Pleco feeding on goldfish?

[warmouth]

The moral to my story is feed the pleco under normal conditions...don't starve them. I've had bala sharks eat fry(not theirs), does they make them get labeled as killer fish as the pleco gets labeled?

I agree that you should properly feed and take care of them......but I think many LFS's improperly label them as JUST algae eaters and completely peacefull.....and most of the facts show this is not true in many cases; Im not trying to demonize them....just to correct what I feel is some improper information. Common Plecos are great with many types of Gouramis, Cichlids, Centrarchids, topminnows etc, all fish that are aggressive or fast moving; and they are in fact good algea eaters.

 

[brich999]

my 17" pleco eats goldfish all the time. just a matter if they are dumb enough to go near his mouth

 

[warmouth]

my 17" pleco eats goldfish all the time. just a matter if they are dumb enough to go near his mouth

This is why I feel they shouldnt be sold as "peacefull" able to coexist with any fish like they are at my local petsmart.

 

[ITHURTZ]

Mine isnt aggressive at all. He swims freely for the past 7 yrs with goldfish. I just wish he was bigger than 12"

 

[Warborg]

my 17" pleco eats goldfish all the time. just a matter if they are dumb enough to go near his mouth

Right behind my killer guppy that has slaughtered a dozen 15 inch oscars

 

[Allan01230]

I keep fancy goldfish in with my breeding pair of L-114 leapord cactus plecos which are 11 and 8 inches, they completly ignore the goldies and have for 4 years they are in an 85.

 

[Allan01230]

In all my 40 years plus raising tropical fish and goldfish have I heard of a pleco eating goldfish. I guess anything is possible though. Are they the goldfish from pepperidge farm? LOL