We have a Common Pleco, about 5 month old, and has been doing great up until now. He has been spending alot of time hiding and not out and sucking around like her normally did. When I lifted up his hiding spot today (to make sure he was still alive) he was alive but had alot of pale spots on him. will try to get a picture if he comes out. We thought it might be because our rosie barbs are going to be breeding soon, would that be a possible reason. We are afraid he is going to starve since he doesnt come out to eat. Any thoughts?
Pale Pleco
- Thread starter ally
- Start date
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Some info about the tank will help folks begin to diagnose a possible problem:
Tank size
Nitrate
nitrite
ammonia
pH
temperature
Other tank inhabitants
age of tank
maintenance schedule
filtration
any recent changes/additions
Tank size
Nitrate
nitrite
ammonia
pH
temperature
Other tank inhabitants
age of tank
maintenance schedule
filtration
any recent changes/additions
Okay, ill try to answer the questions the best I can, the tank is sort of my moms thing.
its 55 gallons, water is about room temp, she is getting the water tested tomorrow morning so ill be able to tell you about the other things tomorrow, the tank has been running for about 6 months now, the other inhabitants include: rosy barbs, neons, rummy nose tetras, rainbow tetras, cories, an albino bristlenose pleco and a snail. We add the chemicals (waste control, cycle and water treater) every saturday, and no recent changes or additions. We have noticed that the cories also are hiding a bit more than usual although they do still come out.
We have taken the skull out of the tank (where the pleco was hiding) just temporarily in hope of getting him to eat a bit, which seems to be working so far but we will put the skull back in so he has a place to hide.
its 55 gallons, water is about room temp, she is getting the water tested tomorrow morning so ill be able to tell you about the other things tomorrow, the tank has been running for about 6 months now, the other inhabitants include: rosy barbs, neons, rummy nose tetras, rainbow tetras, cories, an albino bristlenose pleco and a snail. We add the chemicals (waste control, cycle and water treater) every saturday, and no recent changes or additions. We have noticed that the cories also are hiding a bit more than usual although they do still come out.
We have taken the skull out of the tank (where the pleco was hiding) just temporarily in hope of getting him to eat a bit, which seems to be working so far but we will put the skull back in so he has a place to hide.
What chemicals are you adding? You shouldn't need to add any chemicals to the tank besides a good dechlorinator like prime during a water change.
When is the last time a water change was performed, and how much did you change?
Common plecos do tend to change colors a bit, so there may not be anything terribly wrong with him yet. However, the tank you have him in is too small... he will eventually either become stunted, or outgrow the tank. Something to take into consideration.
When is the last time a water change was performed, and how much did you change?
Common plecos do tend to change colors a bit, so there may not be anything terribly wrong with him yet. However, the tank you have him in is too small... he will eventually either become stunted, or outgrow the tank. Something to take into consideration.
We add a waste control chemical, cycle chemical and the regular water treating chemical (dechlorinator). The last water change was probably a month ago now, and we did about 25%. We do realize he will outgrow the tank but we are planning on upgrading..my mom got hooked so much more than she thought she would and i honestly have too lol! I am working her toward a 110 gallon 
so I should push for a bigger one then no objections from me! haha.
We were told water changes werent needed very often once the tank was running, but we can certainly start doing them more often! Do you mean what brand the chemicals are? I believe the chemicals are made by Aquaclear
no objections from me! haha.We were told water changes werent needed very often once the tank was running, but we can certainly start doing them more often! Do you mean what brand the chemicals are? I believe the chemicals are made by Aquaclear
Yes, and what the chemicals are... there is no such thing as a "waste remover" chemical or a true "cycle" chemical. They are gimmicks sold by LFS's.
Partial water changes are an essential part of creating a healthy aquarium. It is the only way to export nutrients at the end of the nitrogen cycle unless your tank is heavily planted. Even in a heavily planted tank, I do a 50% change a week...
Partial water changes are an essential part of creating a healthy aquarium. It is the only way to export nutrients at the end of the nitrogen cycle unless your tank is heavily planted. Even in a heavily planted tank, I do a 50% change a week...
Mumma.of.two
Aquarium Advice Obsessed
fort384 said:
+1
There are quite a lot of chemicals/products out there that are suppose to prevent water changes but in reality they do more harm than good. Nothing beats fresh clean water!
