Help! My two new fish died!

[FishMom109]

Let me try to take a picture of him.. and you guys can maybe tell me what kind he is.. I didn't realize that there were SO many different types.. and at the pet store they just say pleco on them.. also, I believe these were the only plecos that they had there. Hopefully he isn't going to be HUGE so I can keep him.

 

[Homedog98]

It's possible, but I'm afraid it's not likely. Definitely get a pic though.

 

[FishMom109]

Nevermind.. he's a common. He has those little 'antenna' looking things in front of his eyes.. I google imaged a common.. and he's pretty small so it's hard to tell, but he does have those things like the other ones that popped up when I googled him

 

[Homedog98]

Can you still get a pic? Sometimes even google doesn't know what they're talking about! Those antenna things could make it a bristlenose, and that one would be fine in your tank!

 

[FishMom109]

Hope you guys can see this.. it's on my facebook. :/

 

[FishMom109]

http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums...02487694363_1004955833_32048927_7810100_n.jpg

 

[Homedog98]

Look up calico bristlenose pleco on google. I think that's what you have, but since it's not a full body shot I can't be sure. Could you try and get a full body pic?

 

[FishMom109]

In the one where you can see his belly, you can also see how cloudy my water is...

 

[FishMom109]

He's not as 'clear' as some of the ones that I googled.. and he doesn't have those 'feeler' things all over his mouth and nose.. But I don't know anything about fish, so I'll just leave it up to you lol

 

[darby]

Looks like a common plec to my untrained, unprofessional eye.

 

[Homedog98]

It looks almost like a calico bristlenose, the females don't get bristles, so that's a possibility, I'll let some other people chip in here.

 

[FishMom109]

I really hope so! And maybe when he/she grows a little more then I can figure out what it is exactly.. I would really like to keep it.. and since it's so small, then I can get away with keeping it for awhile.

I had watermelon in the tank over night and just took it out about 2 hours ago because s/he had been munching on it up until then.. I found that s/he ate quite a bit too! S/he has a nice full belly now. Since the watermelon was eaten, should I put in a wafer later too? Or wait until tomorrow..? I don't want to cloud the water worse if it may not get eaten...

So just to get this right.. I should do 50% water changes until I can get the test kit.. like starting tomorrow?? Or should I wait a day or two and see if the cloudines goes way due to the bacteria bloom... ??

 

[McLumpy]

It looks like a Common Pleco to me. Below is a pic of mine so you can compare. I'm sorry about your fish.

 

[FishMom109]

voo.. He looks like a common.. lol Oh well.. I guess I'll have to make plans in the future to upgrade.. but for now I'll just continue to let him grow. He's gorgeous by the way.

 

[McLumpy]

voo.. He looks like a common.. lol Oh well.. I guess I'll have to make plans in the future to upgrade.. but for now I'll just continue to let him grow. He's gorgeous by the way.

Thanks! His name is Tony.

Honestly, you have very little time w/ your Pleco before he/she gets too big. I've only had mine for around 7 or 8 months and he's already 8-9" long. He is absolutely awesome though and keeps my other fish in line and the algae down. Unfortunately though, I will need to rehome him once he gets too big.

Just like you, I fell into the trap of the LFS not knowing what they had and me making an impulse buy before researching the Common Pleco. It happens. But given your tank size and you going through the cycling biz, I agree w/ the others that it would be a good idea to take him back or rehome him.

 

[McLumpy]

I forgot to mention... I have a 55g tank, (if you didn't notice that in my signature lol). So if you do decide to keep your Pleco and get a larger tank in the next couple of months, a tank <55g is a plus. Otherwise, you will still need to rehome him/her.

Let me tell you, it sucks getting really attached to a fish and knowing that you won't be able to keep them. I'm going to miss Tony, but I know I'll be doing the right thing.

 

[darby]

Thanks! His name is Tony.

Honestly, you have very little time w/ your Pleco before he/she gets too big. I've only had mine for around 7 or 8 months and he's already 8-9" long.

I had a com plec a few years ago in my 29g for about a year, and it only grew to 6" or 7". I don't know what I did, fed twice a day, cleaned the tank regularly, now I feel bad. Ended up giving it to a friend with a 55g.

 

[FishMom109]

This whole fish thing really has me upset. The LFS never gave us any information about these fish, just that they would be fine together and that they all ate the same food. I'm pretty sure this is part of the reason that my others have died. And now to find out that I'm going to have a small whale in my tank upsets me as well. I'm hoping to keep him for a little while, at least until he gets a little bigger and I can find a new home for him or get a bigger tank, whichever comes first. I would also like to find a pleco that doesn't get huge like the bristle nose or rubber lip.. but I'm sure that will take some searching, as I'm pretty sure they don't have them at the LFS where I bought mine.

Thank you so much for all your help.

 

[jenatron]

Darby: your pleco was stunted.

Fishmom: How will you be dechlorinating? If you don't have a dechlorinator this is kind of a difficult situation. None of the non-chemical options are really effective.

 

[FishMom109]

I don't know how to dechlorinate!! I don't know how to do anything lol
I've been told that because I can't get a test kit right away that I can do 50% water changes because of the cloudiness in my tank.. Well today it's 1/4 as cloudy as it has been, so that makes me feel better. I planned to do a water change to day..

Would I be able to boil my water before putting it in the tank? Of course not directly in the tank but letting it cool down before doing so.... Boiling gets rid of the bad stuff normally, would this work for my tank as well??