My Common Pleco Just Died.... :-(

[starsatnight]

my tank has been fully established since february 2007 and the pleco was the last addition to my 25 gallon tank. it lived for about 2 months and then yesterday i found it at the bottom and dead.

over the previous two weeks i noticed it seemed to get smaller (if that makes any sense) and then noticed it's fins were all ragged - especially it's tail fin. no other fish in the tank is exhibiting the same symptoms. i'm wondering if i have a stealth fin-nipper?

the only other thing that was new was the fact that i've been feeding the tank blood worms once a week. the pleco liked to eat those too - i'm wondering if maybe the bloodworms were too rich for the algae-eater?

any thoughts or suggestions? i'd love to get another pleco - i loved it's personality - but don't want to lose a second one as well.

thanks in advance.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

were you also feeding algae wafers? that aside, a common pleco would grow to be far too big for a 25g, so that could have been part of the problem.

is the stocklist in your signature accurate? then you should also be aware that your tank is pretty heavily stocked and that those lab cichlids are very likely to be too aggressive for the other tankmates when adult. if the labs were in with the pleco, it is entirely possible that they simply out-competed the plec for any sinking foods that you may have added.

i would rethink keeping those labs in an otherwise typical community tank.

 

[Musho3210]

labs could have beat the pleco to death as well considering the torn fins.

 

[kadz]

is there any reasons for a Pleco to get smaller?

 

[xingumike]

it won't get smaller, may lose weight if its being outcompeted for food like pica suggests, leading to it starving to death

 

[starsatnight]

thanks pica and musho.

the stocklist in my signature is accurate and up-to-date. the labs are still juvenile - the large one is 2 inches long and the small one is just over an inch or so. i was nervous about adding them and have been watching closely and i've never actually seen the labs go after anyone - other than the aggressive male blue gourami.

i was not feeding algae wafers yet - there was still a lot of green algae in the tank the pleco was working on. he'd also come up to eat flakes and bloodworms. the pleco was about 1.5 inches long. i feed sinking pellets to the loaches and do see the cichlids carrying the pellet around, but the loaches are pretty good about going after their food!

if i were to move them - what size tank do you think I'd need for the two cichlids? what else could i keep with them?

oh - finally - i too am wondering why the pleco would of gotten smaller. could he have been carrying a disease?

thanks again,
jodi

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

The pleco could have been carrying internal parasites, which could have made the pleco loose a lot of weight (even if the pleco was eating a lot) and thus make it look "smaller".

 

[pandacichlid]

sorry for your loss
I lost a ram recently, but it was from a faulty lot according to my lfs.

 

[starsatnight]

sorry for your loss
I lost a ram recently, but it was from a faulty lot according to my lfs.

thanks... i've lost a few since my tank has been running - but it never gets easier to scoop the poor things out.

and regarding the potential internal parasites.... i will be on the close look-out to see if anyone else begins to exhibit the same 'shinking' syndrom.....