# Please Help My Pleco Algea Eater



## chicmunk86 (Oct 13, 2005)

Hi
recently my foot long algea eater has started going to the top of the tank and beating on it. i have had him for 3 year and he has never done this before.

i add 6 minons from the pond a month ago (one died) but other then that i have not changed anything about the tank.

please help me.


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## chicmunk86 (Oct 13, 2005)

he is a pterygoplichthys pardalis algea eater.


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

How big of a tank is it? Water parameters, etc..


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## chicmunk86 (Oct 13, 2005)

the tank is a 29.( can't get a lager one just yet)
he has lived in this tank for almost a year with an angelfish the size of my hand.


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## betta (Jan 20, 2005)

I have had the larger pleco's go to the top of tank at feeding time and eat flake food from surface of water and they do crash to the top of tank if more than one and they get to playing I have 2 in one tank that are probably 8-9 inches maybe more getting pretty big for a 50 gallon anyway.....have had them up to a foot to foot and a half long before.....once they get that big are pretty rough on my live plants so usually swap them with pet shop for younger ones.......


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## heatherhoge (Nov 13, 2005)

plecos will come to the serface very fast for oxygen. They come up fast to avoid preditors in the wild. Mine will do this as well as eat food off the serface. Check the oxygen level to make sure there is enough and make sure other fish are not rapidly breathing. Air hoses tend to get cloged and easy to over look. I have plenty of oxygen in my tanks but the plecos still do it sometimes when they get big this is just something they wont stop no matter how big the tank its natural to them.


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