Leave my Pleco ALONE!!!

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Nikki J

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Apr 5, 2006
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boston, ma
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I just got a common pleco to put in my 60g malawi cichlid tank. My cichlids won't stop picking on my pleco! They keep chasing him and biting his tail fins. I know that at first they are just curious about him, but do you think that they'll get used to him over time and eventually leave him alone? The problem is, everytime he makes himself visible to the cichlids, they chase him away. Therefore, he can't eat/clean certain areas of the tank. The first day we put him in, the cichlids went out of their way to bother him, but now they only chase him if he swims around.
Do you think they'll eventually leave him alone??
Should I get another Pleco?

Thanks!
 
That's why I have synodontis cats in my african cichlid tanks...the mbuna will take care of the algae, for the most part...a magnet glass cleaner or algae brush will take care of the rest....I keep the plecs in my south/central american cichlid tanks...
 
So the cichlids won't bother the Cats? I thought that they would be more picked on than the pleco
 
Try re-arranging some of the rockwork when you add a new fish. Also feeding them as you add him helps. Plecos like to hide in caves, so the cichlids are seeing him as sort of a threat.

Providing more caves than nessecary will also give the pleco somewhere to hide. But I agree, they are not overly nessecary in a tank with mbuna.

-Diana
 
We have syno cats as well as plecos in with our Africans and the synos all seem to be left alone. The chipokaes love to nip at the plecos when they feel like their 'space' is being invaded, but the plecos just move on...lol
 
synodontis are native to africa and the "lakes" but plecos are normally "american" as opposed to african for synos.

and therefore get along better with african cichlids.
 
@ Yofishboy - thank you for answering all of my questions (from the past as well)
@ Luvmykribs - I do re-arrange rocks with every new fish. He seems to have found his own little spot that he just keeps to. The fishies seem to be leaving him alone (for now) :)
@ Debra - Yea he just moves away from them. The first day was really bad. I was considering taking him back right then and there, but things seem to be getting a little better. They're ignoring him as long as he doesn't draw attention to himself.
@Tightdog - That makes a lot of sense. I should have done some more research before purchasing the Pleco. Hopefully things will work out.

Is it true that those synodontis cats are really aggressive? I heard that they can be worse than the cichlids. True or false??
 
Nikki J said:
Is it true that those synodontis cats are really aggressive? I heard that they can be worse than the cichlids. True or false??
Click to expand...

Nah...I've never had any problems with them...most can hold there own, but they don't look for trouble....
 
Nikki J said:
Is it true that those synodontis cats are really aggressive? I heard that they can be worse than the cichlids. True or false??
Click to expand...


Ours can hold their own as well...and seem to spend more time 'debating' with each other, than with any of the other fish
 
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