Why Wont My Plec Eat?

[PlecMama]

Hi people.

I have two plecs, just run of the mill hypos plecos but they don't seem to have settled in very well and I can't get them to eat except for a little algae grazing, I am worried my big girl Nessie isn't eating enough. Not sure about little Scott, he never seems to eat but he looks like a decent healthy fish, whereas Nessie looks a bit thinner then when I picked her up a week ago.

Scott is 2.5 inches long and Nessie is about 9 inches. We've got cucumber, blood worms, tropical flake, pond pellets and plants in the tank - anything else I should try?

Thanks xx

 

[WILDER]

Most plecs feed when the tank light are out at night, what the colour look like on the skinny one is she pale or darker in colour, can you see what colour the poo is, and look if the anus is enlarged or red and inflamed.

 

[PlecMama]

Scott's fairly light, Nessie is very dark, her poop is quite pale, not the dark it was a few days ago. I don't know enough about them to know what a normal plec poo looks like, I think that will come with experience.

I know someone is eating at night because all the algae off my red stone is gone. Is the poop pale because she ate all the light cucumber? someone is eating it, but I suspect the molly since she is always on it.

I am just worried that Nessie is looking a big thin under her tummy.

Oh and no swollen or red bums here.

 

[WILDER]

Is the poo long white and stringy, being dark in colour can indicate a bacterial infection, how often do you do a gravel vac, as they can get bacterial infections with feedings on the bottom, also being skinny can be a sign of internal parasites, so it's inportant to check the bum area.

 

[PlecMama]

Is the poo long white and stringy, being dark in colour can indicate a bacterial infection, how often do you do a gravel vac, as they can get bacterial infections with feedings on the bottom, also being skinny can be a sign of internal parasites, so it's inportant to check the bum area.

I just read that on the other board

The shop we got them from was horrid, we were more rescueing them then anything, we bought fish there before and had to treat them all for white spot. I suspect she might be sick. What should I treat her for as the most likely illness? I just treated for white spot again today to make sure everyone else was clean.

Thank you ever so much for answering, I am desperate that she wont die, she is way to cool to die.

 

[black angel]

Have you any bogwood as some plecs like to graze on that?

 

[PlecMama]

Have you any bogwood as some plecs like to graze on that?

Bogwood on delivery, due tomorrow, we never intended to get plecs, hence why we are not yet experts, we had a few other little things floating about in our tanks that we were quite happy with, but these poor plecs were in a tiny tank at the fish store and we just had to get them out of there

 

[WILDER]

Got to find out of it's a bacterial infection or internal parasites, need some answers to the colour of poo, and if the amus looks larger than normal, don't add meds to you no for sure they have whitespot, as you are just stressing the fish out.

 

[PlecMama]

Got to find out of it's a bacterial infection or internal parasites, need some answers to the colour of poo, and if the amus looks larger than normal, don't add meds to you no for sure they have whitespot, as you are just stressing the fish out.

Oh we know for sure the tank has white spot, we just saw it a few days ago. Hopefully it will be gone after todays treatment.

The most recent poop is green, fairly dark (just inspected her underside) started off pale and sort of empty tube looking but now coming out dark green. From what I know about fishes butts - which isn't a great deal - it doesn't appear to be swollen or inflamed.

 

[WILDER]

Sometimes fish can get bacterial infections on top of parasites, and with her being dark in colour she could have a bacterial infection, can you issolate the sick fish.

 

[PlecMama]

Sometimes fish can get bacterial infections on top of parasites, and with her being dark in colour she could have a bacterial infection, can you issolate the sick fish.

Can do if I need to - how do I know what to treat her for though?

 

[WILDER]

Well if the poo is green she fine, she dosn't have internal parasites, with her being dark in colour and off her food sounds like a bacterial infection, and with being kept at the lfs in such poor condition could be.

Hard to tell with a plec is she listless and lethargic, and is she laying to one side.

 

[PlecMama]

Well if the poo is green she fine, she dosn't have internal parasites, with her being dark in colour and off her food sounds like a bacterial infection, and with being kept at the lfs in such poor condition could be.

Ok good, I am relieved to hear that she might just have the same as everyone else from the store, it's a lousy shop, it's the only one in town and if you want anything you have to buy it and watch it really carefully - hence the sudden white spot out break in both tanks. One more fish introduced in to one tank, that started fighting with everyone else so got banished to the downstairs tank and infected everyone in the house, bah!

I hope Nessie is just a bit shell shocked and a bit run down. She's a beautiful creature, when she puts her fins out and her sail up and glides about she really is something special to look at. We've had her barely a week and she's changed how we looked at fish keeping. Scott was bought as a Christmas present for me since I bought Nessie for my husband, he wanted me to have a really cool fish too

We hope they are both going to be ok in a few days. Thank you ever so much for your time tonight, we have been trolling the fish forums to find people who look like they know what they are talking about because the shop would be no use - they have to put the goldfish in one tank and the Koi in another so they can tell them apart

 

[WILDER]

Good god i does sound like a lousy store, if you can issolate her you could try her on half a dose of a bacterial med, as plecs don't tend to get onto well with meds, don't forget to add an airstone for extra aeration.

 

[PlecMama]

Good god i does sound like a lousy store, if you can issolate her you could try her on half a dose of a bacterial med, as plecs don't tend to get onto well with meds, don't forget to add an airstone for extra aeration.

Thanks you, we'll try that. We are willing to do whatever we can for her. Should I do Scott too since he came from the same tank at the same time or should I wait and see if he looks sick? I don't want to make him ill if he's not but chances are they were both in the shop tank together long enough to both have whatever it is.