Does anyone have any suggestions as to why my rubber nose pleco died so suddenly?

Question

It was a new addition to my well established tank, none of my other fish are agressive and when it died i immediately tested the water but nothing showed up. I really want to get another pleco but i don't want this to happen again, any ideas?

Answer 1

The first possibility that come to my mind is did you acclimate the fish properly? Allowing the bag to float in the tank at least 30 minutes to bring the temperatures to the same and then adding some of your tank water to the bag and allowing him to float another 30 minutes? If not, then it could have been temperature shock.

If you did float the bag, but didn't scoop water from the tank tot he bag, then it was probably a big difference in pH that caused the problem. I'm not saying yours was wrong, just different than the water from the shop. When you buy a fish, ask the store to test the pH in the tank your fish came from. Then test yours when you get home. If they are more than about 0.3 - 0.4 different, then you will need to scoop water from the tank into the bag as it floats. Just a little at first, then more and more. The bigger the difference, the more water you need to scoop over and the longer it will take.

As an added note, never pour the water from the store into your tank. Net the fish out of the bag and move it to the tank, then pour the water in the bag down the drain.

Hope that helps you prevent the problem from happening again.

MM

Answer 2

Plecos hate different plecos. they're nocternal and are maximum in all hazard to combat interior the night whilst that is fairly dark, so which you would be able to in no way even suspect that they've been scuffling with. This appears like the main in all hazard clarification for the deaths, i attempt to warn human beings approximately this considering that i observed it occurring in my tank some years in the past until now I knew any extra suitable yet I didnt think of it replaced into undesirable sufficient to seperate them, then one pleco replaced into killed. the different possability is water high quality, plecos are hardy, yet they stay interior the dirtiest portion of the tank, if the water high quality isn't super, they're the 1st ones too sense it. and additionally you have assorted vast and messy fish in that tank. What have been the outcomes for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrite? And are you beneficial you probably did the tests suitable? try strips are dangerously unreliable yet even liquid testers can expire. Its a great theory to double verify the outcomes at a petstore now and then.