pleco dies

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

fishkeeper90

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Nov 20, 2017
Messages
228
so today i found my bn plec dead not that old maybe 6 months old or so came with tank we got he was eating fine on the algae on glass aswell as wafers but all of a sudden stopped eating everything he used to be very active during day when eating then would just stay in one position by heater all the time nearly he occasionally moved ...we put bog wood in the tank then he stopped eating didnt hide up like the other pleco does (lemon plec) ...water tests came back ok except general hardness but had got better after putting more live plants in did a 10% water change saturday and he dead today (monday) he was slightly more active then recently yesterday too ...any ideas... this is roughly what my tank looks like now ....minus the red tail shark and plec and a little roughed up lol
20171112_111536.jpg
 
Nice tank. Looks like you provided a good environment for the noted BN. If the water parameters were fine, and no threatening tankmates present, all other fish fine, likely an intestinal bacteria infection.
You can write this one down as the classic unexplained fatality the kind we all experience at one time or another.
Just in case the Plecos death was the start of an outbreak, might consider spacing 2x. 25% WC's this week and next with gravel vacs as to dilute any pathegen populations that might be present.
 
would intestinal bacteria infection stop him from eating? he stopped eating about 2 weeks ago we thought as he lasted 2 weeks no food he was munching at night on glass like the lemon plec has been ...we have just opened a new tub of wafers and the other fish are more attracted to them then the old tub that has been open a while ...weve had the fish 2 months roughly now that is a different tank to the one we got them in as this one bigger front to back but still 4ft tank ...fish in tank are 1x upside down catfish (about 15 yrs old from what previous owner said) lemon plec...4 albino barbs ...a danio...2 x guppies of different colours ...2 yellow labs...and 2 half band spiney eels ....none never bothered bn or each other really just labs chase each other
 
Its very likely that a fish will stop eating when afflicted with a bacterial infection. They also will become lethargic, isolate itself, and might have trouble breathing. Plecos are long lived fish, and are usually the last to go during a disease outbreak, so in that way the BN death was not typical. Probably not your fault, just one of those things.
 
What are the tank parameters for the 3-4 weeks before were there water quality issues - specifically possible NitrItes, and just previous to the death?
 
Just a thought! We're did you get the wood and did he eat on that at all? Could be something in the wood.
 
Just a thought! We're did you get the wood and did he eat on that at all? Could be something in the wood.
got the wood from a friend and as far as im aware he never touched the wood ...he was always on the heater or the pipe going out of tank to external filter or sometimes by the in feed from external ....all the other fish have "nibbled" on it even my other plec (lemon plec) but that ones fine...even my 15 yr old (supposidly) catfish is fine
 
What are the tank parameters for the 3-4 weeks before were there water quality issues - specifically possible NitrItes, and just previous to the death?
we only got a test kit last weekend did a test on the saturday just before putting eels in and new plants all were ok excpet the No3 that was very high however we did a test before 10% water change this saturday and it had gone right down to near enough perfect ( one below perfect) so the plants helped with that like it said they would and then he dead yesterday (monday)
 
You said you got the tank about 6 months ago. Guessing that you are just learning about cycling a tank?

Check out the new to fish article link in my signature.

Also in case you haven't got enough info to get you started in the right direction or keep you that way here are a few more links good for background info...
Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side - Aquarium Advice
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice
and this is for starting a new tank and is helpful just to know how it is done, not a hurry for this info.
The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice

Biggest thing is not to wash (or change them until they are gonna fall apart) your filter pads/media in tap water as will be explained further is that the chlorine kills the beneficial bacteria (aka BB / bb) which you need for the nitrification cycle.

It is possible that if you changed or cleaned any filter media OR missed some pwc and the NitrIte got too hgh it could also have had internal issues because of that.

Sometimes you won't ever really know, but at least gain some helpful insight that will have you better prepared for care in the future. having the test kit will be a huge help!
 
You said you got the tank about 6 months ago. Guessing that you are just learning about cycling a tank?

Check out the new to fish article link in my signature.

Also in case you haven't got enough info to get you started in the right direction or keep you that way here are a few more links good for background info...
Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side - Aquarium Advice
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice
and this is for starting a new tank and is helpful just to know how it is done, not a hurry for this info.
The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice

Biggest thing is not to wash (or change them until they are gonna fall apart) your filter pads/media in tap water as will be explained further is that the chlorine kills the beneficial bacteria (aka BB / bb) which you need for the nitrification cycle.

It is possible that if you changed or cleaned any filter media OR missed some pwc and the NitrIte got too hgh it could also have had internal issues because of that.

Sometimes you won't ever really know, but at least gain some helpful insight that will have you better prepared for care in the future. having the test kit will be a huge help!
no...got first tank 2 months ago that all the fish except eels came in kept same water from the first tank so didnt have to cycle it ....( as you would do if moving from one house to another) ...but then got another tank as it is a lot bigger had this one about a month now used same water that came out the other tank and had to add more obviously as its a lot bigger but this tank we put external on that day we swapped all over treated all water with dechlorinator and filter start... partner added some water left in filters of internal filter before starting external up so it has been fine for the whole time no fish dying until pleco yesterday all rest are active and healthy ...even our old catfish
 
no...got first tank 2 months ago that all the fish except eels came in kept same water from the first tank so didnt have to cycle it ....( as you would do if moving from one house to another) ...but then got another tank as it is a lot bigger had this one about a month now used same water that came out the other tank and had to add more obviously as its a lot bigger but this tank we put external on that day we swapped all over treated all water with dechlorinator and filter start... partner added some water left in filters of internal filter before starting external up so it has been fine for the whole time no fish dying until pleco yesterday all rest are active and healthy ...even our old catfish
have owned fish before ..my dad and grandad had tropical and my partner owned tropical a few years before he met me so i sort of know a bit about tropical
 
we got the external second hand so had to clean them as they were really disgusting but as i say partner used the water left in internal filter to put in the external but as i say its been ok for a month maybe longer
 
Back
Top Bottom