Could a Ram kill a pleco?

Its possible but i dont think the ram did it. BNs are tough little fish and it would be hard for a ram to kill it. Maybe it was just one of those random deaths that are hard to figure out. As for the molly, its very possible for the ram to harrass it to death. Sorry for the losses

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I would point the finger at water parameters and not another fish... it seems you have lots of different deaths.. so I'm guessing not one fish did this or a type of fish.

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I agree it is not likely the ram (have you ever seen the ram irritated with the pleco?). And it could just be "one of those deaths." But since two fish were dead, did you check the water parameters and conditions? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and temperature.

Also, what other fish are in the tank? What is the tank size? Is there any real wood (this is essential for many pleco, including BN, as it affects their digestion)? Pleco generally have long lives, past ten years for most.

Byron.

TL1000RSquid said:

Parameter were all normal except barely detectable ammonia which ill chalk up to 2 dead fish. 40 breeder heavily planted, the only other fish besides the rams that might be able to of done it is a lone angel, never seen any interaction between him and the pleco though, rest of my stocking is flame tetras, neons, 4 mollies, 2 swordtails, 8 cories, 6 kuhli's. Tank has malaysian, mopani and petco wood that came with anubias attached. Tanks been up and stable some time been several months since i last lost anyone in that tank(which was the other pleco).

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This all seems good, and I concur on the ammonia. I would recommend tests for ammonia and pH just to see, right before the water change for a few times. What is the nitrate reading?

One other thought occurs to me, concerning the species and the GH (hardness of the water). Was this the "common" Bristlenose, or one of the wild-caught species? And what is your GH? If you dpon't have a GH test, just check the website of the municipal water people, it should say, or they can tell you. This can affect the molly too; are the remainining mollies OK in appearance and behaviours? No wobbling, or shyness, or clamped fins?

Plecos don't really "get killed", and if two went in that tank it is either bad stock or your water. Especially if a pleco went and your angel/ram(s) didn't :/ I would look for signs of distress/disease on the other fish, and hope it's not something internal that's catchy.

EDIT
How big are the plecos you are introducing to this tank and how long are you putting them in qt? Corys and rams do not bother plecos, in my experience, it would be 100% the opposite. Small plecos push around bigger fish all the time.

TL1000RSquid said:

The pleco that just went was 4" 2 year old adult, original purchase size was 2". The prior pleco I had for a few months albino about 2" when I boughtem as well, purchased several months apart was still a juvie when that one died roughly 3"ish.

The mollies are the only recent addition out of 4 weeks QT about 2 weeks ago.

You're correct the pleco generally pushed the other guys around but I had seen the male ram nip at him when he came into his 'area'.

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Rams tend to do this. My Bolivian male, now more than five years old, is always poking at certain corys who get a hold of "his" sinking food tablet/pellet but there is never any actual biting.

When all likely sources of trouble in the tank are eliminated, it comes down to the fish itself.

The molly could be something else related to water hardness though. It would help to know the GH, which you should be able to ascertain from your municipal water board, perhaps on their website. Mollies need harder water, and a pH of 7.1 would suggest it may be on the soft side. If this is so, the mollies will not last. They need that calcium and other minerals, and an acidic pH is usually trouble for them too.