gulping air
- Thread starter duncaan21
- Start date
Maybe you don't have enough oxygen in the water. Add some air pumps it should solve it also keep in mind that fish needs oxygen also not just water. In my experience i never seen that happen the weirdest thing i saw was my pleco swimming to the top sucking on a floating pellet looked like he was floating on water
I have lots of plecos, all different sizes and in several tanks, bristlenose, and have to say while they have been known to gulp air occasionally, it is rare that they will. I've had them do it only in a new large tank set up where they seemed to be in some distress with all the new water. And have not seen it since. I googled and found this:
Pleco air gulping:
Many species of plecostomus, including the common varieties can gulp air to gain better control of their buoyancy. It is not clear but in oxygen-poor environments, they may use some of the oxygen. Often, at dusk, a pleco will rush very quickly to the top of the aquarium and gulp air and then make a splash on its way back into the water. Some plecos are known to be more forceful while doing this, creating quite a splash. If there is no lid, they may jump out. If there is a lid, the pleco may bash itself on it. Usually, the event is not so violent but some individuals "go crazy" and bash themselves to death (often there is a water quality problem in those cases). On their way back down into the aquarium, the pleco will open its fins and sort of glide down and often emit some bubbles from its mouth. With the extra air in their bodies, the pleco can now go about its nightly sucking ritual in almost any position. This is all normal behavior and no cause for concern. While plecos sometimes spend some time on their backs (upside down), if they are not attached/sucking on something at the time and it continues for a number of days, this may indicate a health problem.
And this:
Many species of plecostomus, including the common varieties can gulp air to gain better control of their buoyancy. In oxygen-poor environments, they may use some of the oxygen for respiration as well. Often, at dusk, a pleco will rush very quickly to the top of the aquarium and gulp air and then make a splash on its way back into the water. Some plecos are known to be more forceful while doing this, creating quite a splash. If there is no lid, they may jump out. If there is a lid, the pleco may bash itself on it. Usually, the event is not so violent but some individuals "go crazy" and bash themselves to death (often there is a water quality problem in those cases). On their way back down into the aquarium, the pleco will open its fins and sort of glide down and often emit some bubbles from its mouth. With the extra air in their bodies, the pleco can now go about its nightly sucking ritual in almost any position. This is all normal behavior and no cause for concern. While plecos sometimes spend some time on their backs (upside down), if they are not attached/sucking on something at the time and it continues for a number of days, this may indicate a health problem.
It may be more of a normal behavior for a bulldog pleco. It would help if you could tell us your tank maintenance routine. Do you liquid test you water parameters, and if so what are the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels? What kind of filtration are you running on the tank and do you run CO2?
Pleco air gulping:
Many species of plecostomus, including the common varieties can gulp air to gain better control of their buoyancy. It is not clear but in oxygen-poor environments, they may use some of the oxygen. Often, at dusk, a pleco will rush very quickly to the top of the aquarium and gulp air and then make a splash on its way back into the water. Some plecos are known to be more forceful while doing this, creating quite a splash. If there is no lid, they may jump out. If there is a lid, the pleco may bash itself on it. Usually, the event is not so violent but some individuals "go crazy" and bash themselves to death (often there is a water quality problem in those cases). On their way back down into the aquarium, the pleco will open its fins and sort of glide down and often emit some bubbles from its mouth. With the extra air in their bodies, the pleco can now go about its nightly sucking ritual in almost any position. This is all normal behavior and no cause for concern. While plecos sometimes spend some time on their backs (upside down), if they are not attached/sucking on something at the time and it continues for a number of days, this may indicate a health problem.
And this:
Many species of plecostomus, including the common varieties can gulp air to gain better control of their buoyancy. In oxygen-poor environments, they may use some of the oxygen for respiration as well. Often, at dusk, a pleco will rush very quickly to the top of the aquarium and gulp air and then make a splash on its way back into the water. Some plecos are known to be more forceful while doing this, creating quite a splash. If there is no lid, they may jump out. If there is a lid, the pleco may bash itself on it. Usually, the event is not so violent but some individuals "go crazy" and bash themselves to death (often there is a water quality problem in those cases). On their way back down into the aquarium, the pleco will open its fins and sort of glide down and often emit some bubbles from its mouth. With the extra air in their bodies, the pleco can now go about its nightly sucking ritual in almost any position. This is all normal behavior and no cause for concern. While plecos sometimes spend some time on their backs (upside down), if they are not attached/sucking on something at the time and it continues for a number of days, this may indicate a health problem.
It may be more of a normal behavior for a bulldog pleco. It would help if you could tell us your tank maintenance routine. Do you liquid test you water parameters, and if so what are the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels? What kind of filtration are you running on the tank and do you run CO2?