algae eating fish - can they attack???

LMOUTHBASS

LMOUTHBASS

My hypocrisy goes only so far
Jun 17, 2003
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Mark
i've read a couple of different posts recently where people seem concerned or say their cae or pleco or even i heard one about the possibilty of an otto attacking fish or killing them if they are hungry. I suppose because these fish have the sucker mouths they coul stick onto the sides of another fish and take them down , but i thought they were peacefull and stuck to veggies-algae. But this makes me wonder because for some reason you can keep plecos with anything from community fish to cichlids without them getting attacked from aggressive fish(from what i've heard), is this because if they really want to they can take on just about any other fish with thier mouths, hence the other fish know not to mess with them??? whats the scoop
 
Yes, common plecos do attack. They will when they are hungry, and also as they become older, they get aggressive tendancies. Last year I had about a 10in pleco in my 75g, he killed the other 3 plecos in the tank, one was 7in, the others 5. I used to have this plecos in with my oscars before the tank was made into a community tank, the oscars would start to pick on him and he would turn around, suck on their sides and push them around. This year, I bought a 2in discus at the lfs... the discus killed the algae eater..believe it or not. I also have a common pleco in a 10 gallon, he's at least once lunged (with intent at least to scare) at my Masked Julie... so yes, they do attack sometimes. So keep an on eye those sneeky fish :)
 
wow

i find this surprising, i never thoiught they were aggressive but i guess this woul explain why my gourami who likes to chase everyone in the tank around, completly ignores the pleco , acts as though he doesnt even exist, nor does my pleco even budge when he swims by. so then these sucker mouth fishes are sorta tough i guess???
 
Many plecos are not entirely herbivorous--they eat algae and plant matter as juveniles, but many will prefer a meatier diet as they mature. If not kept well fed, any fish will attack tankmates--right down to the most peaceful fish out there. Also, many bottom dwellers are armoured, and sport large knife-like structures in addition to spikes and hardened scales. Bristlenose are considered very peaceful, but my large male is a nasty tempered brute, and he has cut me with his gill knives on more than one occassion.
 
Someone once said that any fish in the wild that is herbavacious is really an oppurtunist in the Aquarium; whatever it can fit in it's mouth when it's hungry, it will eat.
 
yes plecos can be..quitee agressive when they get older. same as siameese(or is it chineese?) algea eaters. My friends algea eater and his rainbow shark are constantly brawling over territory
 
Goldfish

FAncy goldfish are very much at risk from plecos and even otos. I've seen the otos inthe pet store try to attach to a goldfish.

I know of people keeping goldfish, I don't know if fancy or not, that were observed while the pleco was attached to them.
 
so

they actually start eating the fish wehn the suck onto them??? sorta like a parasite??? this isnt a commom thing is it??? this is the first ive heard of this???
 
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