Hey everyone..
The other day I bought a 5 1/2 inch pearlscale fish (to add in a tank of a 10-11inch long pleco, and two 8-9 inch goldfish orandas). I went to sleep for about 6hrs and the next morning the pearlscale was dead with shredded fins and body wounds. Could the pleco have done this? Did the goldfish stand a chance? Has this happened to anyone else? And why has he left the other 2 fish alone?
Angela

A common pleco will attack any fish it can get - and a fancy goldfish like a pearlscale is just slow enough that it would fall victim to the pleco the first night out.

Plecos are very active at night, but a goldfish sleeps on the bottom of the tank - sitting very still. It is just a big piece of food waiting to be eaten for the pleco - they attach on the side and can kill quickly.

Your larger fish may be fast enough and strong enough to get away from the pleco - at least for the time being. Common plecos get really really large - so he will eventually probably take out the other fish, also.

A common pleco is a spectacular fish - but they are not compatible tank mates for a goldfish.

i dont think the pleco was the problem. i think your pearlscale died during the night, and the pleco latched itself to feed off the dead fish. ive had this happen. my pleco never tries to attack my goldfish. maybe you might wanna check your water params. to see what the real problem is

Justin, Daryl is right! Common pleco's _do_ attack goldfish, and I've seen them do it. Thats just the way pleco's are, they will suck on the slime coats as well if they can even dureing the day. I have seen them do it..... I won't have a plec in my tanks because I've seen them attack other fish as well!

I had a muched beloved pearlscale last year die because of a common pleco. Common plecos can and will latch themselves onto slow moving fish such as fancy goldfish. Trust me, commons are notorious for this........ :crp