hey i have a few questions.....my plecostomus fish markinmgs are fading away? also how do i get rid of snales?

Question

hey i have a plecostomus fish and he’s lovely.. but his body markings is fading in curtain areas... does anyone know what does this mean?

also i have lots of snails and i have to keep picking them out every day, and i have to clean my filter ( fluval 205) every week because the water starts to run out more slower then usual...when i clean the filter out its filthy.. and bits of gunk every where.....

i have two dollar fish, a cat fish and a plec... i have a large tank but it keeps becoming filthy... of their pooh.. an when the dollar fish start fluttering around the water become disgusting with muck and other bits floating around.... this surly cant be good for there gills????

Any help would be much appreciated...x

Answer 1

I sounds like your tank has a few issues from water quality. Here are a few ideas that if you aren't doing them already would help solve the problems.

1. Do regular weekly water changes with a gravel siphon. Use it to remove debris and waste from the gravel. Change at least 25% of the water each week and clean as much of the gravel as possible while removing the water.

2. Clean the filter out a bit more often, at least until the problem comes under control. clean it out with a bit of water from the tank and return the cleaned material to the filter.

3. Be very careful that your not over feeding the fish. Feed only what they can eat within a few minites. If you see remaining food after 5 minutes, feed less the next time.

4.For the snails try this trick. Use a small plastic food container and poke hole in it large enough for the snail to crawl through but too small for any fish to get throw. Add a little gravel from the tank to weigh it down and put a piece of lettuce in it. Leave this overnight in the tank and remove it the nest morning. Many snails will find their way into the container and it will be easy to remove them. After several nights in a row you'll have far, far fewer snails.

5. Most of the plecos problem probably comes from poor water quality. Keeping up with the weekly water changes, cleaning the gravel and cleaning the filter will most likely restore his color. You can also feed him a bit of lettuce every few days once the snail problem is under control.

Hope that helps

MM

Answer 2

By the looks of it, your fish tank needs a good cleaning. Remove all your fish, clean all the gravel and fill up with clean fresh water. If you use tap water to fill up the tank, leave it with the aerators on for overnight to get rid of any Chlorine before putting the fish back in. In the present condition of your tank it is most likely that your pleco has an infection or parasites. So it can be that the colours are not fading but it is getting covered by these micro organisms.

When you clean all the tank you can also get rid of the snails. Keep the tank away from sunlight and partially change the water every fortnight. Too much feeding will contaminate the water. The right amount of food is when the fish will eat it all after a few minutes. It is better to feed the fish with a small portion twice a day than once in a large amount.

I hope that I was helpful :)

Answer 3

Good morning!

First about your plecostamus: if he's just faded, chances are he's lost a few scales by brushing something. This is okay - he will be fine. If you notice any kind of white residue on him or he starts looking rough, he may have "ick" or parasites. You can buy treatments for that relatively cheaply.

It sounds to me as if your filter may not be powerful enough for the size of your tank. It simply cannot filter all the water coming through faster than your fish mess it up. I have a Whisper filter for my 35G tank and it works fine. I change the filter cartridge (which are pretty cheap) about every three months - my water is crystal clear, and I have a lot of fish! These filters are anywhere from $15-$40 depending on what size you need, but I think they are well worth the cost. Also, they are QUIET!

As for the snails, well, good luck there. I can guarantee you that the little buggers will multiply faster than you can pick all of them out and they will overrun your tank. You have a few options:

1. Remove all your fish and treat the water with a chemical designed to kill all the snails. DO NOT add it to the water with your fish in there, no matter what the bottle says. It's not good for them. Clean your tank, filter, ornaments and gravel THOROUGHLY in very hot water. This may work, but you could still have a recurrence if you miss even a single egg.

2. Buy a clown loach or two. These are about $5 a piece, but they actually prey on the snails. They suck them right out of their shells, and they should get along with your other fish. You will still have empty snail shells everywhere and it will be a recurring problem, since the eggs will still hatch.

3. Empty your tank, clean it very well in very hot water and throw away your gravel. This is where the majority of the snail eggs and young are. Soak your plants, ornaments, filter parts, etc in BOILING water and let them air-ary outside for a couple days. A thorough cleaning and lack of any moisture should kill the remaining snail eggs. Rinse one more time and you are ready to set your tank back up.

Personally, I would buy the new filter and choose option #3. It's practically guaranteed to rid you of snails. While the other components are baking outdoors (relatively speaking), make sure the container you put your fish in is secure and either a) run the filter in it to aerate the water (so they can breathe easier) or run and air tube into the container for the same purpose. Easier breathing means less stress and that means you're less likely to lose any fish.

I know this was a long answer, but hopefully it helps you with your problems. Feel free to email me if you have any other questions. Best of luck!

Answer 4

first check your levels in your tank, the higer nitrate, nitrites, or ammonia will effect a pleco before most fish since he doesn't have scales. they are pretty resiliant but you can still see some effects on their skin like light patches. if all of you levels and ph are where they should be, start looking for signs of fungus. of course it could also be that the lilght was simply off, alot of fish will lose their coloration when the light is off. but with the stuff floating around, get a siphon and clean the tank, it sounds pretty nasty. the siphon will do 2 things, 1 it will clean the gravel and 2 it will take the water out for a water change, it sounds like it's been a while since you've done one. considering how bad you say the tank is, i'd do a 25% water change, don't forget to dechloroinate the new water as well as add biological conditioners.

as for the snails, you can either chemically remove them, you can buy a dojo loach but they may be too small to be compatible with your fish, or you can get a butter knife and smash them. as long as you have no other invertabrates in you tank, the chemical solution works the best.


edit: get on a regular cleaning cycle too, do the water change today, then start a schedule

2 weeks from now, change your filters,
2 weeks later do a 15-20% water change
2 weeks later change your filters
and so on. this will help. also regulate your light in the tank, it sould only be on for 8 hours a day. this will help control algea

Answer 5

My Pleco is 16 inches. He does the same spot fading thing and he is very healthy. Be sure to give him lot of algae discs to eat.

Change or clean your filter often and get an aquarium vacuum for the muck. Plecos put out a lot of muck!

As for snails, you are fighting a losing battle if you are trying to pick them out! I get that problem when I buy plants from the petshop. Use SNAIL A-CIDE (not all pet shops carry it but call around, or you can order it on line.). It works GREAT to kill the snails. It starts working in about 20 minutes and finishes in about 2 days or so. It doesn't harm ANY of the fish, not even newborns or the Pleco. You need to remove about half the water after the treatment. The dead snails will float to the top for days (you will be amazed at how many there are!). You need to keep scooping them out so they don't rot in your tank. You can repeat later if any survived.

Answer 6

Snails are very hard to get rid of once they get established in a tank, usually they come with the live plants many purchase, am unsure if there is a predator your can buy for them. Check with a pet store to help you is your best bet & take a tank water sample ( bout a 1/4 cup is good ) they can also test your water to see if it's ok as well !!!

Answer 7

Your pecostomus is getting old they lose color when they do.As far as the snails go drop a couple pennies in the tank the copper will kill them,it's the only way I know to get rid of them.As for your filter you may be over feeding your fish,that would account for the cloudy water and dirty filter.

Answer 8

Get under gravel filters for the tank. Go to any pet store that sells fish and they will be able to help you get rid of the snails. If your tank is in direct sunlight move it because the sunlight promotes algae growth. As for the Pleco I have no idea because mine have never done that. Also don't over feed. Hoped this helps.