Someone is sucking the slimecoat off my polys!

[Andri Pogo]

I have read here that some catfish (bottom dwellers) do not go well with polys because of their 'slimecoatsucking' habits...
I dont rembember which cats do that but i have been seeing spots on my Senegals because of this. The problem is that i added 3 fish to the tank the day before i noticed this.
They are 2x 4-5" Synodontis and one 5" Ancistrus / Bristlenose.

Is is possible to say which type is the guilty one as i guess i have to get rid of him/them

 

[is300zx]

Most of the time it's the pleco that ends up sucking the slime coat but I've also experienced the same thing with a syno eupterus. So for me I would get rid of both.

 

[andyourblueblood]

my mustard pleco used to suck off my polys.....slime coat that is. it can really do some damage. i suspect the pleco.

 

[jloos1988]

how can u tell that the slime coat is gone?

 

[beblondie]

areas without slimcoat are dull and on some species can appear almostgrey or white-Anne

 

[ewurm]

Has to be the plec.

 

[Delhezi222]

It would probably be the pleco. I'd take it out.

 

[killerfish]

its the bristle nose they are pretty we'll know for likeing the taste of bichirs and catfish to both my lima shovelnose catfish and my senegal got sucked on by my pleco thats why it needs to go

 

[duke33]

My plecos have been seen doing it.(TSN )I don't have a big enough tank for them so I poke them with a stick!. lol

 

[davo]

Yeah, plecos do it often, not usually bristlenose observed doing it, but then it's not a specie-specific trait. As mentioned could be the syno though. It can but not necessarily be from not giving the correct diet to the animal that is doing it.