Plec

[fudgecake]

hi,
im new to this forum and also very new to owning tropical fish.

i recently got some fish= 6 danios-as thats what i was told to get to start out and also i have a plec. please dont ask me what type as i have absolutly no idea.

the thing is- when i put her in she went all patchy. my friend who has had tropical fish for years said that they do that when they get stressed, so i stopped worrying.

last night i lost one of my danios- it was very small compared to ther five and its was really lathargic so knew i would loose it. i asked for advice and i was told that as it was so small, it was probably not as strong as others.

my concern at the mo is that my plec{polly} who had gone to her normal colour has gone patchy, i dont remember her beinglike that this morning. my friend said that they do that sometimes and its nothing to worry about, and as much as i want to believe her im really not sure.

do plecs go patchy sometimes other than stress?

any advice will be extreemly welcome

 

[snowflake311]

No they get patchy when stressed. Many things can stress a fish out. Lights turning one, poor water, Other fish harassing it, Fast movement, Illness, water change, and some other stuff. You need to keep a close eye on him to find out what is the cause of stress and fix it.

Do a water change that always helps.

 

[fudgecake]

No they get patchy when stressed. Many things can stress a fish out. Lights turning one, poor water, Other fish harassing it, Fast movement, Illness, water change, and some other stuff. You need to keep a close eye on him to find out what is the cause of stress and fix it.

Do a water change that always helps.

hiya

ive been watching her and it only seems to be for a little bit after i turn the light on, after about 15 mins half hour she goes to her normal colour. thanx for the tips hunni i will keep an eye on her. the other fish {danios} do dart about alot and ive been told that its what they do and they pester her when ive put in an algae wafer in for her as they want it. if they continue to annoy her i think i will end up giving them to my friend and go to shop and ask for better suited fish for her. i want a communitee tank so i do need to make sure all the fish are compatible. only thing is the people in the shops that ive spoken to dont seem to be really helpful, do you have any ideas?
and i will do a water change today. thanx

gratefully
debs

 

[skippy_49nz]

You don't mention how long your tank has been set up. Plecos are typically really messy fish and not a good choice for a tank which is cycling. This is why they recommend the danios, they're hardy and can usually handle the stress of a tank cycling. Not so much you can do about it now. I would have thought the danios should be ok with all but the most timid plecos. Can you feed the danios first and then they hopefully won't worry the algae wafers you put in. If you change some water, I wouldn't change more than 50% and personally I would limit it to around 25%. Don't get in and change all the water or the cycle will have to start over and you will increase the stress for your fish. Smaller changes frequently are the best way to go.

 

[Haych]

my fish ALWAYS go for the algae wafers when I put them in for my plec, so I add 2, one for the cats and fish and one for the plec (even though he NEVER eats any lol)

 

[fudgecake]

my fish ALWAYS go for the algae wafers when I put them in for my plec, so I add 2, one for the cats and fish and one for the plec (even though he NEVER eats any lol)

hiya

thanx for that will try that, shes only a baby so she doesnt eat it all anyway, so might break one in half and put them in different places, that should get them to leave her alone to eat it while they eat other half.x

 

[tropic_john]

is the tank cycled

 

[fudgecake]

You don't mention how long your tank has been set up. Plecos are typically really messy fish and not a good choice for a tank which is cycling. This is why they recommend the danios, they're hardy and can usually handle the stress of a tank cycling. Not so much you can do about it now. I would have thought the danios should be ok with all but the most timid plecos. Can you feed the danios first and then they hopefully won't worry the algae wafers you put in. If you change some water, I wouldn't change more than 50% and personally I would limit it to around 25%. Don't get in and change all the water or the cycle will have to start over and you will increase the stress for your fish. Smaller changes frequently are the best way to go.

hiya

ive had the tank up and running for about three weeks but only had fish in it for a week,i did ask when i had the tank set up what type of fish i could have in it, but i had already got my plec{as there was only two left and my friend had one and i bought one} and my friend kept it in a baby floater thing in her tank for me. i ask the man at the aquarium and he said that as long as i had it up and running for about two weeks then my plec would be fine in there{which is why i waited two weeks before putting fish in. my friend helped me change the water as i didnt want to do anything wrong and we only changed half of the tank.

really gratefull for advice
thanx

 

[fudgecake]

is the tank cycled

hiya

really sorry but what does cycled mean?
does that mean water changed?
as ive said im really new at all of this.

thanx