BN Pleco Problem

[Duck645]

I have a small (2-3 inch) bristlenose pleco who has a tendency to hide in the mouth of the "Balinese Dragon" bubbler ornament from Petsmart. He has not gotten stuck in it and comes out at night to eat, but I'm worried he will get stuck.

Will the pleco know when he's too big to go in the ornament? Or will he go in one day and get stuck? Does anyone else's pleco do the same thing?

If this is a problem, I will most like remove the ornament.

 

[Cjcarron1]

I used to have an ornament like that that my eclipse catfish would stay in all the time. I guess he got stuck and I didn't see him for a few days so I went in and checked it out. It was stuck in there and I had to get him out. So no, fish do not know when a space is too big for them, at least my eclipse catfish didn't.

 

[Duck645]

Do you suggest I remove the ornament? Or should I wait and see if this becomes a problem?

 

[Cjcarron1]

Can you see the pleco inside the ornament, or is he out of sight? You could leave it as is until he gets stuck if you can see him, but if you can't you should probably look for an alternative. If you can't see the pleco you could just think he was inside there and feeding at night, but he is really stuck.

 

[Duck645]

I see his tail when he is in it. Also, I see him come out at night and often during the day. As I am typing this he is on the outside of the ornament. I'll keep my out for him to make sure he doesn't completely vanish.

 

[Cjcarron1]

Yeah you can probably leave him there. If you don't see him for at least 2 or 3 days, check that ornament. If he is in there get a different one.