Bichir And Plec?

[ChilliPepper]

Would a bichir be OK with a Para Pleco L075 in a 5ft tank... I have heard they can suck a plec's slime coat?

 

[kniesh]

It's the other way round, Plecs suck on the Bichirs slime coat. Apparently this is something that can happen, I have kept a plec with 2 Bichirs, Ornate and Senegal and never had a problem, it was only for around 6 months though so it may have happened in the future. You could take a chance on it in my opinion and just make sure you keep a close eye on it.

 

[nmonks]

Hypostomus sp. wouldn't be an ideal choice. Yes, bichirs are sometimes molested by opportunistic plecs. Does depend on the size of the tank, how active the bichir is, and how well fed the catfish is. The best choices are those species that are more herbivores than anything else, like Panaque spp., since these prefer plant foods and organic detritus, and rarely view other fish as prey. Hypostomus spp. are just that bit more opportunistic.

Cheers, Neale

Would a bichir be OK with a Para Pleco L075 in a 5ft tank... I have heard they can suck a plec's slime coat?

 

[ChilliPepper]

Thanks, I already have the Plec, so looking for a suitable bichir. So a Senegal or Ornate would be OK? The plec is fairly small and will be quite lost in the 5ft I think

 

[nmonks]

So a Senegal or Ornate would be OK?

Not what I said at all. In fact there are no guarantees at all, and the Hypostomus sp. you have is more rather than less likely to cause problems. So if you try it, be sure you have a second place you could put one or other of the fishes.

Cheers, Neale

 

[simonas]

I never had problems with bichirs and plecs in that sense although i did with reedfish which a plec used to suck on to

saying that I anm convinced it was ornate bichir that was a decent size that attacked a couple of smaller plecs I had including a costly L25

 

[ChilliPepper]

I think the usual rule applies with fish in that you can research as much as you can, but there are still no guarantees to compatibility.

I don't see my plec being a problem, was rather more concerned if it were the other way around.

I think in a 5ft there will be plenty of space for them to each have their own separate territories.

Also, nmonks, I'm not sure what Hypostomus species you are refering to. As far as I am aware, my pleco is a Peckoltia sabaji.

 

[nmonks]

You are quite right. The old resource I was using still had L-75 down as Hypostomus sp. It is much, MUCH bigger than the average Peckoltia as you presumably know, getting to 25 cm long, which is why it was originally called an Hypostomus. Given that it's a Peckoltia, I'd expect it to be fairly peaceful, but as I (and others) have said, the bichir/plec mix is never 100% reliable, so it's up to you.

Cheers, Neale

Also, nmonks, I'm not sure what Hypostomus species you are refering to. As far as I am aware, my pleco is a Peckoltia sabaji.

 

[dave_oddballs]

well i'll just add my experience, but as neale and others have said it should always be considered risky at first and should have somewhere else to put one or the other incase of an emergency.
in my big tank at the moment i have 2 9-10" polypterus delhezi and a 6" L240, now that plec is leporacanthicus and is a meat eater, it has never bothered the bichirs, or my rays for that matter. it could be a one off, every fish is different.

 

[synodontisjack]

In my experience its not a good combo, i had a gibbi that was fine up until it was 9" or so and then after that point it started regularly attacking my poly's. As others have said try it but have a tank spare.

 

[always4lora]

I've got a royal plec l190 with mine and it doesnt bother my bichir;s just sticks to the wood most of the day and comes down when theres left over food. I had a bristlenose with my bichir;s but removed this as i could imagine my bichir eating it when they got a decent size.

overall though have another tank handy incase it go's pete tong

 

[ChilliPepper]

Thanks, I will give it a try. I am fairly sure my plec will be OK with the bichir as he keeps very much to himself and is very peaceful. They are going in quite a large tank, so it's not like they will be on top of each other