PlanetCatfish.com

Is this pleco a meat eater or strictly alge?
I obtained 2 today and I'msurprised how much the top tooth stick's out. I figured it has to be for some specialized kind of feeding?

Also called the Vampire pleco, these fish are definitely more carnivorous.

There are unsubstantiated claims that the enlarged teeth are used for digging snails out of their shells.

I have a 4" Galaxias who goes mad for chopped prawn and regular high protein Catfish pellets, I have never, ever seen it touch any greenstuff. It has grown 1.5" in the last 6 months (which isn't bad for a pl*c)! It will end up in the fish house come summertime(when it is built) in a river tank I'm planning....[/i]

Are all Leporacanthicus supposed to be carnivorous? My L 264 dosn't seem to eat any meat.

Hi!

Yes the pl*co of the genus Leporacanthicus are "carnivorous" , they prefer to eat food with a high percentage of animal protein. I have seen also eat pretty well Spirulina tablets ( seem that every Loricariids like these). Otherwise I have never seen any touch vegetables stuff!
Some people think that their teeth are for taking snail out of their shell, but several people have kept both of them together without this happening. Does not mean it is not true or true, it can be because they would do only at a certain age/size with certain size snail.
I really doubt that these teeth have been made for nothing, teeth have always something to do with food!
Cheers
Yann[/i]

Hi

I think that this tooth is very helpfull in digging e.g. insects/bugs out of small openings/cracks in wood/rocks.
And it will of course be very helpfull in defence.
(thinking of walrus, elefants and narwhale - and birds using a small stick to pick out insects from small holes)

I don't think the tooth is just a show-off (without any practical function) to attract the opposite sex e.g. like birds enlarged tails.

-Klaus