# HELP !! Pleco(s) dying -other fish A-OK. (w/test results) ??



## Us5Camp (Dec 31, 2006)

Hello,

We have a 40gal Aquarium with the following healthy fish:

Pair o' guppies
2 sunburst wag platies
2-3 velvet red swords
5-6 tetras (strawberry)
2 scavanging catfish (small)

Been up and running since 1/3/07 - slowly adding fish.

I previously lost two plecos and a catfish in relatively short order. Chaulked it up to perhaps not enough food for scavengers, so left it alone with the two small scavengers (catfish).

There's plenty of visible algae now 

Well today, I added one pleco (relatively small about 1.5" long). I just spotted him upside down on the bottom still breating.

I am scratching my head trying to figure out what might have gone wrong.
I thought plecos were practically indestructable.

I do water changes every 2-3wks and my test results, look pretty good.
Here's the latest after doing an H20 (40% change) a couple of days ago.
I add FritzGuard, Fritz deChlor & salt per my LFS recommendation.

Nitrates 20
Nitrites 0
Hardness 25
Alk / Buff capacity 300+ (related to PH below?)
PH 8.0 to 8.4 ( a little high, but hard on the pleco?)
Amonia 0

I think (perhaps I should do another H20 change ASAP?)
What about the pH, I've heard conflicting info there.??


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## anemone (Apr 20, 2007)

Why is your PH so high!

That seems to be problem, pleco's ph range is around 7.2


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## Us5Camp (Dec 31, 2006)

anemone said:


> Why is your PH so high!
> 
> That seems to be problem, pleco's ph range is around 7.2


I don't know ?

I asked my LFS if our city H20 leads to high pH and they say No.
The pH test is from a strip (Mardel), so may not be accurate ?


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

Ah, that could explain your reading, as test strips are notoriously inaccurate.

I would advise you to get a liquid test kit and re-check all the water parameters.


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## Us5Camp (Dec 31, 2006)

kateyoup said:


> Ah, that could explain your reading, as test strips are notoriously inaccurate.
> 
> I would advise you to get a liquid test kit and re-check all the water parameters.


Considering all the above, what can (now kill) a pleco soooo fast.

I put him in the tank yesterday afternoon, with a slow introduction to the tank. By last evening, he was sideways on the bottom breathing, then came back right side up. This morning he was dead'r than dead. Gone.

I did a partial H20 change, though have no reason to suspect anything is wrong. ?????

Not this time, but last time I took my H20 to my LFS and they said all is well with my water. 

So, I am stumped??? What things can kill a pleco in a matter of hours?

Again, all other fish seem to be Aok


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

There could be a number of contributing factors. 

Firstly - why are you adding salt to the tank?

I would recommend weekly water changes rather than every 2 - 3 weeks, and are you using a gravel vac to clean the substrate?

I'm thinking that it's most likely something to do with your water parameters, and you should get a test kit asap and check them out for yourself.


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## xingumike (Oct 20, 2006)

A few things....

plecs dont do salt, full stop. If you LFS has recommended adding salt to a tank with a pleco in then get a new LFS.

Your pH is a bit too high, plecos on the whole enjoy soft slighty acidic water. Thats not to say that it cant survive at pH 8 it just wont thrive. I would imagine it has died due to pH shock, remember the scale is exponential so 7.1 is ten times more alkaline than 7.0 ( i think) so if your LFS water is say around neutral then being put into the equivalent of an african rift lake is liable to kill it, no matter what your other parameters.

'Not this time, but last time I took my H20 to my LFS and they said all is well with my water.' - what is fine? get them to give you the results not just tell you its fine, what may be fine to them may not be to us (see above salt comment) 

lastly, plecos are hardy given care, but they are not indestructible. Too often they are seen as only there to clean up after other fish, simply not true they all have there own care requirements dependant on sp./genus

hth


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## Us5Camp (Dec 31, 2006)

*Salt / pH .....*

Thanks all for your comments.

I am thinking the salt may be the issue?? DOES Aquarium salt affect pH? I didn't think so?????

I was adding salt with each H20 change on the belief that it was helping reduce stress and helping water condition not hurting....

Plan.....

1) Do several H20 changes over the next few weeks, sans salt.

2) Gradually space H20 changes back out to 2-3 wks

3) Get a liquid based kit.... I know it's done to death here, but quick recommendations on kits?

4) Pending results of above, give the pleco's a try in a month or so.

I really like plecos, not only because they are a 'cleaner' but think they are pretty cool.

We are no fish experts, but not devoid of knowledge either, this 40gal is my 1st aquarium in over a 10 year absence and then only had a 10gal for a couple of years, we we're learning again and appreciate the advice here.

As for my LFS, I only have a choice of two and am using the best one already. Next closest would be miles/miles away 

Mark


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

*Re: Salt / pH .....*



Us5Camp said:


> I am thinking the salt may be the issue??


Very likely.


> DOES Aquarium salt affect pH? I didn't think so?????


No, it doesn't. On the contrary, it is not recommended nor is it necessary. Did you even dissolve it before adding?


> I was adding salt with each H20 change on the belief that it was helping reduce stress and helping water condition not hurting....


Salt is not important until necessary.


> 3) Get a liquid based kit.... I know it's done to death here, but quick recommendations on kits?


API.


> I really like plecos, not only because they are a 'cleaner' but think they are pretty cool.


I'll tell you one thing. They are not cleaners. They need dietary supplements as much as other fish do.


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## TropicAurora (Apr 22, 2007)

Just a note that my pleco had a very bad case of ich and was treated (along with the rest of the tank) with the ich salt/heat treatment and came through the salt treatment fine and was cured of the ich. (Salt was regular table salt, 1 tsp per 5 gallons, disolved slowly directly into the tank.)


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## verbosity (Nov 16, 2007)

Haha, I added salt to my 15 gallon.
I was thinking it was lame to just measure out table spoons into the tank.. So I take it dissolving it next time may be a good idea.

Dissolve it in warm water or what? What's the norm for that?


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## fish_4_all (Nov 13, 2006)

Plecos prefer pH below 7.4 so that can be an issue. 

A major thing to remember about plecos is often they are treated very bad when shipped, captured or however they are caught. Often times they are on the verge of death before you ever get them and any kind if system shock can easily kill them. When buying a pleco, make sure it has a rounded looking belly and not one that looks like it is caved in. Also make sure it has a good body shape and does not look ill. A good plump pleco is a sign of a healthy one.

Suppliment their diet with veggies like cucumbers and zucchini. Too much fish food in their diet without roughage from veggies can cause constipation and death. Some keepers recommend keeping bogwood or other driftwood for them to chew on also. My plecos loved it.


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

something I dont think anyone has asked yet... how did you acclimate the pleco? my pleco has been as tough as nails over the last 7 months or so, and hes getting huge. then I added a pleco sold as a "dog face" pleco, although I cant remember for the life of me what he really was. I rushed the acclimation and he did the EXACT thing yours did for a day before kicking the can. 

I would think the acclimation would be the biggest suspect, if it was at ALL rushed even a little bit. I had about an 85% survival rate for new fish until I started the drip method.


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