Pleco sucking on fish

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

BHA

Candiru
MFK Member
Aug 27, 2009
118
0
46
Michigan
Do your plecos every suck on your fish? Is that normal or does this mean there is something wrong in my tank.
 
I have heard of this before. If you have a slow moving fish your pleco can keep up with they will attach to them. This can be dangerous because your pleco can actually make sores on your other fish from doing this. Leaving to window for illness wide open. Maybe your pleco isnt getting enough from your tank? Do you feed your pleco at all or just rely on him to eat off the tank?
 
This does make sense... I don't feed him and it is a decently new tank... Not enough algae for him to feed on?
 
Normal, but not too cool. Your Pleco will suck the slime coat off of his victim, and as said above leave the fish vulnerable to illness. I feed my Pleco algae wafers, and some times he gets cucumbers. You can tie the cucumber slice to a rock, and it will sink to the bottom. I feed mine at night when the others are less active. Giving him proper diet should curb his hunger for slime coats.
 
My one friends pleco actually sucked the slime off his Bichir, and eventually killed him:(
 
I don't know how this gets passed around... plecos are fish that need to be fed just like any other fish. Anytime they are NOT fed they will seek their own source which is other fish.
 
Warborg;4203379; said:
I don't know how this gets passed around... plecos are fish that need to be fed just like any other fish. Anytime they are NOT fed they will seek their own source which is other fish.

Quite a few ppl make that mistake. Just blanch the cucumbers or stick a fork in them.
 
MonsterFishKeepers.com