i recently purchased a rubber lipped plecostomus mainly cuz i thought it looked kool as hell and i had it for upwards of 2 weeks maybe longer not certain on the numbers the other day i noticed it was on its side/back and this bummed me out a great deal as i went to retrieve the fish from the tank he moved and began to swim, albeit halfheartedly so i decided to leave him in the tank i looked a few hours later and he was on his side really and truly dead this time the skull plate that is characteristic of plecos had begun to separate this upset me a great deal... my current setup is i have a 5 or 10 gallon with 2 large albino African clawed frogs the female is gargantuan and is somewhat of a bully likely cuz she has no idea just how big she is and terrorizes the other denizens which are a small black mystery snail and a pleco whose species im not wholly certain of though its predominantly black but with yellowish mottling what mystifies me most is ive had the other pleco for months and it has thrived and almost tripled in size since i purchased it any help and advice would be greatly appreciated
rubber lipped plecostomus' unexpected demis
- Thread starter pariah
- Start date
There is a huge difference in size between a 5 gallon and a 10 gallon tank. Can you post the measurements on the tank so we can determine exactly what size tank it is?
IME, rubberlip plecos are extremely sensitive to water quality. I have had a few over the course of my fish-keeping "career" and have never had one live more than two weeks, even in my most established tanks.
As for your other pleco, it sounds like a common pleco. Common plecos get to be 18-24" long and don't belong in anything less than a 75-90 gallon tank (depends on who you ask). Also, ALL plecos are huge waste producers and can quickly foul a tank if you don't keep on top of your water changes (I picked up a trinidad pleco at the LFS because they told me it didn't get very big and I had an 18gal tall tank...yeah, I had it for a month, it almost tripled in size and it completely fouled my filter because it produced so much waste).
IME, rubberlip plecos are extremely sensitive to water quality. I have had a few over the course of my fish-keeping "career" and have never had one live more than two weeks, even in my most established tanks.
As for your other pleco, it sounds like a common pleco. Common plecos get to be 18-24" long and don't belong in anything less than a 75-90 gallon tank (depends on who you ask). Also, ALL plecos are huge waste producers and can quickly foul a tank if you don't keep on top of your water changes (I picked up a trinidad pleco at the LFS because they told me it didn't get very big and I had an 18gal tall tank...yeah, I had it for a month, it almost tripled in size and it completely fouled my filter because it produced so much waste).
im merely freehanding the dimensions but i would say that its bout 18" wide at the front bout 10" tall and no more than 6" deep i also do not have a heater and i recognize that this may be an issue i also have a plan to go up in size to at least a 20 as my current budget does not currently permit me to go any higher at this time
was he pretty little? like under 2"? I have had some trouble in years gone by with purchasing plecos under 2". When they are that little it's hard to see their bellies and if they are shrunken. Most pet stores don't appropriately feed them while they are there.
I don't think your particular setup is a good one for plecos honestly I don't keep frogs but if you say you have one that terrorizes things in your tank the pleco could have been stressed to death.
As far as waste, plecos don't produce any more waste then any other fish of similar size and weight. Yeah an 8" fish poops more then a 3" fish... Umm I poop more then my 3yr old..
*excluding the common which is an eating/growing machine and is super nasty. wish pet stores would quit selling them. Really do...
I don't think your particular setup is a good one for plecos honestly I don't keep frogs but if you say you have one that terrorizes things in your tank the pleco could have been stressed to death.
As far as waste, plecos don't produce any more waste then any other fish of similar size and weight. Yeah an 8" fish poops more then a 3" fish... Umm I poop more then my 3yr old..
*excluding the common which is an eating/growing machine and is super nasty. wish pet stores would quit selling them. Really do...
Yeah, sounds like you have a 5 gallon. A 5 gallon is fine for the ADFs, but that's about it. That pleco you still have is going to continue to grow, and like I said, it'll get bigger than your tank. I would get rid of it now and save yourself the hassle later. In a 20 gallon, you could have a clown or bristlenose pleco (max out at 5" or so), but nothing bigger. Honestly, an algae eater (which a pleco is) isn't needed in your tank unless you have a lot of algae. They're kind of an unnecessary strain on your bio-load if you don't have a lot of algae for them to deal with. Just my honest opinion, of course.
it was well under 2 inches and now that you mention it the rubber lipped belly was quite sunken and looking back i find this odd as i purchased it from petsmart... and yea i realize that my current setup is not appropriate for plecos i am working on upgrading my whole setup just im unemployed right now and do not have the money for the kind of tank id really love... and commons are really that bad? i had no idea...
commons = the fish world devil. They are right up there with baby Oscars... People get them with the wrong expectations. Personally I don't get a lot of algae help with my plecs mostly gravel cleaning help but thats me.
Petco is junk, I see poorly cared for fish every time i go in there. I believe they sold you a sick fish. If it has been under 14 days return the carcass for a refund.
I would recommend that you look at craigslist. I see 30gal tanks for 50.00 or less all the time. That would be a start.
Petco is junk, I see poorly cared for fish every time i go in there. I believe they sold you a sick fish. If it has been under 14 days return the carcass for a refund.
I would recommend that you look at craigslist. I see 30gal tanks for 50.00 or less all the time. That would be a start.
it has been more than that as of today i do believe and well i flushed it down the toilet... i live about 40 minutes from the store so yea it isnt really feasible and i think i will check up on craigslist might find what im looking for the common i have has done a great job in cleaning my tank personally my frogs have a tendency to not eat all their food or some of it might get stuck in an unreachable location and the pleco does a great job in cleaning up after them as does the snail
Something that looks like it got skipped...
Are you keeping African CLAWED Frogs or African DWARF Frogs? The difference is very important:
Clawed
African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis Profile, with care, maintenance requirements and breeding information for your tropical fish
Dwarf
African Dwarf Frog,Hymenochirus boettgeri Profile, with care, maintenance requirements and breeding information for your tropical fish
Are you keeping African CLAWED Frogs or African DWARF Frogs? The difference is very important:
Clawed
African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis Profile, with care, maintenance requirements and breeding information for your tropical fish
Dwarf
African Dwarf Frog,Hymenochirus boettgeri Profile, with care, maintenance requirements and breeding information for your tropical fish
5 OR 10? (climbing on my soap box) As a responsible fish keeper you really need to know what you have and what livestock you can put in there. (Climbing down now)
A five gallon tank is good for one Betta or maybe 2 ADF's or perhaps a shrimp only tank....that's about it. Other things could "survive" in there, but not thrive in there.
CL is a GREAT place for tanks. I got my 37 tank, stand and filter for $10, my 55 and stand for $50. Those were crest deals though. Expect to pay about a $1 per gallon for a tank and stand. Most time you will can get all the "stuff" as well (filter, light, cheesy deco you most likely do not want and sometimes fish)
You should also invest in a liquid test kit, most of us use the API master kit.
Good Luck!
A five gallon tank is good for one Betta or maybe 2 ADF's or perhaps a shrimp only tank....that's about it. Other things could "survive" in there, but not thrive in there.
CL is a GREAT place for tanks. I got my 37 tank, stand and filter for $10, my 55 and stand for $50. Those were crest deals though. Expect to pay about a $1 per gallon for a tank and stand. Most time you will can get all the "stuff" as well (filter, light, cheesy deco you most likely do not want and sometimes fish)
You should also invest in a liquid test kit, most of us use the API master kit.
Good Luck!
Of all the fish Ive tried to keep in 20 years in the hobby, the Rubber Lip Plecostomus(genus Chaetostoma) has been the only one I have been unable to keep alive for any length of time. This is because, unlike other Plecos, they are not from the Amazon but come from the Andean foothills where it is cooler. That said, all species of Plecos will outgrow a 10 gal tank