Who Gives A Fish Forums

I've got a 20 gallon tank with a Bristlenose pleco and a group of Corydoras. The pleco seems to be hogging all the algae wafers. Anyone else deal with this? Wondering if I should feed them separately.

Yo, same issue here! My Corys are chill but the pleco's a total hog. I started dropping wafers on opposite sides of the tank. Works kinda okay, but the pleco's still a sneaky lil thief.

I've got a 30 gallon with both. Try feeding the Corys first with sinking pellets, then drop the wafers for the pleco after. They're slower eaters, so it gives the Corys a head start.

My pleco's the same way. I've been using Repashy soilent green for the Corys and wafers for the pleco. They seem to like the Repashy more, so the pleco leaves it alone.

floraink wrote: ↑Sat Jul 05, 2025 8:19 am I've got a 30 gallon with both. Try feeding the Corys first with sinking pellets, then drop the wafers for the pleco after. They're slower eaters, so it gives the Corys a head start.

That's a solid plan. I do something similar but with frozen bloodworms for the Corys. The pleco doesn't mess with those at all.

Bristlenose plecos are territorial about food. In a 20 gallon, space is tight. Try feeding the Corys at night when the pleco's less active. They're nocturnal but less aggressive after lights out.

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Gonna try the staggered feeding and see how it goes. Appreciate the help!

Let us know how it works out! My Corys are still figuring out the whole 'eat fast' thing, but they're getting there.

Another thing to watch is the pleco's growth. If it gets too big for the tank, it'll bully the Corys more. Mine's about 4 inches now and still manageable.

True. Bristlenose are smaller than common plecos, but they can still get pushy. Regular water changes help keep aggression down too.