Bn Pleco Attacking Keyhole Cichlid

[nadajdui]

Okay, this is worrisome. I just got home from class, and I saw Rocky my male BN lunging at my keyhole and actually latching onto his side. This was a full out attack. What can I do to prevent this? This is the first time I have witnessed this, and I don't know if it's because they keyhole is bugging him or if Rocky is just getting overly territorial.

The tank is 33 gallons. 36"L 18"T 12"W
It is planted, and there is a large piece of driftwood off to the right side. Here is what it looks like:

I really don't want this happening in the future. Certainly a scary thing seeing a 5" fish do that.

Thanks

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i'd bet that the attack was primarily related to territorial activity on the part of the pleco. bn's prefer long, low "burrow"-like territories; adding a cave on one side of the tank will probably cause the bn to adopt that area as his territory. this will allow the keyhole to claim the other half.

the way your tank is arranged currently doesn't really cater to the bn's territorial tastes, thus he is less likely to adopt any particular region and more likely to contest with the cichlid just on general principles. i wouldn't worry too much about it unless it starts being a frequent occurance or if you start seeing damage on the keyhole.

 

[nadajdui]

Thanks, Pica
I added this a smaller cave-like piece of wood, and propped it up on a rock. It's just big enough for Rocky to get into, and it has 2 entrances. Murphy's Law, the keyhole went into it first. Hopefully the BN will claim it as his own soon.

 

[@ombomb]

looks perfect

 

[nadajdui]

Upon deeper thought, I did this instead:

If they're still fighting one is going to detention!!!!