Can't figure out what is going on!

[nano55]

Lately,I am having a hard time keeping plecostumuses alive. I have had them in the past, the last one I had in my 100 gal tank died of old age(I think). I had him for years with no problems. I hadn't had a pleco in a long time, and I started to get some algae in the tank so I decided to get another pleco. I bought a couple of vampire plecos. They are really a pretty pleco with spots. Any way, one died within a week. The other within a few weeks. My 100 gal. tank has lots of rock work for hiding, I have drift wood in there for them, feed romaine lettuce a couple of times a week, and threw in the pleco food discs at night after I turn off the tank lights. I do regular water changes and keep a pretty clean tank, and the tank mates had not bothered them. Could it be that the vampire plecos just aren't very hardy? Should I try the bristle nose plecos again instead? I can't figure out what is going on.

 

[pinkertd]

Vampire plecos are carnivores and need a meaty diet. Perhaps they weren't getting enough proper nourishment? They also need lots of strong water flow so that the water is very well oxygenated.

 

[nano55]

Vampire plecos are carnivores and need a meaty diet. Perhaps they weren't getting enough proper nourishment? They also need lots of strong water flow so that the water is very well oxygenated.

What would a good diet for them be? I was feeding them the pleco disc food, romaine lettuce, and I feed the other fish cichlid pellets and spirilina flakes, occasionally brine shrimp, too. As far as good water circulation, I have 2 powerheads, one in each corner of the tank, and a 350 magnum filter that forces water out across the middle of the tank. I also have a 4 foot long bubble wall that runs along the back of the tank that adds water movement, too. I really think they are cool looking plecostumuses and wish I could get them to survive in my tank, I just don't get what is wrong. :huh:

 

[dbosman]

There are several species of pleco that have the common name of vampire plecos.
One commonality is they are carnivorous or omnivorous.

Before you spend any more money on these please go to sites like PlanetCatfish or ScotCat and do some reading on the requirements to keep them healthy. You might also want to check out PlecoWorld and PlecoPlanet.

 

[MotionInSilver]

whats the temperature of the tank- If youre not having another fish trouble its not the setup its probably the temperature or you probably ended up with both fish that came in sick some of those guys don't like it too hot or too cold in the long run.

Next time when you buy a pleco of any kind look at its eyes and belly if its caved in its more likely something was wrong with those guys.

and did you QT the plecos before adding them to your tank? It really is an hassle but saves you headaches in the long run.

 

[nano55]

whats the temperature of the tank- If youre not having another fish trouble its not the setup its probably the temperature or you probably ended up with both fish that came in sick some of those guys don't like it too hot or too cold in the long run.

Next time when you buy a pleco of any kind look at its eyes and belly if its caved in its more likely something was wrong with those guys.

and did you QT the plecos before adding them to your tank? It really is an hassle but saves you headaches in the long run.

I keep my tank temperature at 78 degrees. I will for sure check out the plecos a lot closer before I buy next time. They appeared ok though. I did some reading on these plecos and I think the true name is the galaxy pleco. I see they do best with smaller fish, and I have small to medium fish. But I do have an angelicus cat and a spotted raphael cat. The angelicus cat is super active, darting around a lot through the tank, pretty hyper. I wonder if it is the other bottom feeders that could be the problem. Maybe I will look into the common pleco or a bristlenose pleco.

 

[MotionInSilver]

The catfish and the raphaels are not a problem at all as long as you provide plenty of hideaways spots for them so they don't have to bicker about their favorite chill out spots.

Don't be discouraged about getting a cool different type of pleco again. You have plenty of choices to choose from. 78 degree tank is good average number for some out there they would be comfortable in that temperature. Check out planetcatfish.com they have cool search engine that allows you to search for specific temperature range that the plecos will be fine in. Then do the rest of the guesswork by guessing which ones will be more likely to be happy with your other fish's current food.

Cheers

btw add more aerations too they like current/oxygenation in their water too as they all like current.

 

[nonamesleft47]

Many of the "fancy" plecos come from water that is both soft and hot. There are also many that are carnivores, others are omnivores, wood eaters, detrivores, ect. My advice would be to go to planet catfish and check out the cat-elog and look for plecos in the panaque sp. these are primarily wood/algae eaters that would live in your parameters. L204 or flash pleco is a great one that I am currently keeping. It likes neutral/hard water, eats driftwood, algae tabs, zuccini and they are often out in the evening where I can see them. If you just want something to keep algae off of the rocks and glass get a couple of bristlenose.

Go to your local store and see what they have then come home and do the research before getting one. Personally I stay away from the meat eaters as I cannot give them the conditions they need.