Pleco help?

[Cat]

I acquired a small plec on saturday (it was about to be flushed) ,put it in my tank ,but its hardly moved,never saw it eating and i'm worried about it. Last night I thought it was dead so I put my hand in ,but it shot of,does it normally take so long for them to adjust?

Should I just not disturb it ,see how it goes,its about 4inches.

 

[JustinSane]

Hmm. Any idea what plec it might be? Try Planet Catfish to find out.
Some plecos take months to adopt to a new environment, I wouldn't be too worried. Though I suggest you should really find out the species, their care does wary quite a lot. But for starters, add some food after the lights go out, since many catfish are nocturnal.

 

[ryan]

As said, do you know what species of Plec it is? Any signs of illness like a sunken belly or sunken eyes? It is not unusual for Plecs to stay in one place for long periods of time, they are generally nocturnal until adjusted to tank life. Some of mine never move and I check from time to time that they are still about and each time I check they seem to be alot bigger than they were last time.

 

[daddyo72]

It is odd that he hasn't moved. I just purchased an albino pleco and he is very active. Try to introduce new food such as romaine lettuce, peas that sort of thing to motivate him to atleast eat. Ive had fish that never acclimated correctly so be careful. Do you have a hiding place for it to go and feel safe??

 

[smithrc]

sit at the tank tonight after lights out... (with a dim blue light if you can gather anything together)

It should be a lot more active at night.