# Bushy nosed pleco violence....



## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

I put this in the emergency section because I don't want my frogs to end up dead!

My Albino Bushy Nosed Pleco is about 2 - 2 1/2 inches long. She has always been a very peaceful fish and never bothers with anything else in the tank.

I've noticed that lately, she's been attacking my African Dwarf Frogs. They don't see too well, (and neither does she because she's an albino), and they sometimes swim by her, or over her. She gets angry and her dorsal fin goes up and she starts attacking them. She's even flipped them onto their backs a few times. The frogs will swim away, but sometimes she actively follows them and continues to peck at them until I tap the glass.

I thought maybe she was getting less algae because I added cherry shrimp, so I've been adding a 1/2 algae wafer every other day to help supplement her feedings, but have changed that to 1/2 wafer every day, in case her violence is due to her hunger. 

Any suggestions? Maybe she's territorial and the frogs bother her? (Everything I've read said the pleco and frogs should get along.....) I've even noticed one frog doesn't come out often and hardly eats.... I'm thinking maybe he's afraid of her. The other frog doesn't care and is all fat and happy.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

That is one of the many problems with bottom feeders in such a small tank, She doesn't feel like she has enough territory. I have a couple of dwarf frogs and keep mine in a 20 long but no bns in that tank. But there is 3 cories with a bunch of endlers. You might look into a 20 long or consider taking her in for some store credit.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

We can't afford the top and light fixture for a 20g tank right now. 

We really like the pleco and don't want to have to give her away...... do you think that's the only option? They won't learn to get along?


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

There's 3 things you can do:

1. Get an extra tank and separate the bottom dwellers.
2. Get a bigger tank so the bottom dwellers can stake out their own territories
3. Donate one/some of the bottom dwellers to reduce the crowding.

Temporary mitigation you could try is to add structures to the tank, so the ADF's can hide and the pleco can stake out its territory. My strong recommendation would be live plants, but that's just me.


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