Infections can be treated by isolating the sick fish and consulting your vet to determine the proper treatment. Having more females than males also helps. If you have plecos that just keep dying in your fish tank, then you probably arent caring for them properly. Make sure to add plenty of caves and natural hiding spaces if you keep multiple males in the same tank. You might need to do a better job of doing regular water changes. I know Elbert, that handsome fellow over there in my avatar really loves shrimp pellets and occasionally freeze dried blood or tubifex worms. Ensure that youre feeding the fish appropriately. Also having a water test kit for ammonia and nitrite will help greatly in knowing when to do water changes. Threw him in the tank anyway and it survived. Once mouth and gills are open, you'll need to resuscitate the fish by flushing water over the gills and there are a few ways of doing this. If the pleco is not moving but breathing, then there are several things that could be happening. Youll want to try to touch the fish to see if it reacts at all. Fast forward to the next day. Unless you are bying a large (when grown on) species of pleco who is to say that it's a baby, unless this is visualy obvious. Ensure you follow the package instructions to ensure proper dosing for your fish. You can make acclimating to the tank easier for the fish by taking the time to float the bag before putting it in the tank. Plecostomus is a type of suckermouth catfish that excretes massive amounts of waste. Quarantining and giving medicine is the most effective way to cure this disease. When my pleco went nuts, the pH had dropped to 6.8 and the drop checker was very yellow. A male with eggs/ babies may stay in the cave for several weeks without eating. You always want to do the best job that you can when taking care of fish. Plecs are also known to suck the slime coat off goldfish, causing injury and illness to the goldfish. It's a common pleco and it' Why is my betta sitting by the heater not moving. Many people mistakenly think that plecos dont need to be fed. Goldfish Laying on his side, breathing ever 15-30 secs. Fish tank Pet fish Pet Animals and Pets. They clean algae, but they make a bigger mess in your tank. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. How long have you had the tank? My pleco is laying on it's side still breathing but not movi By entering this site you declare Fish laying on its side in the bottom of the tank. He could still be in shock from the move. It may not display this or other websites correctly. If your fish is stressed, you may notice the loss of color in addition to the loss of appetite and abnormal swimming behaviors. Sadly, my pleco died that night. I also asked my lfs and he said they are MOST active at night. In order to keep your Pleco happy, you will need to ensure that the tank is heated and supplied with a filter. Here are some of my favorite foods for plecos (make a selection suited for the species youre keeping). Over the years I have kept many tanks, and have recently begun getting more serious in wanting to become a professional aquarist. Very bad water conditions might even directly kill the fish. They will hide, or just freeze like a rock if they think they are in danger or are freaking out. 2 comments. Another potential problem involves the oxygen levels in the tank being too low. If the oxygen levels get really low, plecos might stop moving. Fish Lore's aquarium fish forum - aquarium hobbyists helping hobbyists since 2005! That caused me to look at all of the fish, and I saw that many were very pale. Perhaps it seems lethargic and it might even be laying on its side. he sound fine, try touching himand he will probably swim away. 1 - Loss of Color. Ive had the pleco for 4-5 months now and hes usually very active day and night. certain species have apparently demonstarted the ability to absorb oxygen into their blood through their stomac by swallowing it. This gave me false readings that my water had hardly any co2 in it. When done cleaning he put them back in, minus the pleco that had jumped out of the bucket. There are many things to consider, and you dont want to ignore signs that your fish are in trouble. Its a quite common sight: a pleco laying on its back. I have had him in this tank and the fish with him for over a year. Do your best to give your plecos the right food based on what is recommended for their species. Put the torch on dim and slowly turn it up and the Plec is there. It could be that the pleco is just old. Is it dying? This process involves floating the bag on top of the tank. This can make it very tough for the fish to swim around normally. When you dont treat this disease, it can cause the fish to lose vision or even lose the eye. If there are elevated levels of chemicals, perform small water changes for a couple of days to lower the concentration. You might notice the pleco fish swimming erratically. Infections are usually caused by the various bacteria and parasites that may be present in the tank. Abdominal swelling can be caused by many things including the following: stress, tank conditions, and constipation. Surprisingly, common plecos aren't meant for most home aquariums. Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his familys fish tank. 7 - Dropsy As per him, he had that pleco for like 3-4 years. Full Tank Mate Guide, Bristlenose Pleco Tank Size 101: Everything You Need To Know, Pleco Price: How Much Do Pleco Cost? It is usually an injury if it only occurs in one eye. My pleco is laying on it's side still breathing but not moving. These are great fish and you want them to thrive under your care. Bloating isn't that difficult to identify. He is still breathing, but he doesn't move when I approach him, only if I touch him. Checking temperature and pH levels is also essential because the water needs to be at a pH of 7.0 to 8.0. If you want your plecostomus to be more active, one suggestion is to provide it with live plants and driftwood to use as hiding spots, feed it live insects and invertebrates, and offer it a variety of tank mates. This behavior can also occur when fish are exposed to high temperatures. My parents have a cockatiel who is 36 years old this year. Why would a pleco fish stop moving entirely? One time a buddy was cleaning his tank and took all the fish out and put them in a bucket. They love to eat, and you should try to feed them as much as you can. #3. The average life expectancy of plecos is between 10 and 15 years. If it doesnt move if you try to touch it, then its truly dead. It could also mean that the fish is constipated, though. Its very plausible that plecos can die due to not being fed properly. Youll also get a bit of information about why these signs are occurring. Another reason for a pleco not moving is that it is dead. I thought the pH controller was set okay so I wasn't too worried. You must log in or register to reply here. Plecos turn white for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to: poor nutrition, disease, stress, or inadequate tank conditions. Maracyn Two is a product that you can purchase to treat fin rot. Although some plecos do like to eat algae, not all of them do. 7 Signs Your Pleco Is Dying and Needs Attention, The average life expectancy of plecos is between 10 and 15 years. Your fish may be suffering from ich if their skin appears to have white dots that look like salt or sugar flakes. Nighttime is when these fish can take their time exploring their tank to find food, which they often do by keeping their skin touching the substrate (or other objects in the tank). I feed my Plec bloodworm, cichlid diet, sinking pellets, flakes and he eats algae. Are there females in the tank with him? Mine doesn't get active til well after 10pm at night. Plecos thrive in a tank setup with a variety of different natural covers, like pleco caves, stones, and driftwood. This could happen to any fish owner, so it is essential to understand the causes of these symptoms and how to treat them. If the fish is not moving, then there are no signs of life, such as breathing or eating, then it has likely died. Why Did My Pleco Die and How to Prevent the Fish from Dying? Just when we think we've lost him, he wriggles away to explore something new. Have you bought the pleco in question within the last week or so? It is an extreme problem with oxygen to have, but it can occur if you don't do a good job maintaining the tank. When you try to touch the fish, its going to react and swim away. If the fish is hiding among the plants or in a cave and not moving, thats perfectly normal. JavaScript is disabled. When the water quality is poor, it'll weaken the immune system of the plecos. he has been banging in to the top of the tank really hard. It was in a tank with Piranha and had scars on it, but after a while they left it alone. If you notice your pleco is breathing rapidly or gulping at the surface, its most likely because of an oxygen deficit. Make sure to test your water if there are any abnormalities. I have seen this behavior once before and today, its happening again. Increasing the temperature in the sick fishs tank is another way to combat the disease and aid recovery. I would watch him closely, make sure he eats. Pet stores often sell plecos as algae eaters or cleaner fish which is why you might think it doesnt need its own tank and can survive on leftovers/waste. The hardest test for a Pleco keeper is to get the Pleco addapted to his new home. Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his familys fish tank. Aggression in fish leads to erratic swimming and crashing into the tank. Although water conditions are the primary cause of these symptoms, low water temperature can also be a cause. They should be living for a very long time under your care. Im experienced in the fishkeeping hobby for many years. This is of course innocent. Small anekdote: I have a tank of zebra plecos (L46) (the fish that costs $200+ a piece). Touch the fish and see if you can get it to spring up. Problems can occur when caring for plecos. Of course, its often human error that causes plecos to die in fish tanks. An aquarium needs about 6 weeks to fully cycle before you add fish. Pleco catfish don't move a lot he started they're nocturnal. Rotting fins is a sign that your fish have some type of bacterial infection. JavaScript is disabled. My Albino catfish does this all the time. Betta Laying on side not moving but breathing. Injury and stress can also cause cloudy eye issues. How To Know whether your pleco is dying, and the solutions for it. However, if you tap the fish tank, itll likely spring up and start swimming. We finished breaking down our multiple tanks, loaded the moving truck, drove it for three hours, spent two more hours waiting for the moving helpers, got the truck unloaded, started setting up the tanks, put the decor back in, added the fish. and the bristle nose swam out of the wood when we put in algae wafers. A long, long, long time ago when I was young my friends and I always had tanks.