So out of curiosity, if you already know the answers you will get, why do you keep asking the question?
Pleco Problem!!!
- Thread starter rcnjr
- Start date
If it is another fish causing it... a Chinese algae eater would be at the top of my list. 20 years ago I had a 4 inch one attacking a 12 inch pleco and was sucking on it's body. I haven't had one since.
Your filtration may be fine to accomodate your 10gal tank but there are other factors. In a small tank you have less volume of water so other factors like temp and oxygen and ammonia/nitrite/nitrate will have a tendency to fluctuate more and keeping the tank stable at a consistent rate will be harder to achieve. Plecos need alot of oxygen. When you cage any living thing they will more likely stress and become more aggressive, especially when the cage becomes smaller or overcrowded. Stress is the leading factor to fish death in aquarium. Stress leads to loss of appetite, weakened immune systems, and vulnerability to disease. GET A BIGGER TANK AND I GUARANTEE YOU YOUR PROBLEM WILL BE SOLVED OR ATLEAST IMPROVE, even if its a 20 gallon, its only $20.
This isn't about filtration. It isn't about bioload or how clean your water tests or appears to be.... yet. It is about space and territory and you do not have enough to keep the fish you currently have. Sorry if it's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. Additionally, you are keeping 8 species that are schoolers as individual specimens. Unfortunately at this point you are doing more things wrong than right and just don't seem to be listening to any of the advice given.
And just out of curiosity how does adding a Black ruby prove anything? Just because it has survived for a week proves nothing. I've had fish get lost in the mail for almost a week and survive the ordeal, and they were plecos. Most plecos come from rivers with very high o2 tension and very little tds. If you cleaned your tank every day, you would still most likely exceed these limits and most plecos are territorial with other bottom dwellers to some degree if not provided adequate cover for each fish. Adding fish on a regular basis to such a small tank is also not a good idea either. Sorry, but the culprit is not the albino. The culprit is you.
Best advice I can give you is 1) buy at least a 20 gallon. They can be found on craigslist all day long for 10-15 bucks and 2) research the fish you are currently keeping to understand their needs before adding any more fish. Most folks around here, including myself, have made similar mistakes and are only offering advice to try to help. Ultimately, it is up to you to figure out how to use that advice
And just out of curiosity how does adding a Black ruby prove anything? Just because it has survived for a week proves nothing. I've had fish get lost in the mail for almost a week and survive the ordeal, and they were plecos. Most plecos come from rivers with very high o2 tension and very little tds. If you cleaned your tank every day, you would still most likely exceed these limits and most plecos are territorial with other bottom dwellers to some degree if not provided adequate cover for each fish. Adding fish on a regular basis to such a small tank is also not a good idea either. Sorry, but the culprit is not the albino. The culprit is you.
Best advice I can give you is 1) buy at least a 20 gallon. They can be found on craigslist all day long for 10-15 bucks and 2) research the fish you are currently keeping to understand their needs before adding any more fish. Most folks around here, including myself, have made similar mistakes and are only offering advice to try to help. Ultimately, it is up to you to figure out how to use that advice
,mayb that is also a factorWhen I started I got a 26 gallo. 26! and I thought it'd be fine for 1 pleco and 2 blood parrots. Everyone was fine until one day I found the blood parrots on the bottom of the tank gasping. This was after the pleco had been rehoused. They grew too big. Stress killed my fish because they outgrew my tank. I was so devastated I stayed home from school to have a funeral. I told my story on the blood parrot website and another fish-keeper jumped down my throat and told me i was ignorant and unfit to be a fish owner. It didn't matter that they were going to be re-housed soon. The point I'm making in a roundabout way is that fish need privacy, they need territories and they need space to move where they won't be face to face with another fish every few seconds. Overcrowding doesn't happen in the wild the way you may think. Fish in the wild have the opportunity to move when they feel crowded. What may be a good idea is to set up a larger tank and move everyone over. I have a 50 gallon with 1 plecostomus and 8 cherry barbs. A rescue pleco comes tomorrow and you may notice very soon that THIS post gets attacked for overcrowding too. You aren't alone but stress due to over-crowding will cause behavioral problems and sickness. I've been there. Don't make my mistake. 
Plecos don't like ANY salt. Check out the brackish posts in this section. You'll find so many horror stories.
