Is my pleco unhappy without a decents spot to hide?

[fish_chick]

I have a pleco (about 5-6 inches) who lives in a 125 gallon tank right now, with a few giant danios. The decor is sparse, no substrate (which I'm glad I did given the amount of pooping he does) just some fake plants for now and a small tupperware container with a hole in the side for him to hide in, and a piece of driftwood.

So the deal is, before I had the 125 up and running, he was temporarily in my 75 with some african cichlids and syndontis catfish. He was always hiding in there, though I think he was being picked on by the catfish. Now that he's in the big tank he never hides at all. Should he be hiding? Someone told me he "needs" a better hide, that he's not using the tupperware dish because he doesn't "like" it. I take her advice with a grain of salt b/c she gave me the pleco, after keeping him in a 10 gallon for 2 years.

But it does bring up a point. Is he stressed without a proper hide, or is he out all the time b/c he doesn't feel threatened? I don't really want to get him something more expensive for a hide since I'm hoping he'll start growing, and I'd hate for him to outgrow it. But of course if it is bad for him to not have a real hide, I'll get him something. If so, what do you recommend? He does sometimes "hide" amongst the fake plants.

Here's a pic of the tank and him..

 

[McPhish]

I have a pleco (about 5-6 inches) who lives in a 125 gallon tank right now, with a few giant danios. The decor is sparse, no substrate (which I'm glad I did given the amount of pooping he does) just some fake plants for now and a small tupperware container with a hole in the side for him to hide in, and a piece of driftwood.

So the deal is, before I had the 125 up and running, he was temporarily in my 75 with some african cichlids and syndontis catfish. He was always hiding in there, though I think he was being picked on by the catfish. Now that he's in the big tank he never hides at all. Should he be hiding? Someone told me he "needs" a better hide, that he's not using the tupperware dish because he doesn't "like" it. I take her advice with a grain of salt b/c she gave me the pleco, after keeping him in a 10 gallon for 2 years.

But it does bring up a point. Is he stressed without a proper hide, or is he out all the time b/c he doesn't feel threatened? I don't really want to get him something more expensive for a hide since I'm hoping he'll start growing, and I'd hate for him to outgrow it. But of course if it is bad for him to not have a real hide, I'll get him something. If so, what do you recommend? He does sometimes "hide" amongst the fake plants.

Here's a pic of the tank and him..
View attachment 1016037View attachment 1016038

Does the pleco need hiding spot? As long as the pleco doesn't seem stress and is eating healthy, you're fine. I have 4 plecos in with TONs of driftwood and hiding spots, they never hide due to the fact that with more hiding spots they feel comfortable and safe. My guys actually come out in the wide open and eat the pellets in front of me. Cheap hiding spot are clay pots from Home Depot/Lowes. Unless the pleco is hiding in the corner or whatnot, you're fine. Would it help to get a new hiding spot for him, probably yes but its up to you. More hiding spots= more active pleco since they feel safer.

 

[Linus_Cello]

Yes, get him a cheap clay pot or piece of pvc pipe if it wants to hide.

 

[Warborg]

You have a Pterygoplichthys pardalis( 1 of 3 different kinds of commons). They tend to be one of the most active(less hiding plecos out there). However they, like all plecos, do prefer to have a 'safe zone'/ hiding spot to retreat to when stressed..

I agree with others...get a cheap clay flower pot or pvc pipe just to calm any of his fears.

 

[fish_chick]

Warborg, I'm curious, how can you tell what kind he is? And I will get a couple more hides for him..thanks for the advice!

 

[Warborg]

Pterygoplichthys pardalis and Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus look very much alike. The way to tell them apart is the markings on the belly. A Pterygoplichthys pardalis has a roundish type pattern whereas Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus has a wavy like pattern(you can see in the link I gave.)

http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=703

There are two other hints but they are not for sure signs. A P. disjunctivus tends to be lighter in color and thinner then a P. pardalis. But I have had some dark P. disjunctivus.

The 3rd common is a Hypostomus Plecostomus (the true common). It's usually a greenish gray to brown color and will sometimes have spots or stripes on it. These don't get as big as the other two.