Relaxed Mode?

[snowflake311]

So I was looking up Carnivorous plecos. I came across a site with some nice photos. One of the photos is of a pleco laying on his back in what they called Relaxed mode.

here is the link scroll down to see the photo I am talking about.
http/www.piranha-info.com/default.php?la...;id=p_leopardus

Have any of you ever seen your pleco do this? If so what kind was it?

 

[nmonks]

Someone is just being funny. Suckermouth catfish do not roll onto their backs to relax. They have no armour on their bellies, and always try to keep themselves firmly pressed against a solid object, so that their armour is exposed, not their bellies. A suckermouth catfish on its back would be feeling very unwell, if not dead already.

Cheers, Neale

 

[xingumike]

I have to disagree Neale.

There are quite a few pictures over at PF of (healthy) plecs doing just that, various different species as well.

The site above that is linked is run by an ex-mod at PF, Jonas (username Judazzz) who is certainly not the kind of guy to joke about his fish being dead and that P.leopardus is in his tank, all photos there are his AFAIK.

Species I have seen doing it are Ancistrus, Baryancistrus, Pseudas and Pterygoplichthys

 

[nmonks]

Fair enough. But whatever those catfish are doing, they're NOT "relaxing". Makes no biological sense at all, given how suckermouth catfish are armoured and how vulnerable they would be in the wild if they did that.

As a behaviour (which I have never, ever seen) it might have some other meaning or explanation. Goldfish frequently end up upside-down when constipated for example, because of the mismatch between their swim bladders and the solid faeces in the gut. You could hypothesise similar scenarios for loricariids, perhaps because the fish has swallowed too much air, or not eaten enough wood, or whatever. Perhaps even some distinctive social behaviour, perhaps females displaying that they're filled with eggs and ready to mate. All guesswork of course!

The idea they're "relaxing" seems to me to be nonsensical though, and that was my objection. Because humans rest on their backs, it doesn't follow catfish would too. Quite the reverse in fact, given how these catfish are armoured.

Cheers, Neale

 

[xingumike]

Good points, well made.

'Twas the inference that it had to be unwell I was objecting to, the rest of the above makes sense.

We really can only speculate!

 

[smithrc]

I see some of ours doing it all the time.

normally when "relaxing" under or in things - eg under bogwood or in caves...
One of our zebs scared the poop out of me the other day doing it!

 

[rocknurworld2006]

ok if u look at the pic more closely it is under bogwood.

wat plecs do is when thyrre under bogwood or caves they will be sucking onto it then they wil release themselves sometimes and they may be laying on their back for seconds or a minute or so likesmithrc is saying.

i see it with my bn's sometimes.

but as neale is saying if this was to happen in the open and not in this circumstance as described then would probably indicate an ill pleco or somewhwer along them lines.

 

[snowflake311]

Ha Ha. Oh plecos make me laugh. I think I like them even more now because they will do funny things like that. What cool fish.

 

[~T~]

My bristlenoses do that quite often when under bogwood. I suppose you could say they were relaxing.

 

[calsonic]

my bristlenoses do it and so does my blue phantom i think they lose there grip when there aslep if thats possible

 

[snowflake311]

my bristlenoses do it and so does my blue phantom i think they lose there grip when there aslep if thats possible

Awww that's cute and might be the reason why.