First fancy pleco

[FishieRuffio]

Hi all,

I have a question - I've got a 25ish gallon tank, and about four days ago, I bought some fish to put in the tank. I've got a school (15) of cardinal tetras, and a four-inch fancy pleco (whom I believe to be a gold-striped panaque, though I'm not entirely sure).

I also, about a couple days ago, read somewhere that they enjoy wood and so I put in a chunk of Mopani driftwood, and he seems to hang around it quite a bit. I've got no ammonia, and the water temperature is about 79F.

So here's my question - it looks like his topfin is pretty clamped, but since he hides in a cave during most of the day, I'm wondering if that's just his "sleep mode," or if that's the sign of a problem. The cardinals don't seem to be bothering him.

I've been feeding him one Hikari sinking wafer a night - is that too much/too little? I'm going to try to get some veggies for him to eat soon, too - I've heard they like those.

Am I overreacting to the clamped fin? Is there anything I should keep an eye out for? TIA.

 

[Fluff]

In my experience, (I have 20 plecos ), that is the way they look in a relaxed state. They only extend their dorsal fin when being challenged or startled. As long as he is eating, I wouldnt' worry. They are pretty reclusive but in time, he will come out of hiding. The veggies are a good idea as well as the tabs. Good luck.

 

[severum mama]

Congrats and don't worry- most of my plecos hide all the time during the day. I think yours will be fine.

 

[Meredith]

that is the way they look in a relaxed state. They only extend their dorsal fin when being challenged or startled.

Definitely true. I feel a bit bad for my plec. He must be really tense. His dorsal is up a lot, and he is always chasing somebody around the tank.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Hiding is the norm for pleco's. Try coming downstairs around 3 am and turning on a light in the room. Chances are he is out and about swimming around. My Sailfin only raises his fin when he is swimming.

 

[Jchillin]

Does he look like this?

 

[docrak]

I got one of these little guys about a year ago. They have got to be one of the most beautiful fish I have ever seen. Mine is full grown at about 3 inches. He likes hiding around driftwood but lately has taken over a piece of prime realestate, my L200 Green Phantom Plecos cave. They arn't very quaralsom and make great tank mates. They are almost exlusivly a nocturnal species. Oh and they are almost always wild caught. Keep an eye on him the first couple weeks, really first few days, are the hardest. Make sure he is eating, watch out for sunken stomaches, a sign of parasites or a loss of digestive bacteria. I lost my first one but the second one worked out for me. Good luck with him, I'm sure he'll become one of your favorites also.

Here's some info on him:
L number: LDA01
Max size: 3.2 inchs
Temp:24-28 degrees C
pH: 6-7.5
Food: A wood eating species; vegetables are avidly eaten. Animal protein can be given once in a while but should not be the main diet

 

[Guest]

I'm hoping you used bio-spira or at least some sort of bacterial start in the tank. the cardinals are very picky when it comes to changes in the waters chemistry. Since i'm assuming your tank is not cycled properly, i'd recommend doing something about it or else you will lost most if not all of your cardinals. There are many topics regarding the cycling of tanks. Just search some of them up. If you can't do it properly, at least give them a chance by going to a lfs and grabbing a buttload of hortwort with some anacharis, they will suck up the ammonia/nitrates and maybe some nitrites so the fish couldn't even tell that the tank was cycling.
HTH
-Stewie

 

[Guest]

Oh, btw, I noticed this was your first post, so here's a warm welcome to Aquarium Advice! I hope you enjoy your stay here.

-Stewie

 

[docrak]

Oh, I just noticed you have a new tank. Keep a close eye on your ammonia and nitrate level. Plecos don't like high levels of these chemicals, they normally live in streams and are never exposed to either. I lost a pleco to high nitrites, it effects their ability to breath, and it doesn't take very high levels to effect them.

Also if your pleco is four inches he might not be a gold-striped panaque. Can you get a photo of him?

 

[FishieRuffio]

Hey all - thanks for the help!

I was primarily concerned about the dorsal being clamped, so it's good to hear that it's normal for plecos.

I'm hoping you used bio-spira or at least some sort of bacterial start in the tank. the cardinals are very picky when it comes to changes in the waters chemistry.

Thanks for the advice, stewie. I used squeezings from the sponge filter in my 5 gallon, and put a sponge in the tank from my girlfriend's AquaClear. I heard cardinals are sensitive fish (I've lost one already, but I'm not sure if it was my fault - he seemed somewhat runt-ish to begin with). I've been doing daily tests, and I haven't gotten any readings on ammonia or nitrites yet, so I'm hoping that it'll turn out okay.


docrak - I'm really not sure what he is! I'll try to get a picture of him to post.

 

[FishieRuffio]

Hi all -

Everything's seems to still be going well with the tank - the ammonia and nitrites are showing trace levels, but *barely* registering. Haven't lost anyone.

Another pleco question, though - is it normal for him to be breathing "heavily?" It almost looks like he's panting a little bit, but I don't know what a normal repsiratory rate for a pleco might be. Is this normal? Should I be worried? TIA.

 

[Guest]

Fishie,
I'm not really an expert when it comes to breathing, but i'll do my best.
I have 3 albino bn plecs in my 29 gallon tank. The ONLY time i've noticed them "breating" heavy was when either my water quality (nitrates) were high or when I was treating the tank for ich when I raised the tank to 86 degrees and dosed salt at a large rate. (I was advised this by another person, which was trustworthy.) They said on the last treatment (3 days) the plecos might have trouble breathing because of the salt in the water and a pwc was necessary a few hours after the treatment. Are you adding salt to your tank? Could it be that he is stressed? and when was the last time/how much of a water change did you do? Its just some ideas to ponder about. This is all I can tell ya for now, but I guess a little experience with this issue is better than none. Maybe someone else can add in here to help me out.
HTH
-Stewie