is it okay for plecos to chew on silicone?

[azmtns]

I have had royal pleco's destroy the silicone on a tank and it started leaking. Would watch for damage and act accordingly. We have an old timer in our club that swears all pleco's will eventually eat silicone.

 

[PGJE]

I have had royal pleco's destroy the silicone on a tank and it started leaking. Would watch for damage and act accordingly. We have an old timer in our club that swears all pleco's will eventually eat silicone.

How would I "act Accordingly"???

 

[RD.]

All plecos don't eat silicone, I'm old too. lol

 

[Warborg]

We have an old timer in our club that swears all pleco's will eventually eat silicone.

Not true, I've been keeping plecos since 1990, and have never seen one 'target' the silicone nor have ever had a leaking tank.

 

[krichardson]

Not true, I've been keeping plecos since 1990, and have never seen one 'target' the silicone nor have ever had a leaking tank.

You just haven't kept the right....or wrong pleco lol.

 

[MrsE88]

I can’t say I’ve seen mine munching on silicon before. Even as a baby it prefers wood, rocks or the glass when it’s not eating food I’ve given it.

Do you have any wood in the tank? If not, maybe that would make a good distraction for it.

 

[Allan01230]

yes as was said keep some type of bogwood for aquariums with any plecos I

 

[Allan01230]

I keep a large l24 which is a carnivore and 2 bristlenose in my 80 gallon the 24 will hang out by the wood as will the smaller bristlenose In 50 years of keeping plecos never had them touch the silocone as some type of wood was always present

 

[Warborg]

You just haven't kept the right....or wrong pleco lol.

The comment was all plecos will eat silicone. I was stating it's most likely only a few.

 

[krichardson]

The comment was all plecos will eat silicone. I was stating it's most likely only a few.

......and I was only making a joke lol.