Pleco size affect eating?

[Sorrell]

My common plec in my 150 seems to go on strike now and then. He will clean the glass so well for a few months and then won't touch anything, even algae wafers for the next couple months. He's 16 inches long and super fat.

I read somewhere that the larger a plec gets, the less they actually clean...is this true? Any tactics to get him back on the job? My tank is getting to be a little hard to look at

 

[SirMinion]

Yep, that's correct. The larger most plecs get, the less active they are,
the less active they get the less energy they use,
the less energy they use the less food they need.

If yours is big and fat, then he's got all the energy he needs for several weeks of hanging on the glass doing nothing.

That is the way of the plec.

 

[Earthgirl]

Yep, what Sir minion said. My old sailfin had stopped cleaning once he got into the double digits. It is like,"I'm huge, so why should I do such pidely cleaning tasks".

Get a brisltenose plec to help out with the cleaning, or can you? Hold on, I wonder if the territory for the common would oversee everything and he would pick on the brisltenose.
I wonder.....

 

[Sorrell]

Here's a picture of him, he's a monster...I drew an arrow to the texas at his tail, he's so big

 

[crazywolf]

I have rubberlipped pleco's in a couple of my tanks and even full grown they are awesome cleaners they even completely cleaned my thermo. They are also small enough not to add too much of a bio-load.

 

[corrosive]

My 4" bristlenose, is roughly as active as my 1.5", but the 4" hides alot, and feels less secure, maybe thats because hes a new adition to a bigish home for him, as he was sharing with 2 other 4-5" males at the aquatic shop.

For got to mention your plec is lovely! i want a home big enough for something like that lol! I think i will have to remain dreaming lol.