New Pleco Won't Stop Moving

Easydoesit

AC Members
Mar 17, 2008
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I just got a Pleco tonight, haven't had him for a day. He won't stop moving on the glass. He'll stop for a second, and then keep moving. I don't know why.

Is this normal?
 
What kind of pleco? Lights on or off? How big? (smaller usually = more active)

I have a fancy (L075) that loves to swim and will play on the glass for an hour or more after lights out. And thats just while the room lights are on so i can see him...
 
hes a rubberlip pleco.. still small, maybe 2 inches max. i put him in the tank when the lights were on bright, then i turned off the bright light and turned on the dim light like i do every night for a couple of hours before i turn the lights off completely(kind of like a sunset type thing) so this is after i turned off the bright light and have the dim light on.
when i put him in the tank, he went and hid in a nook of the driftwood for a little while.. then he came out and started exploring and hes been pretty active, just keeps running all over the glass. when he was in the LFS, they were all pretty still, just hanging out on the decoration that was in there and now hes like.. crazzzyy
 
i just turned off the tank dim light and now hes still just scootin all over the glass with his mouth to it, stopping and going, stopping and going..
 
You do realize they eat with the same mouth they suck onto things with, right? Odds are good he's starving and trying to clean all the algae he can from your tank. Not a bad thing, as long as there's enough there to feed him. If not, you might consider supplementing his diet with some veggies or algae wafers.

How warm is your tank? These guys don't appreciate warm water as well as some pleco species. Anything over 78 degrees is definitely going to be accelerating his metabolism, also making him abnormally hungry.

Barbie
 
As Barbie said, that pleco was hungry and immediately went to town cleaning the tank glass. They will eagerly clean your glass and there's always a film on it, even if you don't see it easily. I never wipe down the insides of my tank glass anymore with bristlenose plecos.
 
oh barbie, i thought it was their other mouth that they eat things with...:confused:
thanks guys. thats what i was wondering, if he was starving or something. theres no visible algae on my tank yet(the tank just got inhabitants), but my tank is planted so i expect there to be some. also, the other tank that was in the same spot before(10gal) got some green algae.
but i also got algae wafers, which i put one right in front of the cave he likes hiding out on.. and he wasnt really interested in it.
the temp is between 76(at night)-78 in the day... but its prob. going to get hotter when it gets hotter out. ill just turn the heater down in that case... the other fish and snails in there would be good with 78
 
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