I have just bought a 7inch pleco for my 5gal tank which already houses 6 bronze corys.This morning when I looked he was just laying on his side but still breathing.I thought i spotted some fungus so i added 5 tsps of salt but this has made no difference but I think whatever he has is affecting my corys as one has died already.please help.
Help!!pleco unwell
- Thread starter chavster
- Start date
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Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
Salt will not help with a fungal problem. You need to get meds to treat it. QT the pleco right away. I also believe the cories maybe reacting to the salt in the water, not anything from the pleco. Do a 50% water change right away.
Aside from all that--what are your water parameter--ammonia, nitrite, nitrate? How long has the tank been set up? When were the fish added?
That is too many fish for that size of a tank. If that is a common pleco, it can easily reach over a foot long. Do not buy another pleco for that tank.
and...
[center:63e913766e] Welcome to Aquarium Advice, chavster!!
[/center:63e913766e]
Aside from all that--what are your water parameter--ammonia, nitrite, nitrate? How long has the tank been set up? When were the fish added?
That is too many fish for that size of a tank. If that is a common pleco, it can easily reach over a foot long. Do not buy another pleco for that tank.
and...
[center:63e913766e] Welcome to Aquarium Advice, chavster!!
[/center:63e913766e]
Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
Lots of nitrites is NOT okay (that number should be zero) and that temp is low for tropical fish. Do you have a heater? Do you have test kits? Please post the exact numbers for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.
keyhamking
Aquarium Advice Newbie
i aggree that you probably shouldn't get another pleco as two may start getting a little too much for that tank, but if u really want more fish then maybe u should just get a handful of guppies and/or barbs in there, as they are quite small when they are young. maybe put a few fist size rocks in the tank cos then he'll have something to swim around and it might cheer him up a bit.
Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
No more fish in that tank. 5 gals is already too small for a 7" fish. That tank is packed too full already and never add more fish to a tank where illness is occurring. What type of filter is on that tank?
keyhamking
Aquarium Advice Newbie
brick might do for now as long as u chip most cement off it if has been used in past, as for guppies, well i'd be wary about going into double figures, but if u get ms and fs then u may wake up to some nice babies one morning which would always be a welcome addition to yr tank.
as for heating, if u rely on warmth from yr fire then make sure tank is pretty warm in the evening by the time u turn yr fire off otherwise it maybe too cold by the morning - and we dont want any deaths!
as for heating, if u rely on warmth from yr fire then make sure tank is pretty warm in the evening by the time u turn yr fire off otherwise it maybe too cold by the morning - and we dont want any deaths!
ok,ive put the brick in the tank,I thoroughly scrubbed it with detergent first to remove any nasties.Would i be able to keep a frog in my tank as there is some frogspawn in my local pond and i could add that to my tank instead of guppies???
thanks for your help!
thanks for your help!
keyhamking
Aquarium Advice Newbie
what kind of frog is it - i've seen brown ones in tanks - i suppose u'd just have 2 see what colour they were after they hatched - a quicker way might be to actually try to catch a frog - if there is spawn, there may be a frog nearby.
Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
No guppies, do not add anything until you know what's wrong with the pleco. After that, some fish have to go before you add any more fish.
You need a heater for tropical fish, which is what cories are. A heater will keep the temperature from fluctuating, which is stressful for the fish.
Do you have a filter in the tank now? If not, air stones will help, but you need some sort of filtration for beneficial bacteria to grow. This tank is not cycled. Read the article on cycling.
You need to be doing 50% water changes daily to get the nitrites down. You will need to be doing water changes often if you do not have a filter.
No garden bricks, unless you can be 100% sure there are no chemicals, soaps, detergents on it.
You need a heater for tropical fish, which is what cories are. A heater will keep the temperature from fluctuating, which is stressful for the fish.
Do you have a filter in the tank now? If not, air stones will help, but you need some sort of filtration for beneficial bacteria to grow. This tank is not cycled. Read the article on cycling.
You need to be doing 50% water changes daily to get the nitrites down. You will need to be doing water changes often if you do not have a filter.
No garden bricks, unless you can be 100% sure there are no chemicals, soaps, detergents on it.
Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
chavster, how is your pleco doing? Did you get a heater?
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