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MY PLEC IS SUCKING MY BICHIR TO DEATH!! ...kind of. They both have the same favorite place in the tank-- in some root-shaped branches of a piece of driftwood. Poor Mr. Cuddles (my beloved bichir) does nothing but clamp up his fins (like a cringing little bullied kid!) while the monstrous poop-machine of a pleco sucks on him and attatches itself to him as he tries to swim away Is the pleco just going through "mad oto syndrome", and not getitng enough food so sucking on fish instead, or is he being agressive with my bichir? What can I do about it if it is aggression?

You probably want to seperate them if the problem keeps up. Its not uncommon for pleco's to rasp away at the sides of larger/slow moving fish. The rasping can eventually lead to damage of the bichir's protective mucus membrane.

Bichirs are one of the types of fish that Plecs should be kept together with caution. Other fish that apply include stingrays and discus, as it's a possibility that the plec sucks on these fish. You may have to separate these fish to prevent the bichir from sustaining too much damage. I'm hoping your bichir isn't feeling the bite of a Panaque...:%)

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

The pleco will eventually damage the ganoin of the bichirs scales, which will likely lead to some very serious infections.

Other fish that apply include stingrays and discus

Don't forget goldfish. Really any broad sided fish which might lay down in the substrate to sleep at night is in danger.

Empty chairs at empty tables, the room silent, forlorn.

wouldnt the fish wake up when the pleco started sucking it????

I keep 4 gouramis with my pleco, and he doesnt suck on them.

This usual isnt a problem if your pleco is getting enough to eat. I keep a 14 inch pleco with goldfish and blue gills.(which are both LARGE broad sided fish) And i have never run into this problem yet. There is even two yellow bellied cats in there now, and i dont even see them fight.

My pleco has never attached himself to a live fish - probably because it's AN OSCAR AND HE'LL GET HIS BUTT KICKED!!!

However, if a fish dies and you don't notice for a bit - the pleco will clean it up. I have have smaller fish with a pleco. I went on vacation and unfortunately one died. The pleco (fish hoover) took care of the recycling.

Good luck!!

My parents pleco ate my parents 10 inch oscar when we went on a 10 day vacation. The fishsitters forgot to feed them!


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NO WAY!!!!!!! MAN - THAT'S A HUNGRY PLECO.

Smantzer!

I had a similar problem with an oto and my guppies. My guppies just loooved the algae wafers I put in the tank for Oto, so he wouldn't end up getting any. I always figured he got a share somewhere, or he wouldn't be alive. But then he started latching on and sucking on my poor guppies who would FREAK.

(Thats the end of the relevance: The rest of the story is he went in with my betta in a gallon tank. He hates algae wafers, and he got along fine with some cories before, so I put the Oto in. Enter the Territorial Betta. I had no choice -- Nobody to give the fish to, and no tank to put him in. It was either have him suck my guppies to death or be harassed to the point of death by my betta. Had to euthanize the poor guy. And I'm quite aware two cories and a betta in a one gallon is horrible, but I knew next to nothing then. )