Pinstriped Butterfly Pleco Hillstream Loach 4-5cm


Price:
Sale price£10.95
Stock:
10 IN STOCK
Nationwide Livestock Delivery
From £24 • Thursday, Friday & Saturday
£50 Min Order • Arrive Alive Guarantee

Click & Collect Available

Usually ready in 1 hour for in-stock items. We'll contact you when Available to Order items are ready to collect.

Description

Pinstriped Butterfly Plec

Beaufortia kweichowensis

The Pinstriped Butterfly Plec is a fascinating hillstream species with a flattened body, broad fins and attractive fine striped markings. Despite commonly being sold as a “plec”, this fish is actually a hillstream loach, specially adapted for life in fast-flowing, highly oxygenated streams.

Their unusual body shape allows them to cling tightly to rocks, wood and aquarium glass while grazing across surfaces. They are particularly impressive in mature aquariums with strong water movement and plenty of natural algae and biofilm.

Care Information

  • Adult Size: Around 6–8 cm

  • Temperature: 18–24°C

  • pH: 6.5–8.0

  • Tank Size: Minimum 75 litres

  • Diet: Omnivorous/grazer – naturally feeds heavily on algae and biofilm; supplement with quality sinking foods, algae wafers, spirulina-based foods and occasional small frozen foods

  • Temperament: Peaceful and active

  • Grouping: Can be kept individually but particularly interesting when maintained in small groups where adequate space and food are available

  • Compatibility: Best alongside peaceful species that appreciate cooler, highly oxygenated and flowing water

  • Tank Setup: Strong filtration and water movement with excellent oxygenation. Provide smooth rocks, pebbles, driftwood and plenty of established surfaces for algae and biofilm to develop

Why Choose Pinstriped Butterfly Plecs?

  • Fantastic markings: Attractive pinstriped patterning gives them a distinctive appearance.

  • Unusual body shape: Their flattened profile and broad fins make them completely different from typical aquarium fish.

  • Fascinating behaviour: Often seen clinging to rocks and glass while grazing across surfaces.

  • Natural grazer: Feeds on algae and biofilm as part of a varied diet.

  • Peaceful species: Excellent for appropriately stocked hillstream and cooler community aquariums.

  • Perfect for river-style aquariums: Particularly impressive in setups featuring strong flow, rocks and highly oxygenated water.

The Pinstriped Butterfly Plec is an excellent choice for aquarists wanting something unusual, peaceful and fascinating to watch. Their distinctive shape, attractive markings and specialised grazing behaviour make them a standout addition to a well-established, highly oxygenated aquarium.

Whether you’re collecting from our store, ordering dry goods, arranging local delivery or having livestock delivered nationwide, we’ve made it simple to choose the right option.


Click & Collect

FREE COLLECTION FROM OUR STORE

Place your order online and select Click & Collect at checkout.

Livestock will normally be bagged when you arrive, helping to minimise the amount of time animals spend packaged. If you’d prefer your livestock to be ready beforehand, simply contact us in advance.


Local Delivery

DELIVERED BY TROPICAL SUPPLIES • WITHIN 25 MILES

Order from our in-store range and have it delivered directly to you using our own local delivery service.

Minimum order: £50

Local Delivery Charges:
Up to 5 miles — FREE
5–10 miles — £10
10–15 miles — £15
15–20 miles — £20
20–25 miles — £25

Distances are measured “as the crow flies” rather than by road.

Once your order has been placed, we’ll contact you to arrange a suitable delivery date and time. We often combine nearby orders into efficient delivery runs, so local delivery may take a little longer during busy periods.

Ordering a large aquarium?
Please make sure someone is available to help unload the aquarium from our van when we arrive.


Dry Goods Delivery

FREE UK Delivery Over £75

Spend £75 or more on eligible dry goods and receive FREE UK delivery on orders weighing up to 20kg.

A great opportunity to stock up on food, treatments, filter media, accessories and other aquarium or reptile essentials while saving on delivery.

Free delivery applies to eligible orders up to 20kg and excludes livestock, aquariums, terrariums and other oversized items.

Qualifying orders will automatically show the FREE UK Delivery option at checkout — no discount code required.

Standard Parcel Delivery

Our standard parcel delivery charges are calculated according to the weight of your order and the available delivery service.

Orders placed before 12 noon may be dispatched the same day on our current dispatch days.

Express Pallet

75–500kg • Usually 1–3 working days

Designed for large and heavy orders that cannot be sent using our standard parcel service.

Please note: We currently dispatch parcels Wednesday to Friday.

Adding Something to an Existing Order?

If your original order hasn’t been dispatched yet, simply place the additional items as a Click & Collect order and leave us a note asking us to combine them with your existing order.


Available to Order

See something you want that we don’t currently have on the shelf? Many of our products can be quickly sourced from our suppliers.

Products marked Available to Order are not currently held in stock at our store but are available for us to order on your behalf.

Most items arrive with us within a few days and usually no longer than a week, depending on supplier availability.

Once your item arrives with us, we’ll either dispatch your order or let you know it’s ready for collection, depending on the delivery option you selected.

After receiving your order, we’ll check availability with our supplier. If there are any issues or expected delays, we’ll contact you to let you know.


Nationwide Livestock Delivery

Have your new livestock delivered safely to your door using our specialist livestock delivery service.

Minimum livestock order: £50

Thursday Delivery — £24

Order by: Wednesday, 12 noon
Dispatched: Wednesday afternoon
Delivered: Thursday before 1pm

Friday Delivery — £24

Order by: Thursday, 12 noon
Dispatched: Thursday afternoon
Delivered: Friday before 1pm

Saturday Delivery — £29

Order by: Friday, 12 noon
Dispatched: Friday afternoon
Delivered: Saturday before 1pm

Livestock Delivery Exclusions

Unfortunately, our specialist livestock courier is currently unable to deliver livestock to the following postcode areas:

AB30–AB56 • DD8–DD10 • DG3–DG14 • FK17–FK21 • KA18–KA19 • KA26–KA30 • PA20–PA38 • PA80 • PH3–PH18 • PH20–PH40 • TR21–TR25

All BT, HS, IM, IV, JE and KW postcodes are also excluded.

If you’re unsure whether we can deliver livestock to your address, please contact us before placing your order and we’ll be happy to check for you.

Add Dry Goods to Your Livestock Order

You can include suitable dry goods with your livestock delivery, making it easy to add food, treatments, filter media, accessories and other supplies at the same time.

Please note: Livestock deliveries cannot include frozen food or heavy items such as gravel, sand or other unsuitable bulky goods. These items must be ordered separately using an appropriate delivery method.

Already Placed Your Order?

No problem. If your livestock order hasn’t been dispatched yet, place another order using Click & Collect and leave us a note asking us to combine it with your existing order.



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