Florida Gar Fish + Pleco's issue, Please Advice !

[HungDang]

the only incident that I had with pleco and gar is my gar never touch the koi when they were smaller but he ate the pleco...

 

[screaminleeman]

I also know about the pleco I was keeping a 9" clown knife for my brother as he was moving 3 days later he was dead due to the pleco let me tell you we were both shocked by this as the knife was a beauty

I lost a Clown Knife and an Ornate Bichir a Dovi and a Jaguar Cichlid all > 16" to (two) common Pleco's (<12") suction removing part of their slime coat and making them less able to ward off infection.

The Ornate and C.K. were in a 135 with one of the common Pleco's. I attempted daily 50% W.C.'s on the other 135 to control the infection for the Dovi and Jag without success. If I had to do it all again, I would not own my two plecos. They suck!

 

[Polypterus]

Pleco's are often opportunistic slime coat feeders when not enough food is available to them. Which is often the case as most people do not understand Pleco's are not just scavengers feeding on Algea and leftovers. They need a proper diet also just like any fish. You do not provide a proper diet they find the nutrients they need. I have run some tests to induce this purposely to compare the feeding behavior to the Obligate slime feeding and scale feeding Trichomycterid catfish. It is very much the same.