My pleco is floating around the tank.

[Ammon]

My pleco has been floating around the tank starting this morning. I came home from school to see him in a not so good condition. I bought him yesterday, and don't know if I did something, if he wasn't in good shape to begin with, or what.. I put him in my 10 gallon tank to quarantine for a week or so before I was gonna put him in my 29 gallon, but I'm not sure if he is gonna make it to that tank. Thanks for any help you can give. He died minutes after posting, and I am going to take him back to the LFS to try to see. If you could help so that I can try to prevent future deaths, that would be greatly appreciated

 

[Aiken Drum]

How did the fish look in the store and in the bag? Did you notice anything wrong with any other fish in the store? Dead fish in their tanks etc?

How did you acclimate the fish to the water of your QT?

Are you 100% sure you had water conditioner in the water in your QT?

 

[Ammon]

I didn't notice anything wrong with him or other fish when he was in the tank at the store. In the bag he just kinda sat in the corner and stared, but I did acclimate him for around 15-20 minutes. I have put water conditioner in the tank, and when I bought him from the LFS they tested my water for the tank and everything was good. I have had SEVERE problems with ammonia in my tank but I think I finally got it under control a little better. I couldn't seem to get rid of it, and I would do large water changes, but I guess it is what it is.

 

[corn_pea]

I didn't notice anything wrong with him or other fish when he was in the tank at the store. In the bag he just kinda sat in the corner and stared, but I did acclimate him for around 15-20 minutes. I have put water conditioner in the tank, and when I bought him from the LFS they tested my water for the tank and everything was good. I have had SEVERE problems with ammonia in my tank but I think I finally got it under control a little better. I couldn't seem to get rid of it, and I would do large water changes, but I guess it is what it is.

It sounds like your tank hasn’t been properly cycled…how long has it been running???

 

[Ammon]

Cycle

The tank has been with me for about a month but no more than 2 for sure. About two weeks ago, when the ammonia had messed with me enough, I put all of the fish into one tank for about a day or two (I swear, I didn't over stock or put them with bad tank mates) and gave almost everything a deep clean. After setting it back up, I let it warm up and filter for a while, before moving a couple fish back into it after conditioning. They seemed to preform fine, and all of the fish that are in it at the moment seem to be doing fine. Whenever I buy new fish though, they always die, unless they are part of the strong, and healthy group.

 

[corn_pea]

The tank has been with me for about a month but no more than 2 for sure. About two weeks ago, when the ammonia had messed with me enough, I put all of the fish into one tank for about a day or two (I swear, I didn't over stock or put them with bad tank mates) and gave almost everything a deep clean. After setting it back up, I let it warm up and filter for a while, before moving a couple fish back into it after conditioning. They seemed to preform fine, and all of the fish that are in it at the moment seem to be doing fine. Whenever I buy new fish though, they always die, unless they are part of the strong, and healthy group.

How long do you acclimate your new fish??? And how soon after u get them do they die?

 

[Autumnsky]

Check this out to learn about cycling a tank and the weeks necessary to build a strong beneficial bacteria colony to help keep the tank safe for your fish.

https://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/

What is the ammonia in the QT tank level at now?

 

[Ammon]

I usually acclimate them for around 15 minutes, or in today's special case around 30-40. They usually die either next day withing 24 hours, or no more than 3 days. I am assuming that unless there is something SUPER bad in the tank, they wouldn't have died from me. They were sick when I bought them, but what do I know. I am a really bad, and brand new fish keeper.

 

[Ammon]

And when I last tested on Wednesday at the LFS they said that all of my levels were perfect. As in ammonia at 0. But I don't have ammonia test to see. The tests that I bought for the soul purpose of testing ammonia, don't test ammonia. I am pretty observant, aren't I?

 

[corn_pea]

I usually acclimate them for around 15 minutes, or in today's special case around 30-40. They usually die either next day withing 24 hours, or no more than 3 days. I am assuming that unless there is something SUPER bad in the tank, they wouldn't have died from me. They were sick when I bought them, but what do I know. I am a really bad, and brand new fish keeper.

Are you adding in aquarium water to the bag? You have to do that slowly after the bag water is the same temp as ur tank water. Add about half a cup of water every few minutes until the bag is full of water. This process should take 40-50 min, but I wouldn’t recommend doing it longer than an hour. This is how i’ve been doing it for a while and ive had no casualties

 

[Ammon]

No, I haven't, but with my next fish I will definitely try it. The freaking bags that the fish come in are impossible to open. I always have to cut them open. Thanks for the advice

 

[corn_pea]

And when I last tested on Wednesday at the LFS they said that all of my levels were perfect. As in ammonia at 0. But I don't have ammonia test to see. The tests that I bought for the soul purpose of testing ammonia, don't test ammonia. I am pretty observant, aren't I?

Also are you buying from petco or petsmart? I wouldn’t trust everything they say as they are often misinformed and not trained properly (I’ve had friends and family work at both).

 

[Ammon]

My personal LFS is a Petco.

 

[Ammon]

Also, reading posts on this site, I have grown to learn that.

 

[corn_pea]

No, I haven't, but with my next fish I will definitely try it. The freaking bags that the fish come in are impossible to open. I always have to cut them open. Thanks for the advice

That’s definitely why they’re dying after putting them in [emoji28] the different water parameters puts them into shock and kills them. Here’s a good video https://youtu.be/sJEVdM5dl80 DO NOT let the store water get into your tank because it will introduce all the bad bacteria. Also I recommend getting a quarantine tank for new fish. Infecting a whole tank is not fun, trust me

 

[Autumnsky]

Read the above information about fish keeping.

Check the water parameters and try learning about the whole thing with the article referenced in the above post #7. The nice thing about the article is you can refer back to it and re-read any parts which are more difficult to take in.

No one wants to kill off the creatures you buy or get, and pretty much everyone has had difficulties in their time keeping fish and invertebrates.

Getting a tank running well can take a good amount of time and patience. Lots of learning about the way to keep the tank, and finding the right types fish which can live together with the same water parameters and have them in the right numbers of fish companions and tank size to allow them to live happily.

But you can do it. Learn more and be patient.

Consider holding off on additional fish until your tank matures and water parameters stabilize. An additional thought about the Pleco would be what kind of Pleco is it? Common Plecos get huge, many types get huge.

Adding fish keeps adding ammonia from feeding and waste. I realize the new fish wasn't in the main tank.

 

[corn_pea]

My personal LFS is a Petco.

Make sure u do research before getting new fish and use this website.

https://aqadvisor.com/

Also, is it a bristlenose pleco?

 

[Ammon]

Alrighty. Thank you so much for the help. I REALLY appreciate it. I will definitely make sure to introduce the aquarium water into the bag they come in. Also I make sure I don't let the water in the bag that they come in get into the tank. I will scoop them out of the bag, or put them into a bowl so that the bacteria in the tank doesn't infect my fish. ALL of my fish have gotten ick, and that was the main influence to clean out the whole tank. Every single one of my fish that were in the tank at the time lived, and are still living today.

 

[corn_pea]

Alrighty. Thank you so much for the help. I REALLY appreciate it. I will definitely make sure to introduce the aquarium water into the bag they come in. Also I make sure I don't let the water in the bag that they come in get into the tank. I will scoop them out of the bag, or put them into a bowl so that the bacteria in the tank doesn't infect my fish. ALL of my fish have gotten ick, and that was the main influence to clean out the whole tank. Every single one of my fish that were in the tank at the time lived, and are still living today.

No problem! Good luck [emoji106]

 

[Ammon]

That one was a common pleco I am pretty sure. I am aware of how big they can get, and I am not planning on adding ANY new fish. Both of my tanks are stocked like crazy, so I am trying to get my 29 gallon setup and ready as soon as possible. I have used AqAdvisor, and it is really cool. Thank you guys for all of the help. I will make sure to let the 29 cycle after I set it up, because having fish die is one of the saddest things, even if you only have them for a month or two.