How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a month?

S

Smurfette

New Fish
#1
Oct 22, 2002
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#1
I have a 25 gallon 2 year old established community tank with guppies balloon mollies, tetras etc. all of which are doing very well.  My tank is at about 78 degrees with as neutral a pH as I can get, and I have tried the plecos in freshwater with no salt, and also water with 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt per 5 gallons (to keep the guppies happy!)  neither method has increased the life expectancy of my pleco.  I always try to buy as big a pleco as I can find (usually about 5-6 cms long.)

I have a lot of green algae - it is trailing off the plastic plants, and I also add an algae wafer per day in case the pleco is still hungry.  What am I doing wrong?  Any suggestions before I go and kill another unsuspecting pleco?
 

O

Ovrclckd

Large Fish
#2
Oct 22, 2002
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Re: How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a mo

[quote author=Smurfette link=board=beginner&num=990848481&start=0#0 date=05/25/01 at 20:41:21]
I have a 25 gallon 2 year old established community tank with guppies balloon mollies, tetras etc. all of which are doing very well.  My tank is at about 78 degrees with as neutral a pH as I can get, and I have tried the plecos in freshwater with no salt, and also water with 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt per 5 gallons (to keep the guppies happy!)  neither method has increased the life expectancy of my pleco.  I always try to buy as big a pleco as I can find (usually about 5-6 cms long.)

I have a lot of green algae - it is trailing off the plastic plants, and I also add an algae wafer per day in case the pleco is still hungry.  What am I doing wrong?  Any suggestions before I go and kill another unsuspecting pleco?
[/quote]

I assume you test your water, any ammonia, nitrites?

Other things... plecos and many other types of catfish can't take salt, so stop using salt. Lower your temp to say 76. Add driftwood to the tank if you don't already have it. Those plecos are also quite small, you should try to get them at about 4" or 10cm.

Algae wafers are a pretty good staple for plecos, you might want to add cucumber or lettuce to supplement.

You really aren't doing anything wrong... its odd that they are dying...
 

R

ryanp15

Superstar Fish
#3
Oct 22, 2002
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#3
Re: How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a mo

I think it's probably the salt too. I have had a pleco for 4 months now and until about 3 weeks ago never ever feed him anything. I have a little fake wooden cave in my tank and  he is always in there during the day cause they are nocturnal animals you know. Maybe you should get a small cave for him to hide in during the day. Mine now gets fed spirulina and algea wafers and he is doing really great. He doesn't seem to like algea in my tank at all. I don't know maybe he's just a weird little pleco. He seems to like my driftwood too at night that's where he goes. Try adding some more decor to your tank and see if that helps out any. ;D Good luck.
 

R

ryanp15

Superstar Fish
#5
Oct 22, 2002
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#5
Re: How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a mo

When I first got him my entire back panel of glass was covered in algea and he NEVER seemed to touch it he just stayed in the cave all day long. I will cut back on his food though. ;D
 

B

Bleeder

New Fish
#6
Oct 22, 2002
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Re: How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a mo

A few tips:

1.Ensure that there are no other dominant fishes in your tank that will harass your plecos.

2.Plecos would do well in tank filled with gravel (not more then 2mm per gravel). I assume that your tank has it?

3.Try to reduce the amount of salt. Plecos don't take kindly to salt content.

Hope that I have been of help.  8)
 

K

Kristin

Medium Fish
#7
Oct 22, 2002
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#7
Re: How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a mo

 If I were you I would NOT get a pleco!!!! they will get 3 feet long!! get an oto or a siamese algae eater. they do a good job and they are also small tank friendly. i think a zebra pleco is the only one that will stay 3 or 4 inches, and all the other ones get at least 2 feet. i have seen it myself! big as my arm!  :p
 

D

Dragoon

New Fish
#8
Oct 22, 2002
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#8
Re: How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a mo

A few clarifications on plecos.
1) there are hundreds of species of fish called plecos, although most aren't actually plecos.
2) There are a few that get huge, many that get 12-18" and lots that stay from 3-12".
3) most plecos don't eat algae as a staple food.
4) many plecos are purely carnivorous.
Basically, you want one of the smaller species like a bristlenose or clown pleco. Both are more expensive but they stay small and are the best ones for algae eating. Before you buy it look at it's stomach. If it is at all sunken in, don't buy it. It's probably already dead, it just hasn't realized it yet. Find one with a full round belly.
When you introduce it, make sure you have a pice of driftwood for it to graze on, they need it for digestion. Feed a variety of foods, algae wafers, blanched veggies, shrimp pellets, frozen bloodworms, and even small earthworms.
If you manage to connect all these steps together you should have a healthy pleco with colours you never knew they had before.
 

fishboy

fishboy

Superstar Fish
#9
Oct 22, 2002
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#9
Re: How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a mo

on 06/13/01 at 16:56:38)Kristin wrote:  

__________________________________________________________________________
If I were you I would NOT get a pleco!!!! they will get 3 feet long!! get an oto or a siamese algae eater. they do a good job and they are also small tank friendly. i think a zebra pleco is the only one that will stay 3 or 4 inches, and all the other ones get at least 2 feet. i have seen it myself! big as my arm!  
___________________________________________________________________________

Actually Kristin Zebra plecs are the only kind that prefers meat over greens. SO don't get a Zebra pleco if you want it to eat your algae they are more scavengers than grazers. Plus they are sooooooooooo expensive
8)
 

R

ryanp15

Superstar Fish
#10
Oct 22, 2002
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#10
Re: How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a mo

Yes zebras do prefer meat. My regular pleco has been alive for about 4-5 months now and it's fine I never feed it and my algea content has went was down. He didnt' do much on the brown algea though. I think pleco's are great fish and the regular ones don't get big as an arm. ;D
 

M

mrfootball70

Medium Fish
#12
Oct 22, 2002
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#12
Re: How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a mo

i think one of the key elements for pleco longevity would be the driftwood,they'll usually make it there "hang" out..and my royal pleco has munched a ton of it and he also loves romaine lettuce..also no salt is important...and with so much algae try doing more water changes..sounds like too much "organics" feeding your algae bloom... good luck
 

R

ryanp15

Superstar Fish
#13
Oct 22, 2002
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Kentucky
#13
Re: How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a mo

[quote author=Dragoon link=board=beginner&num=990848481&start=0#10 date=06/25/01 at 04:13:52]
Out of curiosity Ryanp13, what colour is your common?
[/quote]Well he's kinda brown with black spots. They're not really that black though. I don't really know how to describe him. ;D
 

D

Dragoon

New Fish
#14
Oct 22, 2002
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#14
Re: How do I keep a pleco alive for more than a mo

Hehe :)
If you give them a high protein diet (shrimp pellts, blood worms) you get to see their true colours. The brown with black spots stays the same, but along all their fins a rusty orange colour comes out. The more food like this, the brighter the colour. It is quite impressive looking. This is what I use to figure out how healthy any given common pleco is. No colour, it's not a very happy camper.
 

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