# Do pleco's ever go after live fish?



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

I have a pleco who is about 5 inches long. Do they ever go after smaller fish like neons while they are still alive?


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## Guest (May 12, 2006)

What kind of pleco do you have?


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## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

I believe it is just a common one, but I'm afraid I wouldn't know the difference. He's one that I got at the petstore when he was a baby for $4.


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## Sprite42 (Mar 10, 2006)

Yes, they will. Neons tend to rest on the bottom at night. They make a nice little snack for a hungry pleco.


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

They may but are more apt to suck on large flattish fish. My cousins tiger shovelnose catfishs are always tortured by his pleco.


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## garfieldnfish (Jan 18, 2005)

I don't believe common plecos go after healthy live fish. A sick or dying fish is a free for all to include plecos. But a healthy fish is not something a pleco would attack. They are algae eaters and scavengers not predators.


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## Sprite42 (Mar 10, 2006)

They will eat algae, yes. But, they also will go after meaty foods too! Mine love shrimp pellets and tubifex worms. If the neons are resting on the bottom, plecos will definitely take advantage. They do not attack other fish or prey on them. How do we really know they are just after the slime coat on other fish?


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Pleocs (common ones that is) are mainly herbivorous but will eat leftover foods of all types. Your neons are not a threat though it may become territorial towards all fish that invade its area it seeks out (typically a cave).


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## CyberSpike (Mar 25, 2006)

Walmart here keeps a pleco in every species tank. I guess its an attempt to make the tanks look cleaner for the buyers, or to try to sell the plecos off as miracle cleaners. Back to the point, I watched a pleco rip the flesh off a white skirt tetra, I guess out of starvation.


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## toadstoool (Apr 29, 2006)

If your neons don't get out of the way they may get eaten. I have a albino pleco in my ciclid tank it's about 10in and he well not tolerate any of the cichlids getting to close he headbutts them.


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## Sprite42 (Mar 10, 2006)

According to planetcatfish.com they are "omnivorius and a good algae eater".


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## Scy64 (Apr 23, 2006)

My cory cats all sit right next to my common pleco near his driftwood hideout, and there's never been a problem. I do, however, feed the cories and pleco a sinking wafer, and I've seen the pleco sit on a wafer and eat it throughout the day.
My guess is that plecos would be more likely to go after fish if they were extremely hungry, or if the food was something like a dead fish or sinking freezedried shrimp or what not.


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## MarineFish (Mar 6, 2006)

plecos if hungry enough will go after healty fish!!! i learned this the hard way i had a pleco in wiht some angel fish and every morning we would wake up to an angel fish swimming around with no eyes so one night after we turned out the lights we stayed up and watched the pleco latch onto the side of my full grown angles and eat there eyes right out of the sockets he didn't seem interested in anything else until they died this is just my expereince


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## garfieldnfish (Jan 18, 2005)

MarineFish, this is not normal behavior for a common or algae eating pleco. 
If fed right this will not happen. A lot of people think they can toss a common pleco (that can get way over 12") in a 10 gal tank and that he can find enough algae to live on. Then they call this same pleco a monster because he goes after fish. No common pleco in a large enough tank will go after any healthy fish if he is fed algae wafers, shrimp pellets and other sinking foods twice a week. Don't blame the pleco for survival instinct.


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## Alin10123 (May 22, 2005)

Smaller fish will typically get out of the way if a larger fish comes swimming nearby. My pleco usually only went after other fish if they tried to take it's food. But it woudl'nt harm them. It would only chase after than a few seconds then go back to eating it's pellets. I think if you keep it well fed, give it plenty of places to hid, then you should be fine.


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

All pecos I've had in my experience go well with most fish of a similar size. The problems happen when people put them in nicely planted community tanks that they clumsily destroy with their big lashing tails. They also give small fish a hard time at night when they are trying to sleep and they get is a slap around the face by a giant pleco. How would you loke it if a giant pleco comes into your room at night and gives a slap arounf the face when you're half awake. huh?


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## Allie72 (Dec 22, 2008)

I have had a common pleco attack my Malawi cichlids in a fight for food. He was as big as my big male 7" Hap Ahli we had had at the time. He would go after any fish who got too close to the food he was near. lol It was funny to see tho.


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## TTTT (Dec 13, 2008)

This topic is over 2 years old, please check dates before posting


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

TTTT....just because a thread is over 2 years old does not make it any less relevant.
almost like saying that ones graduation from college shouldn't be brought up because it happened a few years ago..
ya gotta cut folks a little slack ;ya know.


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## Kurtfr0 (Nov 2, 2008)

Lol, Well since this is new now, I'd like to say Theres videos of pleco's attacking other fish. Just depends I suppose.


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