Pleco Advise

[mikecbr600]

Hi

Iam new to the tropical fish tank set up I have a125ltr tank which is 5 months old with 10 cherry barbs and 2 rams. Weare in the middle of changing filters so have 2 running. We added a plec to the tank and for the first 3 days he was swimming around eating up the algee then the other day he passed away. I checked the levels and they were all fine except for the KH leel which I have been told is hard to get right due to our water. Can any one advise if its our tank or a bad btch from pets at home. We didnt feed him any algee flakes could this be the cause ? all the other fish we have had for the last 5 months.

 

[minnnt]

What kind of Plec was it?

P@H will refund you/replace the fish if you take your reciept in.

 

[mikecbr600]

What kind of Plec was it?

P@H will refund you/replace the fish if you take your reciept in.

Im not sure to be honest the most common type sorry to sound vague. Funny thing is we a plec in our cold water tank which has been with us for 6 months.

 

[minnnt]

Common Plec? Gibbiceps? These reach 20"+ and would need a 6ft tank.

Algae wafers are a vital part of their diet, but 3 days should have been fine. How long has the tank been setup?

 

[mikecbr600]

Common Plec? Gibbiceps? These reach 20"+ and would need a 6ft tank.

Algae wafers are a vital part of their diet, but 3 days should have been fine. How long has the tank been setup?

5 months now. one point I forgot e=when we got him he had a very ligh patch of skin over his back which he didnt have when he was in the pet shop. We put a bit of drift wood in for him and there was a fare amount of algee on the glass and on the rocks. The stones have turned a bit brownish over the last week before we got him but like I said he wasvery active for the first few days. any advise would be help full as we aquired a tropical tank so we coud have plecs and clown loaches but want to get it right ifits our tank any advise would be helpful. But the cold water plec is doing well .

 

[minnnt]

Common Plec? Gibbiceps? These reach 20"+ and would need a 6ft tank.

Algae wafers are a vital part of their diet, but 3 days should have been fine. How long has the tank been setup?

5 months now. one point I forgot e=when we got him he had a very ligh patch of skin over his back which he didnt have when he was in the pet shop. We put a bit of drift wood in for him and there was a fare amount of algee on the glass and on the rocks. The stones have turned a bit brownish over the last week before we got him but like I said he wasvery active for the first few days. any advise would be help full as we aquired a tropical tank so we coud have plecs and clown loaches but want to get it right ifits our tank any advise would be helpful. But the cold water plec is doing well .

You tank is not big enough for clown loach either, these get huuuge and need to be in a group of around 6 as they're sociable fish. 6x2x2 would be a ood size tank for these.

Your tank would be suitable for a bristlenose plec but not for a common or a gibbi.

Have a few days researching what fish you like and see if they're suitable. Also carry out a decent sized water change in case there is something a miss that isn't tested for.

 

[fluttermoth]

Could you post the actual numbers from your tests please, OP?

 

[mikecbr600]

Common Plec? Gibbiceps? These reach 20"+ and would need a 6ft tank.

Algae wafers are a vital part of their diet, but 3 days should have been fine. How long has the tank been setup?

5 months now. one point I forgot e=when we got him he had a very ligh patch of skin over his back which he didnt have when he was in the pet shop. We put a bit of drift wood in for him and there was a fare amount of algee on the glass and on the rocks. The stones have turned a bit brownish over the last week before we got him but like I said he wasvery active for the first few days. any advise would be help full as we aquired a tropical tank so we coud have plecs and clown loaches but want to get it right ifits our tank any advise would be helpful. But the cold water plec is doing well .

You tank is not big enough for clown loach either, these get huuuge and need to be in a group of around 6 as they're sociable fish. 6x2x2 would be a ood size tank for these.

Your tank would be suitable for a bristlenose plec but not for a common or a gibbi.

Have a few days researching what fish you like and see if they're suitable. Also carry out a decent sized water change in case there is something a miss that isn't tested for.

 

[mikecbr600]

no3 10
n02 1
gh 16
kh 20
ph 7.6
cl2 0

levels

 

[fluttermoth]

Ah, test strips

Ok, well, one of the problems with test strips (apart from the fact that they're not very accurate) is that most, like yours, don't test for ammonia, which is the biggest killer, and the substance that is actually excerted by the fish. You need to get yourself a liquid test for ammonia, and nitrite as well if you can.

Your test is showing a high level of nitrite, so we have to assume there is some present. You neeed to do a large water change (75 or 80%) to reduce that, How are you maintaining your filter? Because a nitrite level that high would indicate that your tank isn't cycled properly. Are you washing it under the tap? Or replacing the media frequently?

The pale patch on you plec was stress colouration; a lot of fish go either very dark, or very pale when they're stressed or ill.

 

[minnnt]

The patches aren't always a sign of stress, but in this case then they probably are due to high nitrites.

 

[colleen0309]

Good afternoon and welcome! I'n pretty sure the pleco didn't die because you didn't give it algea wafers for three days. They can go alot longer than that without any food.