Is There Something Wrong With My Pleco?

[alvis8]

Hi, I'm new here so please be patient with me I might not know everything there is to know about our plecos...

I'm very worried about my pleco, he seems pale in certain areas, I don't know if it's normal colors or if there's something wrong with him.... what do you guys think?






Oh and I was wondering if somebody could help me identify his specific species or type of pleco? All I got so far is 'common pleco'.

I love him (at least I think it's a him I know you can check but I haven't...) a lot, but I honestly wasn't prepared for this. I always wanted a nice sized pleco but this wasn't a planned purchase it was more of a 'rescue' somebody was moving and I was the only person who was willing to give it a home .

 

[bae1994]

Hi it's actually called a common pleco

Or scientific : Hypostomus Plecostomus

And from keeping them in the past they are often marbled with dark and pale but others not

But be warned they do grow to 2ft so need a 5x2x2 ft tank as adults preferably 6ft long as a minimum really

And feeding they will take algea wafers vegetables such as

raw potato , courgette cucumber blanched lettuce all good for him / her

Atb bae

 

[fluttermoth]

They often get pale patches like that when they're feeling a bit stressed; have you tested the water recently? He'd (I say 'he' but they're almost impossible to sex) probably appreciate some more cover/hiding places too.

 

[alvis8]

Hi!
Thanks for the quick reply.
I've heard they get pretty big. Like I said I always wanted one but wasn't prepared for this one.

He is currently sitting in a 55 gallon tank which is 4 x 1. I know that's too small for him.

I also have a 135 gallon tank which is 6 x 1.5 x 2. I was hoping to have him housed there, but I have my two comets (that I'm rather fond of) in there now. And for some reason I can't get the big stand up filter to work for that tank, it'll keep working if I keep priming it pouring water down the spout but it won't suck water on it's own...anyway.

So the pleco is in the 55 gallon tank now because I have a smaller filter for that one. And he's got his heater there too. I originally had my comets in there too but the pleco started sucking their scales off and messed up half of one of my comet's face (His name is Wilson, he's a white comet with red fins and red spot on his face, so I called him Wilson like the volleyball in 'Castaway'). So the morning I woke up and seen the damage the pleco has done to the other fish I had a friend help me move in the big tank and I put the goldfish in there because I wasn't sure I could keep the water warm enough for such a big tank for Fred (the pleco) and the big filter isn't working. And the comets usually don't need alot of water changing or cleaning (I've read they eat their own waste) so I put them in there and since the pleco poops alot and whatnot I left him in the continuously filtered 4 foot tank.

I've been giving him baby shrimp and some raw veggies as well as 'bottom feeder pellets'. And blanched zuchinni but he didn't like it.
And how do I check if it's a him or a her?

Oh and thanks for all your help!

 

[fluttermoth]

Just a couple of points...there's no way of telling the sex of common plecs (that I know of). They don't breed in captivity, so it's a bit irrelevant anyway!

Comets need a heck of a lot of cleaning and water changing; there's not a fish in the world that eats poo...55 gallons was too small for them anyway; even your 6 footer is pushing it; they can grow to over a foot long; they should be in a pond in all honesty.

I suggest you get off to your LFS and get some test kits; for ammonia and nitrite at the very least and nitrate if you can.

Any hint of ammnoia or nitrite, do enough water changes (with dechlorinated, temperature matched water) to get them to zero.

 

[alvis8]

Thanks for the reply!
My comets are like honestly maybe 1.5 inches long each (and there's two of them). But no I hear you, I will get supplies as soon as I can get off the island. I live in a pretty remote area.

 

[This Old Spouse]

The pleco and comets shouldn't be in the same tank anyway as they require completely different conditions. Find some veggie tabs (algae wafers) that will sink to the bottom and raw cucumber. And as fluttermoth said, they're nearly impossible to sex.

I have a filter that takes a LONG time to get going if it's been turned off. I end up almost dribbling water in it just to get it to start up and have to keep dribbling until it finally starts going. Have you taken it apart to make sure nothing is impeding the impeller?

Thanks for the reply!
My comets are like honestly maybe 1.5 inches long each (and there's two of them). But no I hear you, I will get supplies as soon as I can get off the island. I live in a pretty remote area.

You should be able to get a good liquid test kit on ebay

 

[fluttermoth]

Thanks for the reply!
My comets are like honestly maybe 1.5 inches long each (and there's two of them). But no I hear you, I will get supplies as soon as I can get off the island. I live in a pretty remote area.

Oh, fair enough; your tank will be alright for a while then