Sos!!!!!!!!!! Pleco cut in half!!

[Lt.]

Ok, so I just set up my tank two days ago, put in cycled media. And the some temporary decor. Then the fish. I haven't seen the pleco once in the last few days, which is normal since I don't usually see him more than once a week. But 5 minutes ago I moved my filter from one end of the tank to the other, turned it back on, turned around for thirty seconds, turned back around, only to see half a nasty Sailfin pleco on on my gravel!!! Other than removing him, what do do!!!

 

[Lt.]

 

[Lt.]

HELP!!!!

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

He probably got sucked into the filter intake

 

[Samzter]

Okay. Dong worry as such. Is he still breathing or acting lethargic? What percentage of his body is cut off? Do you know how it happened?

 

[Lt.]

He seems long since dead

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

And I'm wicked sorry that's a bummer whatever happened 8-(

 

[Lt.]

He used to be 4-5 in. long

 

[Lt.]

SCARY, what should I do with the rest of the tank!

 

[Lt.]

Omg, theres guts floating around

 

[Samzter]

I'm not an expert but do you have a breeder trap he could stay in. If he is going to survive you're gonna need clean water. Maybe some salt but I'm not sure. I'll contact some other members and see what they say.

 

[Lt.]

He's KIA

 

[Lt.]

any idea what the green bits are

 

[Samzter]

He's KIA

Does that mean killed in action? I hope not.

 

[Lt.]

Yes! Sorry, I'm a bit frantic and freaked out

 

[Cynic]

Likely he just died as a result of an uncycled tank and was torn apart by your rainbows.

Either way a Sailfin should never be in a 20G.

 

[Lt.]

I haven't changed my profile yet, this its a 45 now, and I was about to rehome him tonight! So you think he was ripped apart by the rainbows?! P.S. the tank has cycled filter media in it. So pretty much instant cycled

 

[Cichlid Kid]

If you seen guts floating then the green bits you speak of are probably stomach contents.

 

[Lt.]

Disgusting

 

[blert]

Sorry to hear this.

Also sorry to say that just because you dropped a "cycled" filter onto the tank does not mean that the tank was "instantly cycled". Any time you set up a new tank, regardless of the amount of pre-"cycled" items you use, you need to be testing the water daily until you see that ammonia and nitrite are zero and nitrate is rising. I, for one, do not prescribe to the notion of an "instant cycle". They can be shortened and minimized, sometimes considerably, but there is no such thing as "instant".

Looks to me like he died and then the other fish decided to take the opportunity to feast.

Do a couple of 50% water changes along with good gravel vacs and then test the water.