# Problem With Pleco



## fishlover93 (Feb 25, 2008)

I have a marble pleco. I bought him because i thought that he would help me with my alge problem. instead he is always hiding or chasing fish. He's very clumsy and eats all the food that the other fish are suppose to get. My dad's friend has a 4' pleco that does the same thing and he says its a pain in his ass. Anyone know y they're acting like this?
Thanks for tips
Mike


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## kweenshaker (Mar 11, 2006)

what's the exact species? maybe you ended up with a meat-eating pleco


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## fishlover93 (Feb 25, 2008)

I said its called a Marble pleco I dunno the exact scientific name for it. I'll try and get a pic.


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## fishlover93 (Feb 25, 2008)

here it looks kinda like this.http://image.bizrate.com/resize?sq=160&uid=355710519&mid=121361


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## JamesG (Feb 27, 2007)

fishlover93 said:


> here it looks kinda like this.http://image.bizrate.com/resize?sq=160&uid=355710519&mid=121361


My pleco looks just like the one in this photo and I believe he was purchased as "common" pleco. Can't say as he bothers anyone at all. 
Maybe this color patter is present in multiple species given that they tend to dwell on the bottom.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

fishlover93 said:


> I said its called a Marble pleco


i think he was aware of that when he asked the species.

What you have here is not a problem- you just bought the wrong fish. Most people think all plecos eat algae. In fact, most plecos eat little or no algae.

What you wanted was some kind of ancistrus pleco, probably a bushynose, and, depending on your setup, maybe some amano shrimp and neritina sp snails


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

fishlover93 said:


> here it looks kinda like this.http://image.bizrate.com/resize?sq=160&uid=355710519&mid=121361


Ya that's a sailfin. They don't eat much algae when young and once they get biggish they eat pretty much zilch. It has a massive need for food and needs to be fed huge amounts just to itself in addition to what it picks up.

It sounds like this is the last thing you want so you better return it and do some research next time on what fish you're getting before you get it.
And don't listen to the idiots at the pet shop. I always enter fishrooms with an open hand, ready to hit the back of someone's head...

the fact that stupid stupid stupid fish stores will just open a box and label something "Peckerfish" because they don't have the common sense to actually use the proper name makes me want to firebomb them sometimes...


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

i rarely ever sell people plecos.. LOL But i didnt say that okay?

yea here's mine...

He's eating a red delious (sp) apple









Here he is in an older tank... (too skinny.. eep)









He doesnt eat algae and never really did. He loves chewing huge peices of wood into nothing, loves to eat all the time.. loves to shoulder push other fish.. lol He's quite a clown too.

He's in a 45 gallon right now and thats not evense enough to the size he needs. If i didnt love this fish so much he'd be gone or in someones pond. Rofl.

There are so many awesome plecos that stay on the small size.. I have my bushy nose and i love them!


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

Pablo said:


> What you have here is not a problem- you just bought the wrong fish. Most people think all plecos eat algae. In fact, most plecos eat little or no algae.


I agree with Pablo, you might want to return it and find a fish that will accomplish the job you had in mind.

With that said, what kind of algea problem are you having?


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## moon (Mar 11, 2006)

What you have is P. Gibbiceps commonly called sailfin pleco. They get to be quite large and should be kept with large fish. I have one in a 125g with some large SA chiclids. He keeps the tank algae free and will eat pretty much anything.
If your tank is small it's best to trade it for a BN pleco (Ancistrous type)


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## fishlover93 (Feb 25, 2008)

i did trade in my pleco hopefully this bushy nose will be better.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

I've got a sailfin in my tank...no algae the day after he/it took up residence.


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## moon (Mar 11, 2006)

Nice looking tank. Are they J.Dempseys? I too have a large piece of driftwood that just will not stay down. I now let it float in my 125. I think it is a Cedar root.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

moon said:


> Nice looking tank. Are they J.Dempseys? I too have a large piece of driftwood that just will not stay down. I now let it float in my 125. I think it is a Cedar root.


Ya that's not good...

Have you checked your pH?


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## moon (Mar 11, 2006)

The ph in my tank stays at 8.3 all the time. I've had this piece of wood in my tanks for about 15 years with no problems.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Well that'll do it


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

Thanks. Yep Jacks. Try drilling a hole in a small piece of rock or 2 and attaching it to the wood with a stainless screw. That will weigh it down.


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## fishlover93 (Feb 25, 2008)

i wish i had a tank big enough but my mom says no more tanks and i can't argue with that!! sigh   
See if my pleco was a sail fin then how come it didn't do anything and u'res does you even said that there was no algae sice???????


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Nobody said it was definitely a sail fin you didnt post pics


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

they will eat algae but dont ever rely on it..

Mine just doesnt.. Cause i feed him other things all the time.. I dont have enough light in the tank for algae ...shoulda mentioned that.. LOL


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

*sailfin/gibbicaps*

I have a Gibbicaps pleco (sailfin) just like those shown, and he doesn't bother the other fish very much. He LOVES his algae wafers but also greedily consumes any other sinking foods I stick in there. He also loves to shred the big piece of wood I stuck in there. I think that he's outgrow his tank, but by then, I hope to have a bigger one in there. He hasn't bothered the other fish yet. I think he's cute, and I love the great big "sailfin". Mine does a fabulous job of eating algae, and keeps the glass clean and even hoovers up everything on the gravel. He never stops eating. However he puts out a LOT of waste, and I find that he is the #1 load on the biofilter, plus I have to do a lot of cleanup of his waste. Regular gravel-vaccuming with that tank has to be about two or three times as often as with the other tanks that have no plecos or large fish. This idea that plecos clean your tank so you don't have to is kind of wrong. They just turn huge amounts of algae and food and wood into even huger amounts of waste. He's in a 30G tank with a ~500 GPH filter (AC110) and it seems very stable. I'll get him in a bigger tank when I have one.

W


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

Gibbicaps pleco (sailfin)

NOT THE SAME FISH


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

Oh really? Now I'm confused. Or, rather, now I know I'm confused ,whereas before I didn't know I was confused. 
W


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