: few zebra plecos are being bred in the US, and demand is very high. This causes prices to increase, as well as an import ban which further decreases the supply.
Tip: if you plan on breeding, buy a large quantity of juveniles first. This will make the price per fish cheaper (many sellers offer volume discounts), and you will have a group, which is the best for breeding.
Bristlenose pleco & variant prices
Bristlenose plecos are one of the best species of plecos for beginner keepers.
They are very easy to breed, so there is a big supply of these fish. These fish are bred in big farms, but small hobby-breeders also sell off a lot of their offspring to other fish-keepers.
In fact, if you’re lucky you might pick up a lot of babies for free as some people don’t want to spend time raising them and give them away.
Whereas many variants of bristlenose plecos were rare in the beginning stages of the hobby, there are many other prevelant variants of the bristlenose pleco (Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus). These variants are more expensive but still easy to come by.
Pleco Type | Avg. Price Stores |
|---|---|
Common (chocolate) bn pleco | $4-$6 |
Super red bn pleco | $8-$15 |
Albino bn pleco | $5-$8 |
We recomend buying at our partner, Consolidated Fish Farms. A USA-Owned Farm.
Common (chocolate) bristlenose pleco
Who doesn’t know the good old bushynose pleco, right? This is the best species for beginner catfish keepers, as they stay relatively small, are easy to keep, and are inexpensive.
The average price of a bristlenose pleco juvenile is $3-$6. Very joung specimens can be obtained much cheaper usually.
Juvenile prices:
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
Getgills listing 1 | $3.75 |
Getgills listing 2 | $5 |
Aquabid | $5.99 |
Consolidated Fish Farms | $6 |
AquaHuna | $4 |
Aqua Imports | $6.49 |
We recommend buying at our partner, Consolidated Fish Farms. A USA-Owned Farm.
Super red bristlenose pleco
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
Getgills listing 1 | $8 |
Getgills listing 2 | $6 |
Getgills listing 3 | $15 |
Getgills listing 4 | $6.67 |
Aquabid listing 1 | $15 |
Aquabid listing 2 | $7.99 |
LiveAquaria | $29.99 |
Aqua Imports | $24.99 |
Note that there is a huge price difference in hobby breeders (mostly Getgills and Aquabid) and commercial stores.
Albino bristlenose pleco
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
Getgills listing 1 | $5 |
Getgills listing 2 | $3 |
Consolidated | $8 |
AquaHuna | $5 |
Albino bristlenose plecos are very common, and can even come out of two chocolate bristlenose plecos! That’s why they’re around the same price as the common bristlenose pleco.
Longfin chocolate bristlenose pleco
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
Getgills listing 1 | $6.25 |
Aquabid listing 1 | $10 |
Starlight 'peppermint' bristlenose pleco
Not to be confused with peppermint pleco, Parancistrus nudiventris
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
Aqua Imports | $24.99 – $29.99 – $34.99 (S-M-L) |
eBay | $44.95 |
Clown pleco
The clown pleco is another beginner-friendly pleco species. It stays even smaller than the bristlenose plecos and is easy to care for.
It does need driftwood in its tank, as it’s a wood-eater.
The average price of a juvenile clown pleco (Panaqolus maccus) is $10.
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
Petsmart | $9.99 |
AquaHuna | $8 |
Aquarium Fish Sale | $13.99 |
eBay | $9.99 |
Gold nugget pleco
This algae-eating pleco gets rather large but is a stunning fish for everyone who can care for it.
The average price of a juvenlie gold nugget pleco is $50-$100.
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
LiveAquaria | $79.99 |
Aquarium Fish Sale | $65.99 |
Aqua Imports | $37.99-$44.99 (Small-Medium) |
eBay listing | $99.99 (3.5-4in) |
Sunshine pleco
The sunshine pleco is one of the most expensive pleco species.
The average cost of juvenile sunshine plecos lies between $100 and $200. Adults usually sell for over $300.
Store | Price Per Fish | Aquarium Fish Sale | $183.49 (2.5in) |
|---|---|
Aqua Imports | $99.99 (<4in) |
eBay listing | $125 (2.5in) |
Snowball 'Orinoco Angel' pleco
The snowball pleco is a fancy carnivorous pleco that is a great starting point for anyone who wants to try a rarer species.
The average price of snowball plecos is $30-$50.
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
Getgills listing 1 | $35 (wild-caught) |
Getgills listing 2 | $44.99 |
Aquabid listing 1 | $44.99 |
Consolidated Fish Farms | $25 (wild-caught) |
LiveAquaria | $49.99 |
Aqua Imports | $39.99 |
Aquatic Arts | $39.99 |
Sailfin 'L001' pleco
The sailfin pleco is a pleco that can get particularly large, making it unsuitable for beginners.
It is very beautiful though and is rather cheap.
The average juvenile of a sailfin pleco costs around $10. It is mostly imported and not often bred by hobbyists.
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
LiveAquaria | $9.99-$37.99 |
Aqua Imports | $29.99 (3-4.5in) |
AquaHuna | $5.50 |
Aquarium Fish Sale | $10.49 |
eBay | $15 |
Royal pleco
The average juvenile of a royal pleco costs between $30 and $40. The price depends on size, and adult specimens sell for much more.
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
LiveAquaria | $43.99 |
Aqua Imports | $29.99 |
Aquatic Arts | $34.99 |
Aquarium Fish Sale | $39.99 |
eBay | $53.99 |
Rubberlip / rubbernose pleco
The rubberlip pleco is an excellent beginner species. It stays relatively small, is an algae eater and is easy to care for.
The average price of a juvenile specimen of the rubberlip pleco is $8-$15.
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
PetSmart | $7.49 |
Aquarium Fish Sale | $14.49-$16.99 |
Aquarium Imports | $7.99-$9.99 |
Leopard frog pleco
The leopard frog pleco is one of the most colorful plecos, but it does come at a fairly high price.
The average price of a juvenile leopard frog pleco (1-2in) is $50-$70.
Store | Price Per Fish | eBay | $57 (Avg. out of 5-pack)(1.5in) |
|---|---|
Aquarium Imports | $69.99-$79.99-$89.99 (S-M-L) |
Aquarium Fish Sale | $142.49 (2in) |
Peppermint pleco
Not to be confused with peppermint bristlenose pleco, Ancistrus dolichopterus
The average price of a peppermint pleco is $40-$60.
Store | Price Per Fish |
|---|---|
Aquarium Imports | $39.99-$69.99 (M-L) |
Aquarium Fish Sale | $142.49 (2in) |
