Background:

It has been nearly a year since I got my Rubber Lip pleco for my 10 gallon quarantine/medical treatment tank. Because I got him for my quarantine/medical tank, I named him "Doctor Pleco." (Disclaimer: Doctor Pleco cannot actually treat fish diseases) The two reasons why I got Doctor Pleco for my 10 gallon tank was so that 1) he can clean the algae off the glass and 2) so that he can continue the 10 gallon's nitrogen cycling. Plecos are very efficient algae eaters so I entrusted Doctor Pleco with the role of cleaning the algae-filled tank, which he swiftly did. Furthermore, Doctor Pleco also helps cycle the tank, because his waste provides nitrogen for the nitrogen cycle to continue. Thus, the tank will be cycled when I need to add new fish into it, so there will be no nitrite spikes, which can stress or even kill the new fish.

A Day in the Life of Doctor Pleco:

Most of the time, Doctor Pleco forages the tank in search of algae. At times, an algae disk drops in and Doctor Pleco feasts himself on the algae disk until he is full. Doctor Pleco also happens to be shy (like most other plecos). Whenever he feels nervous, Doctor Pleco quickly swims to his "doctor's office" behind the filter. Furthermore, Doctor Pleco has a peculiar habit of burrowing himself into the gravel when he feels nervous. Perhaps, I should replace the gravel with sand to see him truly burrowing under heaps of sand!

How Doctor Pleco is Doing Now:

After 1 year of being with us, I've noticed that Doctor Pleco has grown fatter and a bit longer. Now he currently lives with my Red Zebra cichlid in the 10 gallon quarantine/medical tank, though he won't need to deal with any new fish because of the research that I am doing with my Red Zebra cichlid. For now, this is it on my annual report of Doctor Pleco. Stay tuned for more!