If your pleco fish doesnt appear to be moving, youre likely going to be incredibly concerned. If this isnt the case, check your water parameters for a nitrite spike. Sometimes I will catch him moving about. A male with eggs/ babies may stay in the cave for several weeks without eating. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Over the past couple of days hes stayed in a little cave all day and night. My betta is laying at the bottom of the tank and breathing heavily. (Possible Causes). Plecostomus is a type of suckermouth catfish that excretes massive amounts of waste. Most of them can be caused by poor water conditions in the tank. Stress. Why would a pleco fish stop moving entirely? Just a thought Sayuz. He is breathing, but he isn't moving. Although a cloudy eye most likely isnt deadly, it is an indicator that something is wrong and should at least be examined. Sometimes plecos will just float near the top of the tank when the oxygen levels arent sufficient. Aggression in fish leads to erratic swimming and crashing into the tank. The better stores will do, so in that case you dont have to. Youll also need to fix issues with water quality in the tank while solving stress problems. Use an algae pad to clean the sides of tank, and siphon out the water left inside. If you can learn how to care for these fish properly, then they shouldnt be dying fast. FishForums.net is one of the internet's oldest and premier Tropical Fish and Aquarium forums! My husband's pleco often does this. You are using an out of date browser. we should definitely get more hiding spots. Thats because theyre quite withdrawn fish that dont want to show when theyre sick (otherwise, predators will notice). We found him on the carpet under his bed and it looked pretty dead. I did my weekly 50% water change with my regular EI dosing which didn't bother him at all. Plecs are also known to suck the slime coat off goldfish, causing injury and illness to the goldfish. Youve learned so much about signs that your plecos are dying. When my pleco sleeps on his back, it is usually under a wood or in a dark spot, where he wont be bothered. When a pleco is not moving it can be a sign that the water has gotten too polluted or it is lacking food. Its wise to isolate the fish during the treatment process by setting up a quarantine tank. Some will also cause fish to have a hard time breathing. Check the water quality and try to fix anything that is wrong. Often, people use aquarium salt to treat this issue, but you can always consult an exotic veterinarian if you have questions. It is important to research food options for your pleco because some brands have more harmful ingredients than good. Turned out, that fish wasn't a female but the male had trapped the less dominant male and choked him (though there were plenty of caves). Common pleco not moving after tank flush! How Often Should You Take Your Bearded Dragon Out Of Its Cage? If you discover one of your fish has popeye, check the water levels to determine if that is the cause. White spots on the body can be seen as signs of ich. Without the tank cycled, there are no good bacteria to convert the ammonia into nitrates for live plants to consume. They do generaly but if it is stunted then I would say I lived to its maximum potential given the circumstances. There seems to be a lot of confusion about what, Most of the pleco species sold and kept in the. It could be that the pleco is just old. Turn lights off and put in some bloodworm or something and then come back in five minutes with a torch. This gave me false readings that my water had hardly any co2 in it. I still don't know for sure what happened, but I'm going to blame the CO2. Ketchup_Turkey 4 yr. ago. Because of excitement, plecos can also breathe more rapidly after a water change. A pleco dying is often the result of bad information and lack of knowhow about the species. You are using an out of date browser. A fish that doesnt react to being touched is probably dead. The first thing you should consider is whether the pleco has died or not. Also, you should make sure that he has a heater, filter, oxygen and all the basics. he has been banging in to the top of the tank really hard. Is the fish dead or is it really sick? Rapid temperature changes, irregular feeding schedules, and poor water conditions also contribute to stress in fish. It's a common pleco and it' Why is my betta sitting by the heater not moving. 3. (+ 11 Ways To Stop Your Pleco From Eating Plants), Breeding Bristlenose Plecos (With Pictures), Pleco Size: How Big Do Plecos get? They will eat some algae but they need more than that to stay healthy. Make sure to find the cause so that you can add antibiotics if needed. Moving forward, it should be easier to look out for problems with the fish. Whatever was wrong has seemed to be fixed as he's now behaving like normal. Make sure to test your water if there are any abnormalities. Pleco fish are amazing animals and very interesting for aquarists. Loss of color is a common sign that something is wrong with your plecos. I know Elbert, that handsome fellow over there in my avatar really loves shrimp pellets and occasionally freeze dried blood or tubifex worms. This can happen to one eye or both. I went and asked to the shop from where I got that pleco. How to Tell the Age of a Cockatiel (Age Chart Included! Some people may find their pleco to be more active if they feed it live worms or move it to a bigger tank. Start looking closely at the water parameters so that you can keep the fish safe. All my knowledge comes from experience and reading forums and a lot of informative sites. He could still be in shock from the move. This is constant. Fixing the water conditions will usually be enough to get the fish to become more active again. Youll want to scoop the fish out of the tank and dispose of it. They won't necessarily be dead yet, but they'll be struggling to try to breathe. If you notice your pleco is breathing rapidly or gulping at the surface, its most likely because of an oxygen deficit. Definitely looks underweight. He (or she) is normally pretty active, being a good vacuum cleaner for the tank. Hes in a seperate bowl. Scraping off small pieces and the biofilm growing on them is beneficial for their digestive system. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. Pleco catfish are often kept in the aquarium hobby because, Plecos and cory catfish are two extremely popular catfish species, Pleco catfish are one of the most popular fish in, Pleco spawning Plecos are cave-breeders, and they spawn exclusively in, For a limited time, you can download our FREE pleco catfish ebook, 2022 KeepingCatfish.com - Privacy policy Webdesign by Websmart Websites. Its normal for these fish to hide and be very wary of venturing out. Plecos arent known death, although they sometimes sleep on their backs which gives this impression. Feed food before lights out and he is likely to come out when it is dark to feed. It very well might be dead if it doesnt appear to be moving at all. He said that probably it was aged quite a lot. Same my pleco only comes out when the lights are off and since ive got an enenemy (sorry if i spelled wrong) he just stays there and dosent move at ALL even in the day and the lights are off i guess he loves darkness an also cus hes hiding from my guppie named bob. Please help! When a pleco is stressed, it lowers its immunity and increases the risk of fast death. Many different types of illnesses will make fish feel lethargic. Sick goldfish not moving but breathing/alive. A fish dying during the night doesnt necessarily indicate that something happened the very night that it died. Its also imperative to regularly clean the fish tank. Huge plecos like this need A LOT of broccoli to survive ;). When a pleco lays motionless at the bottom of the tank it also means they might be getting beat up by other fish inside. Make sure to add plenty of caves and natural hiding spaces if you keep multiple males in the same tank. When a pleco lays motionless at the bottom of the tank it also means they might be getting beat up by other fish inside. He is just sitting on the bottom of the tank not moving or trying to eat anything. Regular water changes are an important part of fish tank maintenance. If youre not taking good care of the tank, then the fish might die. I have had him in this tank and the fish with him for over a year. They will float uncontrollably to the top of the aquarium, turned upside down, while still being alive. To deal with any such situation, you should have the contact of a veterinarian in your new [], @Elise, yes I'm pretty sure that's normal I'm no professional and have not had one yet but I just have, My friend is considering adopting a unique pet he could showcase to his guests when they visit. Feed food before lights out and he is likely to come out when it is dark to feed. It might need a bit more time to get used to its new environment. Check to see if anything is causing the fish stress. Another option is giving it an Epsom salt bath, which will help remove the fluid build-up in the fishs abdomen. Hello, and thanks for visiting Avid Aquarist! Fish laying on its side, mouth open. This can happen to any fish if it does not have . If not he likely is moving when you are not around, most pleco are very shy (without a ton of hiding places and a shyer personality can make the pleco even more reclusive), some species are worse for being out and about than others. Does this mean that something happened during the night? Since plecos are a type of catfish, they feed off of algae. Noticing whether your pleco has a sunken in belly can be hard, especially if you dont see it very often. How can I make my plecostomus more active? Also, algae is starting to grow on the glass so I dont think that hes roaming around much at night either. I quickly put in an airstone and within 5 minutes they were back to normal. If you arent regularly testing the water using a pH balance testing kit, then youre going to have a harder time keeping the fish alive. I have heard of RTC living out of water for 45 mins!!! Poor nutrition might cause loss of color as well. Yes this normally happens with Plecos. We have a separate article all about Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich), so be sure to check it out. You also have to keep in mind that theyre nocturnal. Poor conditions in the tank can contribute to infections. Hopefully, that wont be the case for your fish. Although some plecos do like to eat algae, not all of them do. Just as "Avaselene" has mentioned, Cories do it all the time. While in fact, there are hundreds. In addition, there are specific treatments you can purchase to help your fish suffering from diseases like rotting fins and ich. There are various products that might treat it but as for your best option on products I don't know.

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