Why did you do it, Little King?!

[nicbizzy]

So I bought a mystery snail yesterday in the hopes that it would take care of the algae growing on the aquarium glass that my albino pleco seems to ignore. I've had little King for a little under a year, he's my favorite fish in fact. He's well fed, he gets to clean up the few morsels that the mollies let fall to the substrate, he gets a healthy serving of rapashy super green/soilent green once a week and there's all kinds growing on the driftwood and plants to keep him more than happy and fat. Still, when I put the snail in, he began harassing it immediately. After a couple attempts it flip it, he would swim off but would come back minutes later. I probably should have intervened, I don't have another tank for the fish or snail, but could have come up with something in retrospect. Anyway, the snail finally climbed on the glass and Little King seemed to give up, or so I thought. Today, I come from from work and find an empty shell in the tank? What the hell?! I thought plecos preferred plant based foods? And why would a well fed fish work so **** hard to get at something it doesn't normally eat? Help me, Rhonda.


Nicole

 

[ImACoolguy]

Can't say I've heard of a pleco eating a snail before but I'm sure it's possible.

On another note, algae problems are always fixable given enough attention to the underlying problem. My mystery snails eat a little algae, but not enough to put a dent in it. Pleco's are also just for show. They poop out way more than anything else.


Caleb

 

[nicbizzy]

Can't say I've heard of a pleco eating a snail before but I'm sure it's possible.

On another note, algae problems are always fixable given enough attention to the underlying problem. My mystery snails eat a little algae, but not enough to put a dent in it. Pleco's are also just for show. They poop out way more than anything else.


Caleb

Yeah, I know why the algae's there. I leave the lights on way too long because I like looking at my babies and I was trying grow a little to supplement his diet. And knowing the mollies would graze on the algae growing on the driftwood, rocks and plants too. So didn't mind it growing, I was actually excited that he'd have an extra snack. And he's active all day around the whole tank but doesn't seem to be putting even the smallest of dents in the glass algae.

And I know?! I've never ever heard of such a thing! But it had to be him. No one else in the tank even noticed it and he was immediately obsessed.


Nicole

 

[ImACoolguy]

Apparently it's not unheard of though..

http://www.myaquariumclub.com/pleco-attacks-1097744.html

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090222191058AA3fM3w

Quote from PlecoPlanet.com..

"The genus Leporacanthicus have a set of modified teeth that are used to extract meat from snails and mollusc.
I myself doubt if they actually track down snails and attack them but more that they will eat from a snail that is either dead or available.
In my opinion most Plecos are not "Hunters" but opportunist feeders so they survive by eating dead fish or meat and almost anything that is lying around."



Caleb