Plecos breathing air?

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justwinbb

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Mar 28, 2009
38
0
36
Wisconsin
Ive got 2, 8 to 10 inch common plecos and recently moved them into a 55 gallon tank. Lately Ive seen one of them with his mouth out of the water. Any idea what is going on?
 
This is usually because of poor water quality. You might need to get your tank cycled if you haven't already or you might have a mini-cycle on your hands. Did you already test your parameters? What are your ppm of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? And fine is not a number, so if your LFS tests your water for you and tells you it's 'fine', slap the numbers out of them.

For the record, plecos do breathe air, as most catfish do. The sailfin pleco even breeds (or aestevates, I forget) above the water line in muddy burrows. But in a healthy aquarium, a pleco won't usually seek atmospheric air.
 
try more aeration i used to have enough aeration for a 60 gal on my 20 gal if you can't those bubbler filters, undergravel filters, and just plain airaters
 
+1 on aeration, but adding that typical filtration usually supplies enough aeration on its own in healthy water. Worth a go at the moment for the situation for sure, though.
 
The filtration is a eheim 2215 so the aeration should be okay according to my lfs who recommended it. I'll get the parameters checked. They dont do it often, but i've seen it twice in the past three weeks so I'm sure they have done it while Im at work. They are looking better than ever so Im hoping its nothing with the tank. I'll post what I find.
 
I'm pretty sure he knows it's overstocked.

There isn't anything else in there, right?
 
To be honest, I didnt think they would be too big for this tank for a while. I am in the process of getting a 150 or larger but it may be around a month. Im getting the water tested today and will report back.
 
They skim the surface sometimes for food also. But yea O2 seems to be the culprit . And just because you have an ehiem doesnt mean your aeration is good, If the spray bar is way under water and theres no rippling at the top the CO2 cant escape.
 
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