Rubber lip pleco attack?

[RioJAT]

Hello everyone,

Maybe someone can help me out. My daughter and I have a 60gal freshwater tank that's been running since November 2014. Peaceful, community tank with 9 Dwarf neon rainbowfish, 1 male swordtail, 5 female swordtail, 9 Black skirt tetras, and 5 cory cat (3 Julii, 2 salt and pepper). Our most recent addition was a small rubber lip pleco.

We've had the pleco for about a month.....he started off shy, hiding most of the day in the same few spots. He's becoming more active now, but at the same time our corys have started to show up dead.....one at a time I've found them stiff on the bottom (hadn't had any previous cory deaths) and then today I wake up and our largest black skirt tetra has a huge red circle on its side! !! All we can guess is that the pleco latched on?? IDK if the cory deaths and the black skirt attack are related, but our water parameters are normal. We test with a liquid master kit regularly and change out 40-50% of the water every week to week and a half. This has all been consistent and the issues have just now begun.....anyone have any thoughts?

We do have a medium sized piece of driftwood in the tank. We feed flakes, pellets, freeze dried protiens, and algae wafers.

My thought is that I have to take the pleco back to the LFS where we got it. I can't have attacks like this in my daughter's peaceful tank......Please help


Thanks !

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[ImACoolguy]

I suppose it's possible. Plecos can be outcompeted for food as they are generally shy. If he isn't getting enough food he could resort to fish...though I can't say I've ever heard of a *small* Pleco killing anything.


Caleb

 

[fishliker]

I honestly don't know what's happening in your tank. But I too would be surprised if it's the pleco. I've had a few rubber lip ones and they are not known for that behavior, the little ones. It's possible, but I might be looking at another cause. I've had Cory cats die for no reason but the red spot on the one fish is especially concerning. Are your water parameters all normal? Someone will ask. Anyway, hope someone will jump in here who can be more help. Sorry for your troubles and good luck.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice oops just saw your water is good. Very upsetting when you take good care of a tank to have problems. Removing the pleco might be a good thing, or separating it if you can.

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

The pleco probably didn't kill the corys as most corys have poisonous barbs and when they feel threatened with stab at whatever's threatening them. Unless it was the pigmy corys which I'm not sure if they have poison as well. Most likely they where stressed or their time came. Try removing the pleco to another tank and see if anymore corys die.


Keep calm and drum on

 

[BANGAR]

Maybe the pleco brought a disease into the tank? You could try bringing sinking wafers.


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[Mebbid]

Unless youre feeding the pleco some sort of sinking pellet or wafer then they will starve. If they have to they will latch on to fish for sustenance. Its rare, but it does happen. Make sure the pleco has plenty of food. If that doesnt work then its time to rehome him.

 

[Catfish Lover]

I've had issues with my bristlenose plecos. They are peaceful but at the same time food aggressive. If you drop 1 piece of food in the tank they think it's for them and them only. They will flop and throw their bodies around. They were injuring my cories too although none were killed. I constantly saw blood spots on the bodies of them. You have to try and feed them on one side of the tank. It doesn't always work but worth a try.


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[Toad]

To make sure my bn gets food I usually break up the algae tabs and scatter around the tank after the lights are off so he has a chance.