Theyre shy and somewhat reclusive and are usually content to hide in the corners of a tank. This is perfectly normal behavior for plecos. You can tell if a pleco is dead by looking to see if its breathing. I think it may be that the paleness is a better indicator of excessive CO2 than the gasping at the top is. He could still be in shock from the move. Silly fish. My pleco has started acting as if he's on fire! Clean the gravel at the bottom of the tank with a gravel vacuum, and make sure any decorations are clean as well. It might need a bit more time to get used to its new environment. Im experienced in the fishkeeping hobby for many years. Knowing what signs to look out for might allow you to turn things around before its too late. Good Luck. Turn lights off and put in some bloodworm or something and then come back in five minutes with a torch. Typically, loss of color is associated with poor tank conditions. Same my pleco only comes out when the lights are off and since ive got an enenemy (sorry if i spelled wrong) he just stays there and dosent move at ALL even in the day and the lights are off i guess he loves darkness an also cus hes hiding from my guppie named bob. An aquarium needs about 6 weeks to fully cycle before you add fish. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day. Using a tiny pointed tool, such as a pair of tweezers, slightly open the mouth and slightly loosen the gill covers. He could still be in shock from the move. he sound fine, try touching himand he will probably swim away. 0. Then it has cloudy eyes. My Pleco sits underneath the rock in my mini cave. A fish dying during the night doesnt necessarily indicate that something happened the very night that it died. When capturing the fish, be sure not to grab the tail fin because this could damage it. If the fish is still alive, it should move when you touch it. Most likely, the fish have fin rot due to poor water conditions in the tank. Plecs are tropical fish, and goldfish are coldwater, so they're not compatible unfortunately. If your pleco has a sunken belly, its starving due to malnutrition. 2005-2019 Monsterfishkeepers.com. Temperature levels, chemical levels, and pH could be contributing factors to poor water conditions. This situation can be turned around if you act fast. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Breeding pleco catfish isnt as hard as you might think. Use an algae pad to clean the sides of tank, and siphon out the water left inside. Molly lying on side on bottom of tank, moving very little. Since plecos dont have scales, it can be hard to know whether its dropsy or not. Ive put this first on the list because its probably the most frequently made a mistake. If your pleco is gulping at the surface or swimming up and down the tank to reach for oxygen, this is a severe problem. However, if you tap the fish tank, itll likely spring up and start swimming. The symptoms you describe are exactly what I saw happening to mine. Nitrate is considerably less dangerous, but should be lower than 30 ppm, and above 50 is the danger zone. Fix issues with the water quality and give the fish antibacterial treatments. Poor conditions in the tank can contribute to infections. Taking care of baby plecos can be challenging in some ways. Plecos do not have scales and they tend to rot really fast when they die, so as was mentioned above, you. Home Aquatic Problems & Solutions 7 Signs Your Pleco Is Dying and Needs Attention. Checking the water levels to ensure there are no harmful ammonia levels and correcting the problem with water changes will help your fish gain its movement back. We finished breaking down our multiple tanks, loaded the moving truck, drove it for three hours, spent two more hours waiting for the moving helpers, got the truck unloaded, started setting up the tanks, put the decor back in, added the fish. and the bristle nose swam out of the wood when we put in algae wafers. A long, long, long time ago when I was young my friends and I always had tanks. If there are no good bacteria, harmful levels of ammonia can build up quickly as plecos produce a lot of waste. Often, its very hard to tell whether your pleco is sick or not. Of course, itll be prudent to try to touch the fish to see if it moves. i know hes alive because if i try and move him he will swim away, What do i do? Poor pleco got nudged accidentally with the hose, though, and he's having a -really- hard time swimming. At the petstore, which of course is just a pet store. One time a buddy was cleaning his tank and took all the fish out and put them in a bucket. Receive our FREE eBook by filling out the form below. Jun 21, 2005 #1 I have about a 3" pleco in a 10 gallon tank. Poor water conditions usually cause bacterial infections. If the fish is breathing, its likely that its simply resting. I drop an algae wafer in every other day and he usually jumps right on it but since he stays in his little all the time now Im not sure if he eats it. There has to be something wrong. Hello guys, thx for your answer and sry for my late reply. Although water conditions are the primary cause of these symptoms, low water temperature can also be a cause. Just as important is what you put in the tank. Unlike cory catfish, which breathe air and for whom its normal to gulp air, plecos dont normally do this. Plecos are a type of tropical fish that need a heated tank with a filter. He is still alive. Isolating the fish and fixing the problems source is imperative to save your pleco. I have seen this behavior once before and today, its happening again. My pleco is laying on it's side still breathing but not moving. Vicki, I think it was the CO2 as well. 3. Although some plecos do like to eat algae, not all of them do. Make sure to test your water if there are any abnormalities. If you discover one of your fish has popeye, check the water levels to determine if that is the cause. If possible it would be advisable to move the pleco to a nursing tank away from other fish. It could be that the fish is sick and has some type of problem with its gills. It can be caused by elevated ammonia levels in the tank or an injury that resulted in a bacterial infection. You might need to do a better job of doing regular water changes. Tap water contains chlorine and chlorimine that are toxic to fish. Do you see the gills moving at all or are they truly motionless? Come join the discussion about flora, fauna, health, housing, filters, care, classifieds, and more! Make sure that you dont have improper tank mates in the fish tank with your plecos. Turned out, that fish wasn't a female but the male had trapped the less dominant male and choked him (though there were plenty of caves). Check your water parameters as this is the most likely cause. Nighttime is when these fish can take their time exploring their tank to find food, which they often do by keeping their skin touching the substrate (or other objects in the tank). The fish could have been on the verge of death for some time. Pleco Not Moving but Breathing. The Complete Answer, Can Plecos And Shrimp Live Together? Quarantining fish is one of the most forgotten things in the hobby. Checking the tank conditions and monitoring the fishs behavior are things you can do to determine the cause of the swelling. I also asked my lfs and he said they are MOST active at night. Try touching the fish and see if it reacts. If you are worried, you can try to move the pleco with your hands and see if it swims away. I feed my fish with a dim light on in the room so they are used to light and I can check them over for disease without disturbing them because they think it is the sun setting. This typically isnt the case, and some plecos dont even eat algae. I came over to his house about 4 hours later and noticed the plec was missing. FishForums.net is one of the internet's oldest and premier Tropical Fish and Aquarium forums! Always supply food in the presence of light to the baby fish. Do your best to determine what is wrong with the fish. If you cant see your pleco at all, it may be hiding in the substrate or in the plants. Its also imperative to regularly clean the fish tank. If the pleco doesnt respond to you moving it around but still breathes, you have to provide it will clean water as soon as possible and test your water. Theres a good chance that youre not doing regular tank maintenance. Plecos are often misunderstood because they dont like to be shown off, which makes sense given their wild origins. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. If your pleco is losing its color and slowly turning white, this might be an indication that it's either sick or dying. Later in this guide, well go over the exact symptoms of dropsy. If not he likely is moving when you are not around, most pleco are very shy (without a ton of hiding places and a shyer personality can make the pleco even more reclusive), some species are worse for being out and about than others. My name is Jeff, and my goal with this site is to share everything I've learned over the years about caring for aquatic life. Hopefully, this will never happen in your fish tank. Plecos turn white for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to: poor nutrition, disease, stress, or inadequate tank conditions. These fish simply arent active during the day. If the temperature of the water gets too low, then that could kill them. Did you add any new fish recently, particularly any wild caught or F1s? He is breathing, but he isn't moving. There are other reasons why a pleco might start floating, but its possible that the fish could be dead. (his color blends in real well with the wall - and where he wedged himself in is hard to see unless you are looking for it. Water quality problems will sometimes cause plecos to develop a condition known as cloudy eye. Pleco fish are amazing animals and very interesting for aquarists. If your plecos fins start to rot or decay, it is important to act quickly as this can spread to the fishs body. He also has a white spot on his eye. Its also important to clean the fish tank and do regular water changes to avoid throwing the water parameters off. When affected by Swim Bladder Disorder fish will often lose the ability to properly swim. Pleco males usually fight to assert dominance and defend their territory. (Possible Causes). Feeding your fish de-shelled peas or other foods high in fiber can help decrease the swelling. JavaScript is disabled. If the fish appears to be sick, then it might not be moving because it has some type of disease. It was a bristlenose pleco. Fin rot is caused by underlying conditions such as bacterial infection. Just like any other fish, a pleco needs its own specified diet. 2 comments. As long as nothing appears to be wrong with the fish, its not necessary to worry. If you give them a variety of hiding spots, a variety of plants, and a variety of tank mates, your pleco will most likely be happier and more active. Fixing constipation issues will be easy. Some plecos will swim upside down because they want to eat the food on the surface of the water. Plecos are supposed to be fairly hardy fish, other reasons why a pleco might start floating. It isnt uncommon for some baby plecos to die even if youre doing your best to care for them.

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