Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I was in last week or so and we discussed feeding the pleco. I'm approaching a diff. subject w/ it looking for ideas.

We've had a pleco and RES in the same tank for a few months now. We noticed about a month ago, when we'd feed Tarzan (the res), the pleco would become hyper/frantic swimming and grabbing onto the turtle. Sometimes all over the shell and sometimes the head.

I didn't notice it for a while, but now THINK that it does it when we feed the RES chicken mostly. Pleco doesn't seem to do it as much when she eats the commercial food, although the pleco does still do it to some extent.

Yesterday was worse than before. This time the pleco was grabbing the turtle by it's head.......usually completely on the mouth. The turtle doesn't hide into the shell, just moves away and goes for more food, but I'm wondering if I should be worried. I noticed the pleco seemed heavier and brought the turtle down some and also noticed that once the pleco grabbed onto a piece of commercial food or chicken that it left the turtle alone. I have no idea if there is something harmful in the pleco's mouth that could injure the turtle's head or "face".

Common sense would tell me the pleco is hungry, but we feed it
algae wafers and it will go to a piece of chicken and suck on it. It doesn't look malnutritioned or sick in any way. I'm also
starting to feed it zucchini which it's eating.

I haven't actully tried to hold the pleco back yet, and we don't feed the RES separately or out of the tank as of yet. Besides these obvious ideas, are there any other ideas, has anyone ever seen or heard of this and does anyone know if there is something hurtful in the mouth of the pleco?

Thanks!

Some worst case scenarios I have read of:
1) pleco will not decrease agression and cause damage to turtle...most horrible being a pleco inflicts minor damage to turtle's eye (only a really big pleco can do this to a really small turtle)
2) your turtle will exact revenge and will definately eat the pleco

yeah there is an internet-famous story about a guy whose pleco decapitated (yes bit head off) his turtle. There was another girl whose pleco caused pretty sever eye damage to her turtle.
But most often the turtlke bites or kills the pleco.
I'd move the pleco and feed him greens, water plants, and wafer and some sinking pellets (all good for the RES as well).