losing hope :(

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SaltyCrak

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 15, 2009
86
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earth
I'm really loosing hope in keeping plecos!
i thought they would be pretty hardy fish to keep, but it appears i was wrong.
I bought a new tank about 100L, put in some gravel from an old tank and slapped on a filter that i had already cycled.
I then added the water, tested the parameters and got it up to the correct heat.
I thought all this prep would make for a suitable environment for a couple common plecos.
a week later they're belly up! what the hell?!

They're sharing the tank with a tiny spiney eel. I've also got a few live plants in there.

the pleco's were about 2.5", so still very young. but i introduced them to their new home very slowly so they could get used to it.

they looked happy until they died.

now, do i try again or give up on the whole pleco idea :'(
 
SaltyCrak;3245056; said:
I'm really loosing hope in keeping plecos!
i thought they would be pretty hardy fish to keep, but it appears i was wrong.
I bought a new tank about 100L, put in some gravel from an old tank and slapped on a filter that i had already cycled.
I then added the water, tested the parameters and got it up to the correct heat.
I thought all this prep would make for a suitable environment for a couple common plecos.
a week later they're belly up! what the hell?!

They're sharing the tank with a tiny spiney eel. I've also got a few live plants in there.

the pleco's were about 2.5", so still very young. but i introduced them to their new home very slowly so they could get used to it.

they looked happy until they died.

now, do i try again or give up on the whole pleco idea :'(
Click to expand...

My lesson learned is never buy any pleco under 3" .....plus I make sure they are stable in the store for 2 weeks, before purchase.
 
i have had a total of 5 plec and the only problem i had was getting them to soon before there was enough algae growth of the tank for them to feed on.. other then that they have survived EVERYTHING i could put them thru
 
Mr Pleco;3245646; said:
My lesson learned is never buy any pleco under 3" .....plus I make sure they are stable in the store for 2 weeks, before purchase.
Click to expand...

So they're very finicky when they're that young?
Thanks for the advice, I'll pick a larger one form my LFS and see how it goes.
I really want a pleco in my tank! :nilly:
 
That is weird. Maybe you had a mini ammonia spike due to the added bio load. Did you test the water parameters after they died? Good luck with your next one!
 
yeah i think that you'd be better with a 3"+ pleco in a tank that's been running a while. also make sure to grab some algae wafers and zuchini for it to feed on.
 
What were you feeding them? Common misconception is that plecos can live healthily off tank algae alone...they need food added (what kind depends on what pleco you have) just like any other fish. Some plecos even need driftwood to graze on.
 
What kind of species is it? and what and what did u feed them? these are thing things u need to let us know before we can help...
 
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