Pleco attacked???

sinsug

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Dec 1, 2002
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#1
I have a 10 gallon aquarium with a goldfish, black moor (named Dumbo) and a pleco in it. A couple of weeks ago i noticed the black moor was missing a scale or two but I didn't really see much else wrong with him and he seemed fine. The tank is in my sons room so I forget to go turn on the light sometimes until the end of the day. When I went in there yesterday afternoon to feed them I turned on the light and was horrified by what I saw. My black moor was so beat up it was so sad. His fins were all shredded and he was missing many scales and just floating around in the tank, every once in awhile swimming. I took him out and put him in a fishbowl so hopefully he can recover. I don't think it was the goldfish that did this and the only other one in there is the pleco. Do they ever get aggressive like that? Could it have been that the pleco didn't realize it was a fish he was doing it to, being that it was dark in the tank? Does anyone have any info on what I could do to hopefully help Dumbo survive. He is pretty much just laying at the bottom of the fish bowl now. Thank you for any suggestions and insight into what might have happened.
 

sinsug

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Dec 1, 2002
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#4
The pleco is about 4 inches long. As for any algae to eat, I am not sure. I have never given it algae wafers (i know that is bad, please don't scold me) I have had it for a really long time and it always seemed to do ok without them. If anyone thinks it was because it didn't have enough food, I will certainly go out right away and buy whatever I need to. I just want to be fairly sure that is what it is before I put my black moor (assuming he heals) back in there. The pleco doesn't seem to have bothered the other goldfish at all. That thread above was helpful, atleast now i know that isn't the only time it has happened. Does anyone think I should just remove the pleco? Or just suplement his diet more? Thank you all for being so helpful.
 

bigfoot150

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Dec 17, 2003
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#7
Well once plecos get big they do eat more. If there isn't enough for him to eat then he will look for whatever he can find which is your goldfish in this case. Gold fish are prey only because they are slow moving and easy targets for the pleco. As a matter of fact I have even seen a pleco go after an oscar before. Hech they will even eat gupps if they can get a hold of them. My neightbor has had the same problem with his gold fish aswell.

My suggestion is to get a slice or 2 of zucchini and give that to the pleco. That way he will have something to much on other than your fish.
 

Purple

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Oct 31, 2003
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#8
In my experience, Pl*cos only get nasty when competing for food (it makes their world go round). Most scuffles involving Pl*cos are short and fluffy - after all, they are mostly sucker mouthed, the teeth being set back in the mouth, so they'd need to attach to something to get a bite on, rather than snapping like some fish do.

This whole thing about Pl*cos and Goldfish is a bit exaggerated in my opinion - yes, it can happen, but Pl*cs don't ambush Goldfish on sight. Frankly, I'd look at the other Goldfish as culprits first. Fish don't read text books, but they can have very varied personalities that often defy the rules.

They also enjoy varied diets - mine graze on any algae (such as there is) fallen flakes usualy gets them out and about, and a side-salad of prawns is another favourite. They are opportunistic scavengers rather than just algae eaters.

Nope - look hard at your Goldies first. Not impossible it's the pl*c - just unlikely.
 

sinsug

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Dec 1, 2002
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#9
So you think it could be the other goldfish? I guess if he heals, I will keep a closer eye on them when I put him back in. For the meantime, I'll get the pleco some other things to munch on and see if that helps. Thank you all so much for your input.
 

Pugwinkle

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Mar 23, 2004
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#10
Originally posted by sinsug
So you think it could be the other goldfish? I guess if he heals, I will keep a closer eye on them when I put him back in. For the meantime, I'll get the pleco some other things to munch on and see if that helps. Thank you all so much for your input.
Yes, it would be a very good idea to get the pleco some food all of his own. The goldfish will also enjoy the food but you should be putting it in there specifically to feed your pleco.

You should get him some algae wafers, shrimp pellets and they LOVE veggies so blanching some zuchinni, and giving him some romaine lettuce would make him VERY happy! I blanche a bunch of slices of zuchinni and then give my little pleco a piece every couple of days. He loves it. On the days I don't give him the veggie, I give him a wafer. The goldfish will really enjoy the veggies too so you could probably give them a slice a day if you wanted.

I hope that Dumbo survives.
 

ginai

Small Fish
Apr 14, 2004
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#11
get the pleco out of the same tank as the goldfish!

also you will need to get some MELAFIX to help in healing your moore.
it works great in healing.-- it is all natural. and better thn lots of medications in the tank.

ginai
 

Sep 23, 2003
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#12
Get the pleco out. I moderate on a few goldfish boards and we have many cases of tanks that have only one gold and a pleco and the golds are beat up with no other fish there to do it. I would not leave a goldfish in a bowl that is already in bad shape. They need 10 gallons at the very minimum per fish and the water quality in a bowl will not aid in the healing process. Agree with melifix and i would use a tank divider until he is better.