Struggling To Keep Plecs Alive

[Beavis123]

Can anyone help?

I have a 200 litre tank which i have tried 3 times to keep a plec in. I left 1 side of the tank to accumulate algae and also all the ornaments. I dropped in algae wafers once a week. Every time they only survive 5 weeks at the most, I have tested the water regularly and it is always fine. Does anybody have any advice for me to help me keep a plec alive as i really like these fish and dont want to have a tank without 1 in it!

 

[Squidward]

Can anyone help?

I have a 200 litre tank which i have tried 3 times to keep a plec in. I left 1 side of the tank to accumulate algae and also all the ornaments. I dropped in algae wafers once a week. Every time they only survive 5 weeks at the most, I have tested the water regularly and it is always fine. Does anybody have any advice for me to help me keep a plec alive as i really like these fish and dont want to have a tank without 1 in it!

What type of Plecs were they?
What are your water parameters?

 

[Beavis123]

I dont know the type but they had gold spots on them?
what are the ideal parameters for a plec? off hand i cant remember what they were, its been about 2 months since i last had a plec, im thinking about getting another but i want to give it the best chance to survive before i do.

 

[simonas]

if they are common plecs you are buying it may be that the fish you are buying are in a poor state. most I see in shops are already emaciated with sunken bellies

make sure the next you buy is full bellied without sunken eyes and then buy catfish pellets and feed them along with courgette, potato etc and keep water conditions fine

 

[lilfishie]

please don't just buy a plec to eat the algae, they need a stable diet of food just like any other fish, also you should be feeding it more than once a week, mine get fed near every day

 

[funkyj]

Did you acclimate your new fish to your tank's water? Not just floating the fish to acclimate temp., but adding a little tank water every few minutes to the bag water until the bag is nearly full. The fish aren't healthy. There's numerous reasons why a plec or other fish won't live.

 

[redbug]

Don't buy a pleco unless you know what type it is and how to care for it.
It may have a need for bog wood or be a meat eater. If it was a common you more than likely starved it
once a week feeding is not enough. Like others have stated Mine get feed daily

 

[Beavis123]

when i added the algae wafer all the other fish ate it and the plec didnt get a chance to get near it, i tried putting it in at the same time as the fish food and this made no difference, any ideas how to overcome that?

 

[simonas]

easy give courgette instead at night time

 

[lilfishie]

feed just before lights out, a lot of plecos are nocturnal