# Pleco death



## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

Well, after a year of peaceful coexistence, someone in the tank took a hit out on the BN pleco and did him in. Came home from work and found him stuck to one of the koralias...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Sorry for your loss.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

Thanks DJ, just goes to show how volatile the relationship between Malawis and plecos can be. I won't be adding any other plecos since I'm sure it would be a death sentence...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Mine usually do well once they have made it for a month...never lost one except in that first new tank period.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

I've never lost one either until now, it's really strange. He was shredded up pretty bad, but I'm not sure if it was post mortem or that's what killed him. The albino BN is still alive and well though.


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## joselepiu (Jul 22, 2017)

sorry for your loss...
how big / old it is the albino?...
hop it all stays well now...


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

He's probably a good 4-4 1/2 inches. Thanks, I really didn't expect it since they've lived together so long without a single issue


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## noki (Jun 13, 2003)

Seems unlikely that they would suddenly kill the Pleco, unless the fish was already weak and had become a target to bully. Hard to tell if Plecos are healthy a lot of the time.

Probably just died, but I agree that if they are healthy and have not been killed after the first few months they seem okay. Many are not healthy to begin with, and die off with the stress of a cichlid tank.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

Yeah there's no telling, somebody definitely tried to eat him though, he was in really rough shape. I don't think he was stressed by any of the fish because he would swim around the tank freely and none of the cichlids bothered him. He probably just got sick and I couldn't tell, but he was acting normally until I found him belly up.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

noki said:


> *Seems unlikely that they would suddenly kill the Pleco, unless the fish was already weak* and had become a target to bully. Hard to tell if Plecos are healthy a lot of the time.
> 
> Probably just died, but I agree that if they are healthy and have not been killed after the first few months they seem okay. Many are not healthy to begin with, and die off with the stress of a cichlid tank.


I'd agree with this.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I don't find pleco to be a really good fish for my cichlid tanks as they do not get to eat if they are out of sight all day. The bite was most likely taken out after it died. At that point it is just an easy meal for anybody who wants to chow down a bit. Before death a pleco is a scratching, fighting set of sharp fins that none of my fish want to deal with.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

noki said:


> Seems unlikely that they would suddenly kill the Pleco, unless the fish was already weak and had become a target to bully. Hard to tell if Plecos are healthy a lot of the time.
> 
> Probably just died, but I agree that if they are healthy and have not been killed after the first few months they seem okay. Many are not healthy to begin with, and die off with the stress of a cichlid tank.


These are my thoughts as well.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

PfunMo said:


> I don't find pleco to be a really good fish for my cichlid tanks as they do not get to eat if they are out of sight all day. The bite was most likely taken out after it died. At that point it is just an easy meal for anybody who wants to chow down a bit. *Before death a pleco is a scratching, fighting set of sharp fins that none of my fish want to deal with.*


This has been our experience. We have bristle-nose in every tank we have running.


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