my pleco is a chicken

[gobucks1]

i've had my common pleco for about 1 month, and he is about 7" long in my 55 gallon tank, and he refuses to come out and clean my front glass for me. he always hides on the back glass and in the rockwork. i've never had too much luck with plecos before, because i keep my tanks too clean, but now its pretty dirty and he isn't cleaning anything.

is there anything i can do to get him to come out and clean my glass?

i'm considering just getting an oto, but im scared that my juvie cichlids in the tank would kill it

also considering a chinese algae eater, but i've heard that they don't even eat algae

what could i use other than the pleco if he won't clean my front glass?

 

[AttackFish]

You could use your hand.

 

[gobucks1]

yeah i know, and thats what i just did, but i want something to clean the glass for me

 

[nicklepl8ed]

lol acctually mines doing the same thing he stays soley in one spot in the sand suctioned to the bottom of a clay pot i have to check him 3 times a week to make sure he didnt die hes kind of a waste of 8 in of tank space

 

[gobucks1]

what else do you have in your tank?

 

[nicklepl8ed]

2 gts salvini

 

[gobucks1]

no clue what that is

i don't really know these fish abbreviations

 

[nicklepl8ed]

2 green terrors and one salvini ( the fish in my avatar)

 

[gobucks1]

ohhh

do you think that my cichlids could be scaring my pleco into the the rockwork?

the biggest is only like 3" long

 

[plecosGTA]

Plecos are generally pretty shy. It should come out from hiding at night though. I think you might have better lucky trying 2 or 3 small common ancistrus plecos. Generally the smaller they are, the better they are at cleaning glass. That's just what I find...might not be the case with everyone.