Fish out of water

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Mystix212

Mystix212

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jun 27, 2007
4,991
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Brisbane, Australia
I regulary see pictures of plecs out of water to be viewed. But how long can one stand it out of the water? Do bigger plecs handle it better?

Im asking this because I have a 3.5" BN plec that I want to examine (Tail length, Overall Length, Height, Mouth Width, Inside of Mouth etc). Can anyone give me some pointers? About what is safe, and what is considered dangerous.

I also supose they have a breathing organ in the lining of thier gut of some sort?
 
As far as i know, as soon as the pleco is out of water it starts to suffocate, but plecos are very hardy fish and would take quite a while to die of suffocation.

Personally i don't like it when people physically handle their plecos by holding them in their hands, i think its an unesarsary thing to do, however as far as i am aware it doesn't cause the pleco a great deal of of serious stress if its done properly, soo....


Why do you want to examine the pleco anyway?
 
Tokis-Phoenix;1145426;1145426 said:
As far as i know, as soon as the pleco is out of water it starts to suffocate, but plecos are very hardy fish and would take quite a while to die of suffocation.

Personally i don't like it when people physically handle their plecos by holding them in their hands, i think its an unesarsary thing to do, however as far as i am aware it doesn't cause the pleco a great deal of of serious stress if its done properly, soo....


Why do you want to examine the pleco anyway?
Click to expand...
Using your hand to catch plecos is far less damaging, and less stressful than using a net.
 
Mystix212;1145128;1145128 said:
I regulary see pictures of plecs out of water to be viewed. But how long can one stand it out of the water? Do bigger plecs handle it better?

Im asking this because I have a 3.5" BN plec that I want to examine (Tail length, Overall Length, Height, Mouth Width, Inside of Mouth etc). Can anyone give me some pointers? About what is safe, and what is considered dangerous.

I also supose they have a breathing organ in the lining of thier gut of some sort?
Click to expand...
That depends on the species. Some species will dig a hole in the mud, and during the dry season can spend up to 6 months out of the water. For your BN, that isn't the case. I would not recommend leaving him out of the water for more than a couple minutes.
 
WyldFya;1145468; said:
Using your hand to catch plecos is far less damaging, and less stressful than using a net.
Click to expand...


Even less stressful than using a net or your hands is the method of using a plastic transport bag to catch the pleco.

Simply get a large plastic fish transport bag, fill it up with tank water and sink it to the bottom of the tank, held down by some of the substrate. Then simply guide the pleco with your hands into the bag and then close the bag once the pleco is in it.
I used this method when moving a couple of my large plecos over a year ago, was very easy and quick to do and is a lot less stressful for the pleco than getting it tangled up in a net or grabbing it out of the water with your hands :thumbsup: .
 
when i was running a sump, i found one of my little bn's living in the trickle of water running throgh the bioballs, which were not submerged at all. he must have been there for 2-3 days or so. that was 3 years ago and he's still alive.
 
There are a few species, like Wyldfya's example can stay out of water for an impressive amount of time. However, I wouldn't try it.
 
Thnaks. The longest he's been out of water at any one time was roughly 1 minute and 27 seconds. If he's ever out of water, its usually for 3-10 seconds.

Turns out, yesterday I sold him (2nd largst male) and my only female who wasnt interested at breeding at all (Even at 3") for $30. Not bad eh? So now I have a single 3.6" male. Hoping to find a large female soon.
 
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