Small Rubber Lip Pleco... anyone else have this problem?

[JoJofishgirl]

I have a small rubber lip pleco in my 12 gallon tank with platy, neons & 1 kuhli loach. I have had him for several months. He does great keeping the tank pretty clean but he sure is aggressive to the other fish.
I was just wondering if anyone else has this problem with their rubber lip. When anyone comes near where he thinks there might be food or near his little area he comes out at them very aggressively. I never thought much of it because he hadn't hurt anyone. However, yesterday my daughter and I were appalled to see him attack and kill a small Kuli Loach I had. :scry: Then he chased after the other one and it quickly went into hiding. Today I noticed that one of my male platy is hanging out in the back corner and I noticed a red area on him that appears to be an injury which I know has got to also be from the pleco.
I feed him algea wafers & shrimp pellets. His tummy looks nice and full so I don't think it's a hunger issue.
I'm just curious if this is a problem with this variety. I have a rubber lip in each of my other tanks and they also chase the other fish but have not hurt anyone so far like this one has.
IF I have to get him out of there how in the world do you keep algea down without a pleco? HELP!
Jo (Joanna)

[jbeining75]

Alot of times algae eaters if they have nothing to feed on will develop a taste for the slime coat on fish. If possible I would isolate him in another tank and loadhim up on algae wafers to get him back to that... Or if you don't use algae wafers, get some and drop them in at night before you go to bed.... Drop them right in front of him, he'll take them......

[Levi]

get a snail

[Colin]

I dont have a rubberlip but i do have a few plec and i agree with jbeining75.

I worried that my plec were not eating decently, they just stayed in there caves at feeding time and the rest of the stock ate everything, and I mean EVERYTHING.

I now feed the plec at bed time when the tank lights have been out for an hour or so and everyone else are caved up or floating in the corner for the night. Yup drop the stuff in front of em and enjoy plec feeding time.
Remember not to overfeed the fella.

[Bobo the Clown Loach]

My rubberlips leave the other fish alone. They do have algae to feed on though so I couldn't offer a suggestion either way as far as the food or lack of causing a problem. I have 3 small Julli cats and they are left alone by the larger rubberlips.

[sailor]

The only fish my rubberlips bother is sometimes each other when I put an algea disc. Other than that they leave everyone else alone.

[Tooch]

Mine doesn't bother anything in the tank. He's super peaceful, and doesn't go after anything, even if they brush against him... Food aside, temperment is definatly luck of the draw

[LosC]

Maybe because of the small tank.

[JoJofishgirl]

Alot of times algae eaters if they have nothing to feed on will develop a taste for the slime coat on fish. If possible I would isolate him in another tank and loadhim up on algae wafers to get him back to that... Or if you don't use algae wafers, get some and drop them in at night before you go to bed.... Drop them right in front of him, he'll take them......

Thanks! I appreciate the advice. I do have algae wafers and will try dropping them in at night rather than during the day and see if that helps!

[Litespeed]

How long does it take a rubber mouth to get the idea of eating an algae wafer? When we had our bristlenose, even if we dropped an algae wafer in at night, the pictus catfish would eat it all before the bristlenose had a chance at it.

[Treerat]

AKA Bulldog Plecos, are territorial like that... from my experience. They only get about 5 inches on averge and having a Napolian Complex they probably feel they have to flex on other fish in their area. Its nothing personal. Eventhough mine wasnt fooling my Marbled Sand Goby who ate my baby Rubber Lip (bulldog) when he tried to run him off.

It was a bummer cus he's was acclimating to the BW tank too.