We have a 30 gallon long tank, with a variety of fish. We have 2 AFD's, and just recently got 2 Hi Fin Pleco's (please excuse me if I spelled the name wrong). I have noticed the last couple days that if one of the frogs gets under the Pleco to get to a shrimp pellet, as an example, the Pleco will start, how can I put this, it looks like he's doing to his back (the frog) what he does to the glass. I don't know if he is just cleaning off stuff from the frogs back, or if this is a danger to the frog. I was video recording the 2 yesterday with my phone and have on the video the Pleco doing this. Once I realized what I was seeing, I immediately chased the Pleco away. I can upload the video for anyone to see, but for me it's kind of frightening to watch. Oh and this morning, the Pleco was doing this to the other frog. And the frog, after a few seconds wiggles and moves away. They both appear to be fine. I am looking for an experienced owner's advice, and not just guesses. Thank you.
Could Pleco be a danger to our ADF's?
- Thread starter jandtsmom
- Start date
I'm afraid i have not been in this situation myself, i am not fond of frogs... i am however a relatively experienced keeper of pleco's.
pleco's will not normally harm other fish/ aquatic creatures unless it's territorial.. One way to tell if it's causing an issue is if there are any marks on the frog's back.
if the pleco is causing harm they need to be separated... The frog will most likely get away before harm is done.
Will the frog grow to a large size or is it at it's optimum size?
If the frog can fit in the pleco's mouth i would be worried and not take the chance till they've grown. Pleco's have been known to feed on dead fish so what's to stop them eating live ones on the floor?
pleco's will not normally harm other fish/ aquatic creatures unless it's territorial.. One way to tell if it's causing an issue is if there are any marks on the frog's back.
if the pleco is causing harm they need to be separated... The frog will most likely get away before harm is done.
Will the frog grow to a large size or is it at it's optimum size?
If the frog can fit in the pleco's mouth i would be worried and not take the chance till they've grown. Pleco's have been known to feed on dead fish so what's to stop them eating live ones on the floor?
ADFs are slow, and dumb. The pleco may not be trying to hurt the frogs, but he's probably damaging their skin a bit, making the frogs more susceptible to disease over time. But yes, the ADFs will move away if they are being seriously injured by the plecos.
And what kind of plecos do you have? If they are commons, they will outgrow your tank in a major way. Might have to consider rehoming the plecos, IMO.
And what kind of plecos do you have? If they are commons, they will outgrow your tank in a major way. Might have to consider rehoming the plecos, IMO.
Your plecos appear to be trying to suck off the slime coat of your ADFs. Like others have said, it's probably harmless to the frogs. However, they may move onto sucking on any of your fish, eating away their slime coat. A couple solutions I've heard about are rehoming the plecos to a larger environment or, as I'm guessing you don't have in the tank, adding real wood for your plecos to chew on. I think they're either overcrowded or looking for nutrients they're not getting elsewhere.
1- The plecos are sucking the slime coat, as others have said. This CAN harm them- makes them susceptible to disease and such. This link may help:
Loaches Online Forum • View topic - African dwarf frog- 2nd one died now
2- ADF's should not have shrimp pellets. They cause impactions which can lead to death. They should have something like FROZEN (not freeze dried- very important) bloodworms, or HBH frog and tadpole bites. You can get a medicine dropper, and squirt the bloodworms or HBH pellets right in front of them. Frogs are almost blind- they do however have a great sense of smell. They might swim away from you for the first little while, but after they smell the food they will not be able to resist.
I agree- might be a good idea to re-home the plecos- they will get pretty big.
Loaches Online Forum • View topic - African dwarf frog- 2nd one died now
2- ADF's should not have shrimp pellets. They cause impactions which can lead to death. They should have something like FROZEN (not freeze dried- very important) bloodworms, or HBH frog and tadpole bites. You can get a medicine dropper, and squirt the bloodworms or HBH pellets right in front of them. Frogs are almost blind- they do however have a great sense of smell. They might swim away from you for the first little while, but after they smell the food they will not be able to resist.
I agree- might be a good idea to re-home the plecos- they will get pretty big.
