Pleco problems...HELP!

novakn

New Fish
Jan 18, 2012
4
0
0
#1
I'm having troubles with my plecos. I had a common pleco, it lasted about a week. I bought it Last Monday. I tried feeding in lettece and algae pucks but I couldn't seem to get him to the bottome of the tank. It staied at the top of the tank and finally died today. I was very upset because I didn't know what to do. I have a community 55 gallon tank with 5 South African Cichlids in it. I bought a rubber lipped pleco today but it seem sto want to stay on the side of the tank and not on the bottom where there is a lot of algae for it to eat. What should I do? I don't want my poor fish to die.
 

KcMopar

Superstar Fish
#2
How long has the tank been set-up? Also what is your water change schedule? Do you know the exact readings of the water parameters? If you are not doing weekly or bi-weekly water changes this could be causing an issue. Also if the pH difference between your water and the store water is enough this could cause shock. My plecos do not really eat much algae, they eat when my other fish do and what they do.
 

novakn

New Fish
Jan 18, 2012
4
0
0
#3
The tank has only been set up for just over 2 weeks now. I have not done a water change as of yet. I was going to do my first one Friday. I added fish last Monday after the tank had 4 days to start cycling. The Pleco died out of the original 3 I had added first. Then I added the more today. The cichlids are doing well its just my poor plecos I worry about now.
 

Thyra

Superstar Fish
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#4
Do you have a liquid test kit so that you can check your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? If your tank isn't cycled yet you may need to be doing daily partial water changes. Do you understand cycling? I can take several weeks.
 

novakn

New Fish
Jan 18, 2012
4
0
0
#5
I do not have a liquid testing kit as of yet. I know a bit about cycling. I'm new to starting a tank, but before I started addinging fish I did some research. I had a bacteria bloom 3 days after I started the tank. I added a few fish to add good bacteria to the tank. The tank is clear now.
 

Thyra

Superstar Fish
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#6
If I understand this correctly the fish do not add good bacteria. They add the ammonia and nitrite that cause the good bacteria to grow by living off the ammonia and nitrite from the fish. (Its a little more complicated then that.) If you started the tank with just well water or dechlorinated tap water and added nothing more, your water did not start to cycle in those three days. You really need to get your water tested daily to see where you are at and then do partial water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels at 0 until you start to see some nitrate. Then you will do partial water changes to keep the nitrate level around 20ppm, but continue to monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels at least weekly until you are sure things are stable. When you add more fish you will also need to check levels frequently.
 

Apr 1, 2006
707
0
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32
South England UK
#10
The Pleco will eat when it is happy, once your water is good an you get a new fish add the fish allowing for normal
Acclimatisation procedures then turn lights off for around 2 hours or
More if you wish. After an hour I'd add some food and leave it be. Algae wafers are the best.

Then see how much if any has been eaten 3 hours later... If food is still there remove it and then wait a bit longer and add some
New food.