pleco eating smaller fish

[chubbybuddha]

We have had our pleco for over 2 years. yesterday we restocked the tank with 8 neons. we have found 3 dead today, and just witnessed him eating another, and chasing our other fish. Is this him being territorial? We asked the petshop yesterday how long neons should last and they said 2-3 years. ours always die after a few months, we are now thinking it may be the pleco?

[wildwood]

Plecos are basically vegetarians so it is unlikely that they actually predate on other fish, although I have learned with my long association with animals that nothing is impossible and they would not turn their nose up at a dead small fish. They become very territorial as they get older and the neons will be very stressed, although I suspect that the overnight deaths will be due to other causes such as watershock.

Plecos can reach a length of over 2 feet in a large aquarium but a medium/small tank will stunt their growth and they almost always die before they get to that size.