Found my pleco IN the water filter!

[klafave]

My husband and I just got a 10 gallon tank and we bought a pleco a day ago!
As we were about to go to sleep we heard this loud grinding noise and our quiet filter got super loud, then stopped working.

Upon inspecting the filter we saw our pleco head first in the filter... but it doesn't look like he was sucked into the filter.

For one, we have a grate big enough that his round head wouldn't fit into.

Secondly, the position we found in him looked like he somehow jumped into the filter against the stream of water pouring into the tank, hopped over the filters, and attempted to get out through the little propeller.

Is this probable? My husband and I are sooo confused!

Oh, btw, the pleco was only about 1.5 inches.

 

[Hollygirl]

Did he survive?

If he didn't make it, I would rethink a Pleco for a 10 gallon. Even though you purchased him at under 2 inches, Plecos get HUGE in no time!

 

[Industrial]

Check your water quality. Fish try to jump when the water conditions are wrong. Make sure you check the PH as well.

My longfin albino bristlenose pleco jumped out of the back of my tank by the filter a week or two ago as well :[

 

[Troycool]

wow my pleco has never attempted to jump...is yours still alive?

 

[Star_Rider]

actually, it's not surprising.
many plecos come from fast water..
however, I agree, I would rethink a pleco for a 10 gal.. there are some smaller species but most (if not all) are not suitable for a 10 gal.

hope he lived

 

[Troycool]

Some of the Plecostomus species get very large. If you have one of them then you will need a correspondingly large tank. I would say a minimum of a 30 gallon tank should be OK for the medium sized ones.

 

[Industrial]

wow my pleco has never attempted to jump...is yours still alive?

I would guess not since I haven't found it yet :[

I changed around the tank since then and took out all the previous decorations and thoroughly checked and he wasn't there.

I would suggest a BN pleco for a 10 gallon, just make sure you keep the water very clean and keep the PH right for it. Also, I wouldn't put two adults in one as they may get territorial.

 

[NeonFlux]

Tell us your water parameters too.