can plecos breathe from the surface?

[Mferko]

i just saw this pleco release a couple huge airbubbles on its way up to the top of the surface, it surfaced just for a second then went back down, is it breathing from the top??
i think i saw my old ancistrus do this and my corys do it all the time but i never saw bubbles coming out maybe cuz they were so small, this thing is 9 inches long and it let out some huge air bubbles...
its a leopard pleco, i just picked it up from a coworker today... supposedly it was picking on their angelfish but they also didnt know they had to feed it until i told them 2 days ago and i think they overfed it cuz omg its pooing like crazy, and oddly the poo floats

[CanadaPleco]

No they don't often go to the surface often. If it's doing it a lot you best do a large water change.

[Mferko]

thats the thing, it was just after a routine 30% water change, at even before the change it was 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and 10-20ppm nitrate
theres also tonnes of oxygen from an air pump going to a powerhead

this is the pleco:

[charles]

they do that sometimes. Not to worry.

[moca]

he's probably just checking out all his options.

[Mferko]

ok cool cuz ive seen him do it 2 more times i swear hes breathing or maybe just changing the air in his swim bladder or something
hes a really nice pleco but ive only had him a few hours and hes pooped out twice his length in floating poo, maybe they overfed it cuz they only realized they had to feed it 2 days ago and figured maybe thats why it was picking on the angelfish, his belly still looks full lol

[Mferko]

im paranoid hes going to try and inhale a cory or something in the middle of the night, do i need to worry about that? it seems wierd to me that it would even be attacking her angelfish... maybe the angel was picking at his fins?

[mikebike]

I have heard rumours that sometimes a pleco will try to suck on the slime coat of a fish.

Do you have wood in the tank?
They need wood in their tanks.

Mine love Spurilana pellets and Pamela's Critter Crumbs
All Natural Homemade Food
For Plecos, Snails, Shrimp and Fish
For more info:
Home - Critter Crumbs

[gmachine19]

i've seen some of my plecos before do that. its normal

[CanadaPleco]

It won't eat any corys! I've got plecos twice that size with 1" corys with no Problem