Pleco attacking catfish

[SeverumGuy]

My bristlenose catfish (about 1.5") has been doing nothing but following and sucking onto my raphael catfish (about 2"-2.5"). I know that BN plecos can be territorial. Is there anything I can do to stop this?

[BigJim]

How big is the tank? You could try adding more hiding places and rearranging the tank a bit.

[SeverumGuy]

It's a 55g, I have most of the bottom covered with various plants. It doesn't seem like the pleco is hurting the Raphael. The Raphael just minds his business while it's going on.

[Etunes]

It is not unknown for plecos to suck on the side of scaleless fish and suck off there slime coat. It has been known to seriously harm and kill fish. I would try tossing some sliced cucumber in your tank to see if that curves the plecos hunger. If it dosent stop after that i would get rid of the pleco fromt he tank.

[BigJim]

Raphaels are anything but scaleless. Mine has little hooks down his sides that look like the hooks Batman shoots off his gauntlets in the Dark Knight. I suppose maybe the pleco is getting some slime coat off the raphael, but I can't imagine all those sharp edges make it enjoyable.

I'll second offering the cucumber to the pleco. It can't hurt. Just be sure to remove it after a day or two to keep it from fouling the water.

[TASHANCRAIG]

i had to plecos and had the same problem they kept sucking onto each others tails and sides causing the skin to look faded they would fight over food and space in my aquarium it looked quite brutal to when they were goin at it anessing up my set up too so eventually i had to let 1 go other 1 is all peaceful now

[Jason7894561230]

Jeez that seems a bit um well brutal
I like Etunes seggustion cucumber or some algea wafers just something to appiese him

[Etunes]

Originally Posted by BigJim

Raphaels are anything but scaleless. Mine has little hooks down his sides that look like the hooks Batman shoots off his gauntlets in the Dark Knight. I suppose maybe the pleco is getting some slime coat off the raphael, but I can't imagine all those sharp edges make it enjoyable.

I wasent saying that his was scaleless, just that they were known to do it on scaleless fish. I am a big bichir fan and i refuse to stick a pleco in with them as i have seen some horrific things plecos will do to bichirs.

[SeverumGuy]

Apparently they were just fighting over the same algae wafer because I haven't noticed any other conflict between them. I have been wanting to get a clip to keep some cucumber under the water. Thanks guys

[BigJim]

Maybe the pleco was defending his algae wafer. I don't think raphaels have much interest in anything that's not meat-based.