Pleco getting picked on?

[Zel]

Hello, I was looking around Google for some help on my Pleco's tattered fins and Aquaria Central looks very helpful; so I will ask of you this;

I have a 40 to 50 gallon tank which has for about a year one single fish, a four inch long neon orange african cichlid. A few weeks ago I wanted to get him a tankmate, and I like Plecos. I thought he would help keep the tank clean etc.

I picked a plain brown pleco just a little larger than the cichlid to deter fighting. The pleco is probably five inches long and quite a bit thicker than a cichlid.

He mostly hides in the corners on a wall during the day, and I dont watch the tank at night.

The problem is that his dorsal fin developed a hole! right in the middle of the webbing, a hole the size of a pencil! The tail fin looks slightly tattered, but that's hard to tell because it is normally jagged.

Later on, the dorsal fin hole has grown and now the frontmost two spikes are without webbing down half their length.

That's my story, Do you think he is being picked on? Can a cichlid bite in between those spikes? Was he simply rubbing on the sharp rocks in the tank (I took them out yesterday to see). Can plastic plants cause abraision? He likes to hide behind them and maybe those plastic leaves are sharp? I'm worried for his health.

 

[wataugachicken]

i don't think the plastic plants are enough to cause that kind of damage. it sounds pretty extensive. if they are fighting the pleco would use his dorsal as a weapon, and it could have been injured that way. if your cichlid is aggressive eventually it may pluck out the pleco's eyes, as that is the only part of the fish not easily defended. treat with melafix to heal the fin damage and with jungle tabs fungus cure if any fungus develops on the injured tissues. if you bought a common pleco you may just want to think about returning it. they can be kept in a 50g tank for a good while, but eventually wil need an tank upgrade as they reach 18-24 inches long.
if you are not feeding the pleco algae wafers and vegetables that is probably why the fish is getting worse instead of healing. they need to be fed regularly.

 

[Zel]

Thanks for your help, I may have to return him, but I want to be really sure.

I haven't seen them fight at all, I've just heard cichlids are aggressive.

I do give him an algae wafer nightly and it disappears by morning.

How can i tell whats going on? I cant read their facial expressions!

 

[kntrygrl4lyfe]

I have a medium pleco about 6" or so and he was used for our pond. He's inside right now due to the cold weather, and he was very pretty and then a few weeks later his fins were all tatterd and torn looking when he faned them out. Now its like he is always hiding under a decor that I have in there... :huh: all that was in there was a larger pleco about 12" and 2 2" ID sharks

 

[Malefic23]

The original hole might very well have been accidental. Sharp rocks, sharp driftwood, too small a cave.. All could have been it. My plecos regularly get holes like this just bumping each other around, and they always heal quickly. As Watauga says, treat with melafix and if needed, jungle labs fungus tablets. A good diet and clean water should heal him up, even if the hole has become a split. Remove anything sharp, keep his water clean, and watch the chichlid for agressive moves.

 

[Blueiz]

After lights out, watch your tank... That should quickly tell you if your cichlids are picking on your pleco.

Blue