Is My Pleco Doing To Die?

[deano1978]

Hi

i have a new tank and my pleco has been fine but all of a sudden he looks as if he is going from black to more white. i am worried that he isn't eating but how can i be sure? can i give him anything that he will definantly eat. what else could be making him lose colour? any idea's anyone?

 

[dane261]

how old is the tank

has the tank cycled when did you put the plec in

whats the ph nitrate nitrite amonia readings

what sort of plec is he

what size is the plec

and what is the tank size you have

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

When plecos fade in colour it often means they are getting very stressed, the more info you can give us on your situation the more we can help you as there are numerous things that can make plecs stressed. Info like

a. How many gallons/litres is the tank and what are its dimensions?
b. What fish do you have in the tank, how many and how large are they?
c. How long has the tank been set up for?
d. What is your average tank cleaning regime like (i.e. like water changes, clean substrate and filter etc) and how often do you do it and go about it?
e. What do you feed the fish and how much on average and how often?
f. Do you have any water quality test kits for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and ph?

Would be very useful/helpful to know etc.

 

[deano1978]

the tank has been running for 4 weeks

the ph is 6.5

the ammonia is 0

the nitrite is 0

the tank is 35 gallon or 128 litre

the plec is only about 3 inches long and is a south american plec he has been in 2 weeks.

i have just put some cucumber into the tank and turned the lights off he is on top eating so i guess its not that what else could it be?

also the yank only has 2 dwarf gourami's, 4 cory's and 4 neon's in it.

as for cleaning i have been doing gravel cleans and a 10% water change twice a week

i feed catfish pellets and fast sinking pleco tablets also flakes for the gourami's only feeding every other day.

his colour has only fadded in the last 24 hours.

 

[dane261]

whats the name of the plec you have and does he have some hiding places to go to if not that is a cause to stress

cheers dane

 

[deano1978]

i'm sure they said he is a common south american plec my tank is heavily planted but i have no caves should i add something for him to hide in?

 

[Maxta]

This:

http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/compleco.htm

?

 

[deano1978]

yes he looks like that

 

[dane261]

if it is a common it will quickly outgrow your tank and finding something suitably for him to hide in will be hard considering the size of your tank

i would put some sort of cover in the tank well it be a slate cave or some bogwood with a crevace in it and in the mean while i would consider taking the plec back to your lfs where you got it from that is if it is a common plec and get one that is suitable to your tank ie this link here http/www.fishforums.net/30-Plecos-Under-...es-t132656.html


cheers dane

 

[deano1978]

cheers dane

i might just do that, what do you think is the best suited plec for my size tank?

Dean

 

[dane261]

cheers dane

i might just do that, what do you think is the best suited plec for my size tank?

Dean

im a bit of a lover of bristlenoses they grow to about 6 inches and are easy to keep look through the list in my previous post see some you like and do a some research on them before you buy to make sure they are suitable for your tank

cheers dane