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Hello everyone!

I was staring at my fish again (its becoming a problem...) and noticed that one of L134 had a little scratching. I didn't think to much of it until today when I was staring at them I noticed that another had developed much more significant scratching beside the dorsal fin un up towards the head. I checked for eggs but can't see any and I am unsure if they are spawning or fighting right now. One is a confirmed male and the others are slowly beginning to show signs of maturity. I have 12 caves in 55 gallon for the seven of them. none of the suspect females look particularly plump (as opposed to my P.maccus that look like there about to burst). I have read every breeding report and Shanes article multiple times, I really hope I get these fish spawning!

My main question is how much scratching should I see on a pleco before I isolate it into a hospital tank? I'll wait for the little bugger to come out of hiding (I think he is a little traumatized) and then get some pictures up when I can.

Any help is appreciated

Regards
James

Have you got a photo of the whole tank?

...1 confirmed male (with odontodes I presume) and 2 'suspect females'...

Could it be you actually have multiple males?

I have a pair of L205 (confirmed m+f, but no mating yet, probably waiting for warmer weather) and have not seen any aggression whatsoever even tho they are relatively tightly packed in a 60x30cm with 2 caves an a piece of wood to hide under (they always used the same ones so I removed a couple extra for space)

One confirmed male (yes very heavy odontodes), two suspect females and 4 additional immature fish making a total of 7. I could very possibly territorial fighting. the scratching is not nearly as severe as I thought it was but I still plan on keeping a close eye on it to make sure it doesnt turn into anything. Good luck with your L205 pair!

Each individual should have a minimum of a square foot of territory so it is most likely territorial disputes causing the damage

In my experience with this species, males in breeding condition will suddenly decide that one particular cave is the most desirable one and they will fight over that, regardless of how much space there is and how many caves there are. On one occasion one of my males suffered horrendous damage: tailfin and skin on one side of the body completely gone. He made a full and remarkably swift recovery but he never challenged the dominant male again and all was peaceful from then on. So hopefully, once the hierarchy is established these problems will go away but I would keep a close eye on them and keep the water very clean to allow injured fish to heal. Moving the injured fish could induce stress and make things worse - I wouldn't unless it looks like additional damage has been done, indicating a persistant problem.