PLECO STAYING UPSIDE DOWN ON SURFACE!!

[TheDudeAbides818]

For the past day or so, my Pleco has been at the surface, belly up A LOT. I’ve been reading online about what this can be (swim bladder issues, oxygen deficiency), but I’m asking here to see if anyone has had this problem before and what can be done about it. Clearly he’s not well in some way. I’ve tested my water numerous times with two different brand test strips and am not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

 

[TheDudeAbides818]

Not that anyone needed a picture really, but this is what he’s been doing. And in the same corner all the time right next to where some of the more concentrated bubbles come up.

 

[CassCats]

He might be looking for food.

Your guy is a big one, in the Pterygoplichthys family, looks to be Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus (aka gold spot common pleco). I have a cousin of this species and he often likes to take food from the surface, upside down.

The question is for you, is your guy floating immobile there or is he swimming around looking for something? Another thing to check is oxygen levels, plecos need good surface agitation, though Pterygoplichthys species are also able to breathe air directly from the surface too.

Can you get a video?


Mine will grab floating vegetables and goldfish food straight from the surface, he searches the top by swimming upside down all the time.

 

[TheDudeAbides818]

He might be looking for food.

Your guy is a big one, in the Pterygoplichthys family, looks to be Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus (aka gold spot common pleco). I have a cousin of this species and he often likes to take food from the surface, upside down.

The question is for you, is your guy floating immobile there or is he swimming around looking for something? Another thing to check is oxygen levels, plecos need good surface agitation, though Pterygoplichthys species are also able to breathe air directly from the surface too.

Can you get a video?


Mine will grab floating vegetables and goldfish food straight from the surface, he searches the top by swimming upside down all the time.
View attachment 352563

He is definitely not swimming around looking for anything at the surface. He’s quite immobile, just sitting at the surface upside down in the middle of the bubbles. If the agitation of the surface bubbling starts to push him at all, he wiggles his way back to that same spot to stay there. It’s almost as if he can’t stay below the surface and breathe like a normal fish. Like he’s staying upside down at the top to get air.

 

[CassCats]

Then he may be struggling for either oxygen, or he's got a swim bladder problem.


I'd recommend using some Epsom salt magnesium sulfate) to help with possible swim bladder. Pure Epsom salt, no dyes and no scents or oils. You can buy it at most pharmacies usually in the bath section.

Dosage is 1 tablespoon per 10 gallons. I would recommend putting him in a hospital tank for treatment.

Not aquarium salt, you need Epsom salt. It helps reduce swelling. Often the swim bladder is affected due to internal swelling to various causes, so Epsom salt is often useful for helping to reduce it and allow more comfort.

However, there could be an underlying problem causing it, you will need to figure that out.

First, I would test your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Nitrates should be below 20ppm, any higher is not good. It's a slow poison to fish, so it needs to be kept low.


Second, I'd increase surface agitation in the event that it is an oxygen issue. Plecos come from fast flowing rivers and streams, and are more prone to health problems when kept in low oxygen conditions. Sometimes, an airstone alone is not enough, especially for the larger ones.


Third, I don't know the tank size, but larger fish require larger setups. Especially the large plecos because they require a lot of oxygen (and use a lot more oxygen due to size) and they also poop a ton and smaller tanks build up waste a lot faster. Not to mention the fish will grow up to 12 inches in this species case, so you want to have a tank at least 75 gallons or more for this specific species, ideally even larger than that. A smaller environment can stunt them and stunting can crowd their internal organs and cause internal problems (such as swim bladder problems).