# Plecos "sucking on Discus"??



## Jeffress77 (Mar 15, 2010)

Now, I have read many times that most plecos other than bristlenoses will sometimes suck on the slime on discus. 
I want to know who here has actually ever observed this. I have never heard of anyone who says that they have actually witnessed it.

It doesn't seem like it would even be feasible that a discus would stay still long enough to let the catfish attach and STAY on its body?? Plus, why do the bristlenose plecos have a tendency to be "different" that the rest of the plecos?


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## mk4gti (Jun 15, 2010)

ive heard of chinese algea eaters doing that, never relly plecos. BNP stay smaller so maybe they are less agressive.


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## ifrog (Jun 6, 2011)

i would make sure there is enough food for the pleco. They will certainly turn to sucking the slime coating off of fish if there is not enough food available.

This is not a common behavior, but it does happen.

I would recommend getting some vegie disks or driftwood with algae growth on it.


Hope this helps.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

Ive seen it, the outcome for the discus is usually a premature death. Drawf plecos like the BNP's are more of a meat based diet fish and not that of algae or slime(which can be to a pleco slimy algae) Usually this is a lack of protein in the pleco's diet.

I keep a menagre of dwarf plecos and not once has a single one ever attached or even looked at any of the other fish. Also from what Ive noticed is dwarfs are ALOT more active at night and stick really close to their "hole".

You can blanch some zuchini and they will go for that but as a discus keeper and breeder, I wont allow anything in the tank that MIGHT harm them in any way shape or form. 
Oto's have been caught on discus before but its been a very extreme case of starvation with the oto's.

I keep bnp's corydoras, oto's and SAE's with the discus with no issues.


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## chris oe (Feb 27, 2009)

The chinese algae eaters are the most dangerous to other tank mates, but I would imagine that a large slow fish (or a fish that didn't have room to move quickly or well) could be a tempting target to an algae eater that was starving. I'd think the best thing would be to make sure everybody is well fed, but bottom line you might consider not housing discus with plecos you're not sure about if you're not positive, considering how expensive discus are and how long they take to mature.


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## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

ihave had this problem with my peacock eel going under my plecos cave and bothering him, he would attach to the side until she left...i think its aggression


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