Bristlenose pleco and betta?

[Fin35]

Is this a good tank mate in a 20 gallon tall heavily planted tank? I’m going to order baby female betta from a breeder and have the brisstlenose in their first. I don’t think the betta will be much of an issue, I’ve heard pleco sucked the slime coat off a betta, is this possible for the pleco to hurt the betta, or is it pretty safe match? That’s all I’d have in the tank. I doubt the betta would really spend much time at the bottom and there are plenty of resting places at the top of the tank. I also will add a pleco cave and I have two coconut caves and full of plants.

[shellyx]

Should be fine. I've kept bristlenoses with bettas before and they've been fine. And no the bristlenose won't eat the bettas slime coat.

[Fin35]

It’s weird because it’s all over aquarium forums that some bristlenoses attacked their goldfish and ate their slime coat, snd it happened to someone’s betta too. So weird. I may go with a clown pleco instead.

[Aiken Drum]

While i wouldnt say plecos eating slime coat is common, its certainly not uncommon for it to happen to goldfish. As plecos mature and get large their dietary needs change and particularly fancy goldfish are slow moving and an easy target with a lot of slimecoat to feed on.

Ive never heard of this happening between a BN pleco and a betta before. It probably has infrequently happened and found its way onto the internet where you have read it. BN plecos tend to be small, their dietary needs arent as likely to change as larger species are, while a betta might be slow moving they are small fish and probably not a tempting target for providing a meal of plentiful slime coat. I would say the risk is minimal, but possible if you have found examples of it happening. Keep your pleco properly fed and it wont go looking for other food sources. Let us know how you get on with them and you can pass on your own experience.