# Pleco beast?



## emeraldmaster (Sep 6, 2012)

My pleco, Aquanought, is eating adult guppies WHOLE! What can I do to deter him? He gets enough algea. I put the betta in thee to eat the babies and he doesn't. Instead, the pleco eats the adults... Help?


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

What species is he? And how big?
Not all plecos eat only algae, some are carnavores

Is he a common pleco? 


> *I heard that common plecos catch and kill smaller fish or suck the slimecoat on my other fish, is this true?*
> The only way that this would ever happen imo is if the pleco was starving and desperate. They will most certainly feast on a dead fish or even a dying fish given the opportunity but this is true of most fish.


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

Common pleco eat small fish. When we had a common pleco he killed and ate all the fish in the tank with him from tetra's to our young angelfish. We then put him in a 30 gallon with young goldfish and he killed and ate them. Common pleco's also require a lot of space. We sold him eventually and he lives with big freshwater fish in a massive tank.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Only a select few species of pleco are algae eaters throughout life. Most of them eat algae when they're little, and become piscevores (fish eaters) later on in life. I had a common pleco almost take out a moor goldfish's eye once. That was before I'd heard of this.

If you want an algae eater, I'd recommend bristlenose plecos.


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## Shirleythebetta (Jan 9, 2012)

Yes, this is why my common pleco is in a tank all by his self. He was attacking my dads other fish and I had a spare tank so he came home with me. They need a lot of filtration too as they are mega poo machines. My dad was keeping him with too many other fish including other algae eaters which I think is why he was attacking the others. Commons can attack because they are territorial as adults too.


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## emeraldmaster (Sep 6, 2012)

It was labeled as a pygmy pleco. I know that he wwill eat algea, I've seen him do it on many occasions!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Pygmy pleco sounds like a petstore name, I'm not finding ANYTHING on that species. Can you get a picture of your pleco? I might be able to find out more information for you, if I could see what it looks like.

All plecos will suck on the glass. It's not always algae eating, they evolved that mouth from living in fast moving rivers, so they'll suction to the glass and just hang out. Our albino longfin bristlenose chews the driftwood, and cleans our resin root, but she'll hang out on the glass all day long.


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## emeraldmaster (Sep 6, 2012)

*Aquanaught*









stinking pic is sideways but there he is. He eats all the algea tablets that i give him, eats the algea that grows in the tank (has been moved before to clean a tank of an algea infesttion before). he was baught at walmart 15 years ago i am told (belongs to my grandmother but i take care of him). He never ate guppies before... he leaves the betta alone.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

That's a small "common" pleco. Which is one of a number of species. All of them are omnivores or carnivores. With a ton of water changes as a juvenile, that fish would've topped out around 2 feet!

P.S. that's the same species that tried to take my moor's eye!


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## emeraldmaster (Sep 6, 2012)

I just figured out that they are called dwarf plecos as well, and besides he is 15 years old. so i'm told...


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

same belly:









Either way, there's only a few species of pleco that is completely herbivorous. anything you buy at Wal-mart won't be lol

I'd look into a vegetarian species, or resign myself to losing every fish housed with the pleco. INCLUDING the betta! This fish needs to be fed tilapia, shrimp, and things like cucumber, zucchini, and nori (sushi wraps)


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## emeraldmaster (Sep 6, 2012)

okay, will do! thank you!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

this would be safer (they come in albino also, and females of both colors don't look this ugly)

















This is a longfin bristlenose girl (what we have in our guppy tank)


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

The darker ones max out at 6", the albinos are usually smaller, around 4-5"


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

I can verify 100% that is a baby common pleco you have there, they must have lied on age, people are not wholly honest on common pleco's. If people knew how big and aggressive they became then the sales on them would take a nosedive. That was what our boy looked like when he was a baby, in a few years he got close to 2 feet and had to be relocated after eating all our fish.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

their grandma bought it 15 yrs ago.

Fish put off a stunting hormone if they're too crowded. That easily could've happened here. (and yes, 1 pleco can overcrowd itself, they're VERY dirty)


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

They are, even in a 30 gallon we were cleaning the tank every other day. T.T They just can't be in a small tank, no less than 50 gallons I say.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I never understood why petstores and walmart sell common plecos - since they get so freakin huge. There are much better species that are suited for smaller tanks like clown plecos which max out at 3.5 inches, Bristlenose plecos and rubber lip plecos. Brsitlenoses are supposed to be awsome at eating the algae.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Tikibirds - ours still sells South American catfish species, Oscars, Dragon Gobies, Green Spot puffers (not huge, just brackish/Salt) and Goldfish. They only recently stopped selling Koi, Pacu, and Pictus cats. And 99% of the employees will still tell you that they only grow to their tank size.


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## emeraldmaster (Sep 6, 2012)

Yeah, my walmart stills sells koi. I know the manager of a small lfs, I'll go there to get a bristlenose pleco, the bristlenose longfin pleco if I can. I get discounts there for befriending the staff and helping out! thank you!


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

the brown longfins are just as beautiful as the albinos too. <3

When you get your small fish friendly pleco, you'll have to share pics! ^_^ I posted a thread on here with a picture of our albino longfin bristlenose girl.


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