are pleco's poisnous if held??

Question

hello,

i have a pleco (dont know what the name of his kind is yet) its about 3-4 inches and i have it in my aquarium (3 fancy tailed goldfish to clean the algae. but when i hold it i notice that its body is pretty spiky. should i be worried that when i hold him that his spikes might be poisonous to my skin or is it poisonous in any kind?? i tried researching about it on google and wikipedia and forums i havent caught anything that says about any pleco being poisnonous to the skin. any advice or knowledge would be appreciated.

sorry i meant (3 fancy tailed goldfishes, and a male betta and 2 gobbies) thanks.

just goby fish

http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070628/070628_goby_hmed_12p.hmedium.jpg

Answer 1

No, I don't think any plecs are poisonous - their spines are probably just for decoration, but are you aware that you're mixing coldwater and tropical fish? Both types of fish need completely different temperature ranges and one type is going to be suffering. I'm sorry, but it's the truth.

You need to seperate the tropicals from the goldfish. For 3 fancies, you're going to need a 3ft tank. They grow to around 10" long. The tropicals will need a heater (if you haven't already got one).

As for the "gobbies" Which one do you mean? Guppies or Gobies? Most Gobies are marine (apart from the Peacock goby - and even they prefer the addition of some salt), and I'll be VERY surprised if you can keep a betta and guppies in the same tank - they'll fight to the death!

Edit: Look's like its a marine fish. I'd take him back to the shop.

Answer 2

i don't think there are any toxins but of course any time you get a cut or a puncture you always run the risk of getting an infection. i have handled a lot of plecos bare-handed because they're easier to catch that way and they're usually difficult to untangle from a net. i found that the best way to hold them is to pin their pectorals to their sides. in my experience, once i do that they usually stop thrashing around or at least they do it with less vigor. I've never been spiked yet because their spines are not really sharp at the tip. maybe I've been lucky

Answer 3

Hi Levin, Plecos are not poisonous if you hold them but you should not be doing so unless you have an emergency. You should never keep algae eaters purely as tank cleaners & they certainly do not belong with Goldfish.

Answer 4

Don't handle your fish. Don't keep tropical and coldwater fish in the same tank. If you are so worried about toxic fish, find out the Latin names (taxonomic names) and study their characteristics before you buy them,and that way you'd know about their temperature requirements,too.

Answer 5

NO
But the dorsal fin and pectoral fins are VERY sharp and will easily puncture your skin if you're not carefull.