Not compatible??

[rallycat]

This is quite possibly the weirdest problem I've ever had. I have 7 (3 pearl, 2 blue, 2 gold) gourami's in a 29 gallon tank and I've been trying to keep it clean with a pleco. That's where the problem lies. I've been through two pleco's so far, both having died from some ick looking disease, but none of the other fish has showed any type of sickness. I was sure to give them algae wafers every two days. Now, does anyone know if there is some kind of incompatibility between plecos and gouramis?


edit: i clean the tank regularly, i was trying to keep the algae down using a pleco.

Now, does anyone know if there is some kind of incompatibility between plecos and gouramis?

none that I know of.
I do have a question though, you keep getting pleco's from the same store? they could have an unhealthy batch of them.

Also, the algae wafers, that's good, but some kinds of pleco require driftwood in the tank, they slowly chew away at it, it adds someting to their diet. Heavy-duty fiber, i guess.

[nikki]

Yes, I agree, plecos and ancistrus need wood , they chew it to digest.If the plecos were really small you should give them a piece of potato (not cooked) and change it every day to be sure it doesn't pollute the water. Anyway, I was told plecos and ancistrus go through an age when they are very fragile, so perhaps you bought them at the wrong age . By the way, was it a pleco or an ancistrus? I think ancistrus need to be at least 2.

[rallycat]

Thank you for the advice about the driftwood, I've never heard that before and will be adding some to my 29 gal. soon. (I'm sure the gouramis will love it anway The fish were regular plecos, one was a very good size, 2.5-3in, so he was a pretty decent age when purchased. There's plenty of bloom in the tank right now (I'm a slacker!) so I think a pleco would have a more suitable environment now. Thanks for all the help!