Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish, with almost 700 species and new species being described each year. Loricariids are found in freshwater habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. These fish are noted for the covering of bony overlapping plates covering their bodies and a suckermouth. Members of the family Loricariidae are commonly referred to as suckermouth armoured catfishes, or plecos; a shortened form of the species name plecostomus. Most species are found in swift-flowing streams from the lowlands. They can also be found in a variety of other freshwater environments such as torrential mountain rivers, quiet brackish estuaries, black acidic waters, and even in subterranean habitats. This family has extremely variable color patterns, body shapes, and can range from 1 inch in some dwarf species to over 30 inches in larger species such as Panaque.

The suckermouth exhibited by these catfish allow them to adhere to objects in their habitats, even in fast-flowing waters. The mouth and teeth also are adapted to feed on a variety of foods such as algae, invertebrates, and detritus. Some species, notably the Panaque, are known for their ability to digest wood. Most species of Loricariids are nocturnal animals. Some species are territorial, while others, such as Otocinclus, prefer to live in groups. Air breathing is well known among many loricariids. The ability to breathe air is dependent on the risk of hypoxia faced by a species; torrent-dwelling species tend to have no ability to breathe air, while low-land, pool-dwelling species such as those of Hypostomus have a great ability to breathe air. Loricariids exhibit a wide range of reproductive strategies, including cavity spawning, attachment of eggs on the underside of rocks, and egg-carrying. Parental care is usually well-developed and the male guards the eggs and sometimes the larvae. The eggs usually will hatch between 4 and 20 days, depending on the species.

The 'Catfish/Pleco' world is a very complicated one. There are too many species with too many variations. A particular genus many have one or many L-numberings with only a slight difference in body color, patterns, origin, etc. We are not a pleco website and will not attempt to display all the plecos here, but instead, will we display the ones we can get. All of our plecos come from Brazil and Peru, some are bred in captivity and others are wild caught. To simplify things, I have grouped the plecos we sell in a couple of categories, namely, 'Dwarf + Bristlenose Pleco', 'Spotted Pleco', 'Striped Plecos', and lastly 'Whiptail Catfish and Others'. If you're looking for a particular type of pleco not on our website then give us a call, we have access to much more.