Gibb Pleco Attacking

[Bella]

I have a Gibb pleco since he was very very tiny.. I put him in my baby fry tank.. it's only 29G but I figure i would let him grow a bit in there then move him to a 90G. He is about 4 or 5 inches now... He has never been bothered by all the fry in the tank. they fry are ranging from one week to 3 months old..

Well, I have a blood parrot in the 90G that seems to keep getting beat on..and really stunting growth from the stress.. I've tried everything to stop him fighting but really nothing has worked. I decided to move him to the Fry tank.. so he can grow and get heathy again. knowing I would prob loose the smaller fry but don't have another tank to put him in... and figure some fry protien would not be too bad.....

Well, the gibb is attacking the poor blood parrot. following him and sometimes trying to leach on to him.. Will this behavor stop? I'm worried for when i move this gibb to the 90G as there is other pleco's and blood parrots in there. This Gibb (Keeper Steve) is very well fed.. as he does not have to fight for food... He gets everyting from alg disk to shrimp pellets to zuchinni.

I'm wondering if leaving him to have a tank to himself with out any other large fish is making him very agressive when others are intorduced... Do you think he will always be agressive to other fish? Should I even consider moving him to the 90G where there is another gibb and a common or will he just be to agressive?

 

[mixmaster jay]

its more of a territorial thing you may need a significantly bigger tank for your gibby ive got two 12" and 5" and they do the same in a small tank now they are in my very big tank and no probs at all

 

[Bella]

So once I move him to the 90G then he should be less agressive?

 

[mixmaster jay]

in theory yes thats how mine have been i cant say really for other gibby's but give it a try and make sure there is a cave or some kind of hiding place for it too as they like to hide alot

 

[Bella]

I'm dreading moving this guy.. if the pleco's don't get along in the 90G.....I really hate trying to catch anything in that tank. But if they do get along then that works great. Maybe I have a male and Female. lol...

I do have lots of hiding places... The one hides behind a bunch of plants and the common hides in a cave with the blood parrots. Keeper steve has hiding places but he never hides really.

 

[mixmaster jay]

ive got 2 big cavas the biggest for my 16"clarias and other for my gibby and they are in them quite alot the same with plants they hide in them a bit too

 

[Bella]

I'll move him soon. Thank you for the advise

 

[mixmaster jay]

your welcome bella

 

[Bella]

well I moved him to the large tank. was hard to catch him without using a net.. then I decided to put my common... about 4 inch in the smaller tank till the babies are grown and the BP get's better. Should only be in there for about a month. the common get's along with the bp more so I figure it was a good solution to keeping the alg down.

 

[Bella]

well... that didn't work.. the gibb i put in the 90G beat the crap out of the gibb already in there... had to move everyone back into their original tanks . I've never seen pleco's fight that bad even in video's... I thought at first they would get along as they just sat near eachother... then boom.. they just went at it and never stopped... i tried to kinda scare one off but they just went back at it.. decided to move them all back to their original tanks..... a lot of ripped fins.

It's better to know now then when they are huge.

the good news is.. I told my Man we are going to have to get rid of Gibb (keeper steve) soon as he is getting to big and agressive for the 29G... Mark said we will figure something out.. which means... I'm getting another large tank.

 

[mixmaster jay]

im sorry that didn't work for you bella that is quite strange becuase when they get bigger and older they calm down alot normally well at least your going to get a bigger tank out of it lol (get the biggest you can like i have lol)

here is my big 12" gibby i cant find my other one lol ive also got a 5" L191 dull eyed royal plec and male and female bristlenose plecs in the same tank have a look at the link in my sig at the bottom

 

[Bella]

Very nice. I hope mine get just as big and healthy.

I have been bugging mark for another larger tank but this 90g in only 4 months old. lol... so I know it will be after we move to get another large tank. Apartment wont fit anymore for now. lol. I wanna go really big next time though.. been researching building tanks..... but kinda want the security of a bought tank. lol.

since my gibb is only around 4 inches maybe 5.. and is very happy so far in the 29G. He grew quite quickly... he was smaller then my baby finger about 2.5 months ago. If i let him grow a bit more maybe the agression will stop once he is bigger as you said. Seems to have stopped bothering the BP in there... I don't blame him for just chilling out after been moved back and forth.

 

[mixmaster jay]

lol i need to move too my tank is pushed into the alcove in the corner so i can shut the door lol you will have to update me when he gets bigger lol to see if he has calmed down

 

[Bella]

for sure. I really thought he was a nice one.. he lets the baby fish swim all around him and sometimes peck at him.. never would have thought he would be agressive. lol.

 

[mixmaster jay]

lol they can be grumpy sometimes