Timid Pleco

[SherriSixxx]

I am sorry, this may be a stupid question. But I have had my pleco now for about 3-4 months, and he is very shy & timid. I hardly ever see him. He doesn't come out of his hiding place even if I put the tank light off. Only time he comes out is when it is totally quiet and he knows there is nobody around. If I want to see him, I have to walk very silently to his tank in the middle of the night and put a small light on--only to see him swim mega-fast back to his hiding place.
Is he always gonna be like this, or is there any way to make him braver? I have tried food, no luck.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

What sort of plec is he? Some prefer to be in hiding most of the time and that may not change. Some actually like company and some just have a liking for certain areas they can treat as theirs. If they feel confident in that then they sometimes pop out in the day but it's not something you can force upon them.
Hugs,
P.

 

[Teelie]

It really largely depends on the species for sure. Some are notorious hiders, you'll almost never see them no matter what you do and others are more out going and sociable. There are a few who school or shoal and will be more active and visible if there are more than one or two of them in the tank. Also, the more hiding places they have, the more secure they'll feel when they are out as there isn't just the one or two places to hide in.

 

[Bloo]

Yep, some plecs you will hardly ever see But the more hiding spaces, the better

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

It can take a while to tame plecs, when i bought my first common plec over a year ago or even when i bought my para plec, they were exactly the same for a long time- very skittish and hardly ever coming out of their caves.
I've found the best way to tame plecs is to start off by feeding them at night, drop an algae wafer, peice of cucumber or prawn in and wait for the plec to come out and eat it. It may take a while for the plec to come out at first, but if you just sit there motionless while its eating its food it helps re-assure it that you are not a threat and not scary.
If you continue to help it get used to eating when you are there it will start to get tamer over time- fish can hear us so once you are confident enough about your plec you can start moving about while its there or talking- this method i have used on all shy fish i have bought and have found it very successful, it can take time but then again plecs can live for many years, even decades, so its best to start when they are young .

 

[SherriSixxx]

Thanks for your ideas. It's a common pleco. He is about 6-7" long, so how old would that make him?
I have been leaving his pleco biscuits in the evening, but he just doesn't come out to eat before I leave. I have stayed for hours, no luck.
And some weeks ago I bought an axolotl, as apparently they get on well. Hmm, my axolotl is a bit of a bully, (cute one at that) so pleco didn't eat anything for 4 days, but now they seem to be friends, even sleeping together in the same hiding places, sleeping next to each other. So one would think that's a good sign. Apart from the fact that axolotl has started also eating pleco's biscuits after she finishes her own meal!! Huh, I feel a bit like their mum, trying to sort out their probs,huh and heh. But I hope their friendship will help my pleco to overcome his shyness?