# 2 new plecos.



## escape artist (Jan 1, 2008)

i was wondering.
are plecos aggressive i heard that they get very territorial during night time.


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

As in common plecos?
I personally have only kept one- since I don't like them to begin with.
It was about a foot long, and it somewhat had a temper. More so, pushing fish away from food, and going along and sucking the skin slime off of other fish, etc. That's just my take on it though.


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2008)

Some of them are territorial with food for one thing. Also, keeping them in tanks that are too small could increase their territorial behavior.


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## lochness (Jan 10, 2006)

they are definitely territorial - keeping several pieces of malasyian wood and hiding places with a good proximity between each is a good idea if you are going to keep more than one and yes, at nighttime they are very active and forage for food so dropping spirulina discs at various points in the tank is a good idea - as well as a couples of zucchini or cucumbers (weighted down with a heavy spoon speared thru them and placed at opp sides of the tank) helps to keep the peace also - they also require more frequent water changes since not only do you need to be sure they are eating plenty, but they also produce a great deal of ammonia and wastes (vaccuuming the gravel is a must with plecos) and a tank's conditions can deteriorate at a much faster rate with them. They have been known to prefer the slime off of broader bodied fish but it has also been found that they will resort to this if not given a varied enough diet or enough food. Once they do this however, it is very difficult to break them of this habit. 

btw the malaysian wood is not only for dwelling and looks, but plecos require a certain amount of wood in their diet which aids them in digestion (they scrape it) - mopani wood is less preferred. Also, most species require meat in their diet (some less than others but should still be a part of their overall foods) - a well known pleco that requires more meat is the zebra pleco.


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

My pleco goes nuts when the lights off.


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