Do i have to sell my pleco?

[Koikeeper99]

My common pleco ( 10") is sucking on my kois slime coat. Will she stop or do i have to exchange her for a smaller one? I do not have another tank to put her in.

 

[jlk]

The pleco wont stop, unfortunately. It seems once they develop a taste for real fish, there is nothing that can be done to return them to their prior eating habits and it will only continue to become more aggressive. Replacing the pleco with a smaller one is not suggested because you will likely encounter the same problem again in the future.

 

[Koikeeper99]

Like ive told you before were building a pond in after winter. So would the koi be ok until then? Or a new one since it might not suck on the fish right away?

 

[Cynic]

As jlk says evidence suggests that plecos tend to develop a taste for slime coat sadly. Best advice if you can't separate them is to try and distract the pleco with 'hopefully' tastier treats like zucchini.

 

[Koikeeper99]

Ok is it possible it will kill her?

 

[Rutrag]

Ok is it possible it will kill her?

The slime coat will not kill the pleco. The pleco eating the slime coat off the koi is damaging the koi, as well as making the koi more susceptible to a bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infection.

 

[jlk]

Like ive told you before were building a pond in after winter. So would the koi be ok until then? Or a new one since it might not suck on the fish right away?

Will the koi be ok until then? I dont know absolutely but as I already mentioned, the plecos behavior will likely become more aggressive in his behavior. Your koi will then be subject to infections, fungus and other issues assuming the pleco doesnt decide to snack more voraciously (such as on the eyes). A temporary solution would be a tank divider. I would honestly skip another pleco until the koi is in the pond then stock the tank with whatever you want.

 

[Koikeeper99]

Ok if i see any vigorous sucking or any type of infection ill rehome her immediatly.