My pleco is weird?

[TowBoater]

I got one of them tiger striped ones that get like 4-5" the other day. He stays hidden all the time, even at night when I go in with a red light, he is still in the stump. He is alive, I see his tail and can see him move all the time but he won't leave. Any way to taunt him out of his hiding place? Would something to imitate a moonlight work?

[hungryhound]

I got one of them tiger striped ones that get like 4-5" the other day. He stays hidden all the time, even at night when I go in with a red light, he is still in the stump. He is alive, I see his tail and can see him move all the time but he won't leave. Any way to taunt him out of his hiding place? Would something to imitate a moonlight work?

that sounds about right. I have a leopard cactus pleco (L114), and he rarely comes out. Some species are solitary by nature, and you rarely see them.

I affectionately refer to mine as the phantom 6 inch poop machine because I never see mine as well.

if you want him to swim around the tank, i doubt you will be able to get that, but I have found that if I drop an algae wafer directly where he is hiding he sometimes comes out for a nibble.

[TowBoater]

Ive tried it, my corycats get to it first.

[sergo]

is it a clown pleco? if so, i have two and they just munch on driftwood all day and never really come out unless i put a piece of zuccini in there and then they come out right away.

[RobbieG]

The moonlight is definitely worth a shot.

[TowBoater]

Ight, I will invest in a moonlight and my fish really don't care for and vegetables but cucumbers and not really them either.

[Rocky06fx4]

My common pleco is the same way! He never left his cave EVER! I got concerned about two weeks of not seeing him so I took the cave out. After that he hid behind the filter, which is his spot now. After about a month in a half he will come out during feeding time with the lights on. The thing about him is hes afraid of me for some reason, if he even sees me moving he swims right back to the filter. If I sit there watching the tank he comes out and skims the bottom but as soon as I move or get too loud he swims REAL fast right back to his "Safe place".

I think I just got a shy one cause the last common pleco I had loved sticking to the glass out in the open.

[TowBoater]

The common in my 55 is very sociable and will beg for his algae wafers.

[Dave66]

I know its counter-intuative, but the more hiding places your pleco has the more you'll see him. Also, it takes time (sometimes weeks to months) for them to get accustomed to your tank. Once he equates you with the arrival of food, you'll see him a lot more.

Dave

[Rocky06fx4]

I know its counter-intuative, but the more hiding places your pleco has the more you'll see him. Also, it takes time (sometimes weeks to months) for them to get accustomed to your tank. Once he equates you with the arrival of food, you'll see him a lot more.

Dave

I've had my pleco for 2 months now and I couldn't agree more. Now that I added a bunch of hiding places and plants he practically begs for those algae wafers! Before he would only come out to feed at night, now hes out during the day all the time.

[TowBoater]

He comes out every now and then but once he sees me, he is gone back into his stump. He has plenty of hiding places. My common who is growing A LOT comes out all them time, in fact, he comes out when I enter the room begging.:19:

[Dave66]

Aha! Your common, most likely a Pterygoplichtys species, is far more aggresive than your new charge, plus it was its tank first, thus its intimidating the new pleco. Your common will quickly reach more than a foot long, and are the proverbial 'bull in china shop' as far as tank decor is concerned when they are adult. If you move the common, you'll see the tiger a good deal more.
Among other things, I'm a dyed in the wool loricariad freak. I've kept dozens and dozens of species over the years and have six or seven species now.

Dave

[TowBoater]

There in different tanks.

[mariposa]

I have a pleco and he has become my favorite fish in the tank...even though I never see him either! lol. "Sightings" are getting more frequent, maybe he is getting used to the tank. He should, I've had him for several months...close to a year now. lol. I'm not sure what kind he is... he is probably a good 4 inches right now. When I first got him he was half his current length. I think its so cool to see how big hes grown and his fins are gorgeous! He used to be a really dark greyish-black color with spots. He was dark enough you couldnt well make out his spots but now he's lightened up quite a bit and you can make out the spots well. I might try the night time light when I get a bigger tank. For now I just have a regular hood with a plain non cool light. :P

[TowBoater]

My clown still won't come out. My common does for sure though!

[kid_fishboy13]

I have a pleco and he has become my favorite fish in the tank...even though I never see him either! lol. "Sightings" are getting more frequent, maybe he is getting used to the tank. He should, I've had him for several months...close to a year now. lol. I'm not sure what kind he is... he is probably a good 4 inches right now. When I first got him he was half his current length. I think its so cool to see how big hes grown and his fins are gorgeous! He used to be a really dark greyish-black color with spots. He was dark enough you couldnt well make out his spots but now he's lightened up quite a bit and you can make out the spots well. I might try the night time light when I get a bigger tank. For now I just have a regular hood with a plain non cool light. :P
it took my common about that long too. i think the afican clawed frog intimidated him until he got bigger and now i rarely dont see Sucker the Fish