Odd Pleco Habits

[jacob]

Well I've been noticing the last couple days that my 5" common not only attaches himself to the glass and the decorations in the tank. He likes to be upside down at the surface just like if he were to be dead and suck on the bubbles on the surface. He will do it for sometimes as much as 5 minute intervals maybe even longer sometimes. Its pretty funny to watch when he does this because all the other fish start to crowd around him and see if he is dead and he takes off scared of all these fish around him. By the way, no he isn't sick and he's perfectly healthy, just an odd thing he likes to do.

 

[bunjiweb]

Oxygen content in the tank ok? Got a good ammount of surface agitation or a good airstone (to do the same thing).

Do you notice a layer of protein built up on the surface of the water? He could be trying to suck at this.

Ben

 

[WookiellMonster]

Plecos can remove the protein from the surface of your water?

 

[SirMinion]

bunjiweb may have hit the nail on the head.
All plecos come from highly oxygenatated, fast flowing water and therefore require more oxygen than other fish.

It's possible that your pleco is not getting the oxygen that he needs.

Add an airstone and you may find that he looks more comfortable.

 

[Durbkat]

Or he could be hungry and is looking for some flake food. Do you feed him with sinking algae wafers?

 

[bunjiweb]

Plecos can remove the protein from the surface of your water?

It is doubtful that he is "eating" the protein from the surface of thewater, but he may be tasting it to see if it is a worthy food source. You may have seen your fish taste each others poo, or random particles floating about it your tank, but they wont usually eat them.

I think it is more likely that the water flow just isnt fast enough for him which could correspond with the oxygenc content not being very high.

Ben

 

[Tolak]

I have a couple of common plecs that will do that whenever they see me open the tank lid. They eat like pigs, I could have half a zuccini in the tank for them, if they seem to think it's feeding time for the other fish, they come up to get what they consider their fair share.

Doesn't matter that they get algae tabs, veggie bits, zuke, or the occasional pea, carrot, broccoli stem, or whatever may be around, they always come floating upside down looking to suck up whatever is being fed. I can squirt brine shrimp directly into their mouths, it is kind of cool.

Tolak

 

[jacob]

In the tank I have what I think is an airstone (it's just a rubber strip and has a bunch of holes in it), and also a Aquaclear 70 powerhead for current, and more oxygen. All this is in a 75, so maybe he just likes the oxygen bubbles that form at the surface after they make their way to the top? By the way, readings in the tank are as follows...

P.H. 7.2
Ammonia 0 ppg
Nitrite 0 ppg
Nitrate 10 ppg

(Is this maybe the problem, or is this fine?)

P.S. I feed him algae wafers.