Egg eating Common Pleco??

thrill6699

AC Members
Jul 13, 2006
5
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Florida
I have a 10" common pleco I have raised from just a baby ( 2"). I have spawned numerous egg laying cichlid species in the tank with him, ie. Convicts, Kribensis, Labidochromis auratus. Now I have a pair of Rainbow Cichlids that layed eggs a few days ago. The very night after the eggs were laid, I woke up to be horrified that all the eggs were gone. There was pleco fecal matter that had what looked to be undigested eggs in it. I was unaware that plecos were egg eaters. Why hadn't he eaten eggs in the past? He is well fed with a varied diet of veggies and fruit. Is he simply too big for the rainbows to fend off of their nest? They are only 3" or so. Perhaps I just need to get a smaller pleco?
 
Although veggies are good for them, Plecs will eat pretty much anything.....mine even work pellets on the surface....and I'm sure a little cavier is appreciated by them....think of them as a finned goat...
 
I've heard of otos eating an occasional egg or two, so it doesn't surprise me at all that a pleco would relish eggs (being more omnivorous than otocinclus catfish).
 
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