I was just wondering if anyone can come up with a reason for why my plecos die. I have a 55 gallon tank with a neutral ph and no ammonia or nitrite or nitrate. Nobody picks on them. The lights on for about 12 hours a day and i also drop some shrimp pellets which it looks like they nibble on. I had one it died in about a month. Tried another same thing. This time i bought 2 ayt the same time. They lasted for about 5 months. My longest yet. One died about 1 week ago and then the other just last night. What am i doing wrong?? I also have a kinda big irridescent shark that eats the pellets, but im pretty confident i drop enough of them. So can someone please come up with a reason.
My Plecos Always Die??
- Thread starter fishaddict
- Start date
i didn't know u cna have ALL 0 Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate at the same time. is that possible, except if you just put water in the tank?
Maybe because you said the bad word, whenever someone syas the word with the e they usually have their Pl*cos die.
You'r fish could be attacking it?
The Pl*co starved?
was it an algae eating pl*co?
Your not a Pl*co person?
Maybe because you said the bad word, whenever someone syas the word with the e they usually have their Pl*cos die.
You'r fish could be attacking it?
The Pl*co starved?
was it an algae eating pl*co?
Your not a Pl*co person?
I did put water in the tank about that time. Either that or my test was wrong. I have 5 tiger barbs but they dont usually bug it. Every once in a while a little one came and pecked at it but that was it. I think it was an algae eating pl*co but im not sure. I think it was eating. I put shrimp pellets down for it every night and it was constantly on the glass. Im willing to bet that it was your last option. Apparently im not a pl*co option.
Thanks for explaining about that pl*co thing. I was wondering why nobody included the e. I think im giving up on pl*cos for now.
Thanks for explaining about that pl*co thing. I was wondering why nobody included the e. I think im giving up on pl*cos for now.
It depends on your tank sometimes how much algae is in it. If your tank is kept quite clean there will be less algae in it for your pleco. However, 1 pleco in a 55gal tank should have more than enough to munch on. You might want to try giving them those bottom-feeder wafers you can buy, or try tying a bit of cucumber to a rock and sinking it in, they really seem to love that. Did your pleco's start to look thinner before they died. For the most part the tank algae provides for their dietary needs, but you have to keep an eye on them too and supplement with wafers or vegetables sometimes. Just a few suggestions.
Also I wouldn't worry about the pl*co thing. I admit to doing it when I first started posting, but then realizing why people did it quickly stopped. It seems silly that in this modern day and age people still think typing an e in pleco will lead to the death of your fish and other such superstitions. Fish in general can be quite sensitive to their water environment and as par with this oft times die for what seems to be unknown reasons. If I type pleco, how long does it take to kill my fish? If my pleco dies a year from now, is it because I didn't type pl*co in this post today? Nonsense. If my pleco dies tomorrow, it will merely be a strange coincidence. I will keep you posted on the health of my 1 pleco
Also I wouldn't worry about the pl*co thing. I admit to doing it when I first started posting, but then realizing why people did it quickly stopped. It seems silly that in this modern day and age people still think typing an e in pleco will lead to the death of your fish and other such superstitions. Fish in general can be quite sensitive to their water environment and as par with this oft times die for what seems to be unknown reasons. If I type pleco, how long does it take to kill my fish? If my pleco dies a year from now, is it because I didn't type pl*co in this post today? Nonsense. If my pleco dies tomorrow, it will merely be a strange coincidence. I will keep you posted on the health of my 1 pleco
I have the same problem...every pl*co has died, as weel as ottos and any other algae eater. My problem (if you can call it that) is that I have no algae...none. So why buy and algae eater if you have to supplement his diet...didn't make sense to me. So now I just have my pl*coless tank woth a couple clown loaches instead. Works for me!!!
do you have the same water paramiters as the shop you bought him at .many fish are very sensitive to minute changes in the water. are you quaretineing the fish before introdution to the tank.plecos in genaral are a varied group of fish this one may need wood in the diet as wellas algae,or may be meat is what it needs.and yes you can 0 reading for the ammo.nitrate,nitrite.i never have any trace in my main community tank,but i keep very small fish except my pleco.i have a turn over rate of ten times an hour and i do frequent water changes,gravel vac with every change.then again my test kit could be to old
My common Pl*co is one of my favorites. I got him at about 2 1/2" and he's now about 6". This is in less than 90 days! The glass on my tank is spotless, I get hardly any waste off the bottom when I vac, and he just keeps getting bigger. Now everyone keeps saying how big they get. I've heard 12", 16", 18", even 24". The question is does anyone actually HAVE one that has gotten that big? If you have one, how big is yours at what age?
-Phroge
-Phroge
Why have a fish that you have to suppliment a diet for? Sorry, but this has bothered me. All fish anyone keeps is having food served to them. Just because a certain type eats plants and/or algea, do you really want them to have to fend for themselves with a possiblity of dieing from starvation? Come on now...we feed them everyday with nice prepared and bottled foods...heh...just because food is in the cubbord, does that mean you won't go hungry? Some one has to prepare and cook it. I mean not to upset with my ranting, just making a point. One lfs around here has a marine tank setup, vastly planted with some type that lives off that sort of thing. At most this fish is 3", and its the only one in the tank...guessing about a 90 gallon. But my assumpting is, to have a tank setup where you don't have to feed it must be difficult to do. Now back to algea eaters...I personally like the way they look. Then again, why buy a fish you can't stand to look at? Its still working up to 4" in my 30, and honestly...it does eat algea, but not enough...have small patches of brown algea still growing. I toss in algea waffers, it eats those, but has to fight my blue gourami for it...grrr....stingy bully. Anyhow, as it has been said, thus so it shall be.
All fish anyone keeps is having food served to them. Just because a certain type eats plants and/or algea, do you really want them to have to fend for themselves with a possiblity of dieing from starvation? Come on now...we feed them everyday with nice prepared and bottled foods...heh...just because food is in the cubbord, does that mean you won't go hungry? Some one has to prepare and cook it. I mean not to upset with my ranting, just making a point. One lfs around here has a marine tank setup, vastly planted with some type that lives off that sort of thing. At most this fish is 3", and its the only one in the tank...guessing about a 90 gallon. But my assumpting is, to have a tank setup where you don't have to feed it must be difficult to do. Now back to algea eaters...I personally like the way they look. Then again, why buy a fish you can't stand to look at? Its still working up to 4" in my 30, and honestly...it does eat algea, but not enough...have small patches of brown algea still growing. I toss in algea waffers, it eats those, but has to fight my blue gourami for it...grrr....stingy bully. Anyhow, as it has been said, thus so it shall be.
Gee, my pleco is over 10 years old! A couple times we thought "big mama" was a goner, she (don't know if it's a she lol) would start to sort of float just a little or sort of stand on her tail. We would check the ammonia and sure enough it would be high, so we would adjust it and viola' she would be back to her normal fishy self! She has out lived every other fish that we have had! I would guess she is around 7"s or so.
We have never put anything special in the way of food in the tank, tried zuchinni once but she wasn't interested. We use the sinking algea wafers and she seems content!
I wouldn't give up on them, they are really cool fish, in the evening when it is quiet in the house and I am sitting near the tank I can hear her sucking/cleaning the sides!
Good Luck!
Angie
We have never put anything special in the way of food in the tank, tried zuchinni once but she wasn't interested. We use the sinking algea wafers and she seems content!
I wouldn't give up on them, they are really cool fish, in the evening when it is quiet in the house and I am sitting near the tank I can hear her sucking/cleaning the sides!
Good Luck!
Angie
I have had one for well over a year and he/she is doing great. I had bought two at the time, but the other became a meal for my oscar! He had ate everything but the head. It freaked me out to see just the head bouncing around on the bottom of the tank, it was like something out of a bad horror movie.