Dead plecostamus - 5 in the last six months?

Question

In the last six months we have had five plecostamus' die - first I thought it was the gold fish, so removed him. Then all was fine for a month or so. That one was in with a shark, an angel fish, and a catfish. Then the catfish died, the shark stressed and died and then we had the angel fish bottom up. It was in about a two or three week time span. Finally, started all over again, clean this clean that. Let it sit, added tetras (5), a female beta and a plecostamus. That was Christmas Eve. Day after Christmas the plecostamus was dead but we think we cooked him because the heater was registering 84. Fixed that, the tetras were fine with the exception of one who hung around the heater all the time even tho it was off (temp was stable). He ended up in the rocks day before yesterday. This morning, uh oh, where is the plecostamus? Yup, there he is, belly up on the bottom. So far so good with the tetras and beta. What are we doing wrong?

Answer 1

are you feeding him..plecos require algee or spirilina to eat , they will not eat normal fish food. you can't just assume he will get his food from algee on the walls or bottom of the tank either. they also like shrimp pellets for some reason even though they are supposed to be vegetarians but since you mentioned everything about your tank excpet food and you are saying everyone else is doing fine that would be my guess.

it sounds like you havenot cycled your tank as well. the last thing you should ever do is completly gut your tank and clean it out, you destroy the good bacteria in there as well. while you're at the pet store buy some stress coat and some enzyme to help with the good bacteria. take a sample of water with you to the store to be tested as well and they can tell you if anything else is wrong with it. and it sound sto me like oyu are buying to many fish at one time and adding them to your tank which may be making your nitrates and ammonia spike.. try to not add more then 2 fish a week max untill your tank is established.

Answer 2

Are you feeing your pleco? They are algae eaters, yes, but some are carnivorous, and some eat driftwood. Anyway, you may not have enough algae to feed a pleco - supplement their diet with zucchini slices and algae wafers.

The high temp around Christmas may have killed your pleco, or the lack of cycling. Letting the tank sit does not cycle it, unfortunately. In the wild, and in established tanks, there are nitrifying bacteria that break down toxic ammonia from fish waste and excess food into less toxic nitrates. In a brand new tank, these bacteria don't exist, so any fish in the tank will produce ammonia, which, not being broken down by bacteria, will kill or weaken the fish. So, it doesn't do anything to just let it cycle.

Anyway, sounds like you're losing an awful lot of fish, and there is likely a root cause. Are you using dechlorinator to eliminate chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals? Are you filtering? Undergravel filters don't get it - get a hang off the back (waterfall) filter. Is your tank big enough? A common plecostomus (24") needs a minimum of 5 feet wide. Bristle-nose plecos (4-5") and rubberlips (4-6") need 30gallons at least.
Do you have a problem with your water source? Get a master testing kit to test for hardness, carbonate hardness, pH, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, etc. Most fish are highly adaptable, but if you have, say, extremely hard or extremely alkaline water, that could be killing your fish. Are you having problems with temperature stability? Fluctuating temps are hard on fish - invest in a quality heater and thermometer. Are you getting your fish from a good source? Places like Walmart are not suitable - most of their fish are sick and dying in the store. Consider looking into a fish store or even a breeder.

Answer 3

Thats strange because i have 3 plecostamus', 2 angel fish, 5 black skirt tetras, 3 goldfish, 2 catfish, and 6 mollies in a 125 gallon fish tank, and they all get along perfectly fine. It has to be something wrong with your water.

Answer 4

As quickly as your fish are dieing,there must be something dreadfully wrong with the water, Get the water tested,learn how to cycle the tank,and stop adding fish until you find out what killed the others. The temperature was not what killed the Pleco. They come from rivers where the temps get quite a bit warmer than that. How do you dechlorinate your water? Most cities now use chloramine, which will not dissapate by just sittng in the open air like plain chlorine used to do. A more expensive dechlorinator is required. Most good pet stores will help with water testing.The one that I do most of my business with will test a sample for free if you bring it in.This is a real pet store, not one of the big box stores. Good luck,PeeTee

Answer 5

Plecos are generally hearty fish.

So my first thought is that maybe it isn't getting enough to eat. Do you supplement it's diet with algae discs? They will also eat frozen blood worms and brine shrimp found on the bottom.

If you are feeding it well, maybe have a pet store test your water (although if your tetras are fine, it shouldn't be too off)

Side note: Tetras are schooling fish, you may want to add another 5 or so to keep them happy

Answer 6

You could have a disease in your tank.

I also don't agree in putting beta's in tanks with fish but I doubt its fighting your algae eater. So this isn't the issue I ASSUME.

One thing it may be is WHERE are you getting your fish. Walmart fish are usually always ill and receive poor care from the shippers and from the people at walmart.

I recommend petsmart. You get a 14 day guarantee on your fish! Their prices are close to walmarts. If your fish dies you take it back and get another!

You need to look into tank cycling because this could be your problem. A new tank needs to be cycled before adding fish or you need to know how to do a cycle with fish!

GET a master test kit. This will be your best friend in keeping fish.

Add an air stone to your tank.

Now for the fish you have left.....do a 50%water change now and vacuum the gravel. Make sure the new water is free from chlorine. If you don't have the chemicals for this you can boil the water and then let it come to room temp before adding.

Answer 7

Ok, you need to slow down a bit here. A fish tank needs to go through the nitrogen cycle before you start adding a lot of fish to it.


Here is an article I wrote on the nitrogen cycle:

A Short Brief on the Nitrogen Cycle.


When you start a new aquarium it will go through what is called the nitrogen cycle.

The nitrogen cycle is a process which allows "good" bacteria to establish and multiple in the tank, thus breaking down the fish wastes.

Fish excrete ammonia as a waste product. Ammonia is highly toxic to fish and even small quantities in the water can kill your fish. The first bacteria that establish as part of the nitrogen cycle break down ammonia into a product called nitrites.

Nitrites are also toxic to your fish, but not nearly as toxic as ammonia is. As the nitrites start to rise in the tank the bacteria that feed on nitrites will start to multiply and consume the nitrites breaking them down into nitrates.

Nitrates are also toxic to fish, but only in very high quantities. The nitrates will continue to rise in your tank as long as you have fish and are feeding them. Water changes are used to reduce the nitrate levels.


How long does this process take?

Typically the nitrogen cycle takes between 4-6 weeks to complete. During this time it's recommended that you take samples of your tank water to the local fish store and ask them to test it for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. The test levels will progress as follows:


Stage 1:

Ammonia zero
Nitrites zero
Nitrates zero

Stage 2:

Ammonia starts to rise
Nitrites zero
Nitrates zero

Stage 3:
Ammonia continues to rise
Nitrites begin to rise
Nitrites zero

Stage 4:
Ammonia levels drop
Nitrites continue to rise
Nitrates begin to rise

Stage 5:
Ammonia: zero
Nitrites levels drop
Nitrates continue to rise

Stage 6:
Ammonia: Zero
Nitrites: Zero
Nitrates continue slow rise



Tips to reduce the time of the nitrogen cycle.

The easiest way to reduce or eliminate the nitrogen cycle is to use a filter from an established tank. This filter already has the bacteria needed to breakdown ammonia and nitrites. By using an established filter you essentially bypass the nitrogen cycle.

Another easy way to shorten the cycle is to use "seed" gravel from an established tank. Simply take a few cups of gravel from an established tank and add it directly into the new tank. This gravel will contain a starter of the bacteria needed. If you don't want to add the gravel to the tank because it is a different color/stone than your gravel you can simply put it into a nylon stocking or cheese cloth "bag" and drop it into the tank. Using this method can cut your cycle time by 50%.

Finally there are live cultures of bacteria such as Bio-Spira (available at http://www.fishstoretn.com ) which will seed your tank with the bacteria needed. This product can virtually eliminate the cycling process.



Stocking your tank during this period.

During the cycling process you want to stock your tank very lightly. This is because if you have too many fish the ammonia will build up faster than the bacteria can break it down and your fish will die. I recommend only 1 or 2 hardy fish such as mollies. You want a fish that can tolerate the fluctuating ammonia and nitrite levels during the cycling process. There are many fish which should be avoided during this process including all catfish and any scaleless fish such as loaches.



Feeding during the cycling process.

I recommend that you feed your fish only once per day, and only as much as they will eat in 5-10 seconds. You should net out any food left over after feeding to prevent it from breaking down into ammonia. Once the cycling process completes you can double the feedings to twice a day.



Water changes during the cycling process.

If done correctly your tank shouldn't need any water changes during the cycling process. However should you find that your ammonia or nitrite levels are dangerously high during the cycling process you should do an immediate 25-50% water change to lower those levels. Water changes during the cycling process can extend the time it takes for your tank to cycle. Once the tank has completed cycling you should start your weekly 10-25% water changes to lower the nitrates in the tank.

Answer 8

What kind of pleco are you getting? And what size tank do you have? Did you cycle the tank before introducing any fish?

My tank is always at 84 degrees. That is not what killed your fish.

Sounds like you are putting a common pleco in a tank that is way too small and is not cycled. Research the nitrogen cycle, and unless you have a 175 gallon tank, don't get any more common plecos.

Answer 9

Probably overfeeding. Test for nitrite. If it is present then there is your problem. Fish don't need feeding three times a day like it says on the fish food. A TEEEEENY pinch is enough.

Answer 10

not enough info, what size tank, how new is it?? You may not have enough algae to support a pleco, try feeding 1 algae tab every night before bed. If it's a new tank, you have new tank syndrome.