Help-Pleco stopped eating

D

doghair

AC Members
Jan 11, 2006
5
0
0
Hi,
I need some advice on how to help my pleco (pleco is about 6-7inches long). I have had this fish for 3 years and about a week ago he stopped eating and is not being active. Usually, he is very active and will eat 2-4 zucchini slices per day, plus keeps my tank clean from any trace of algae. I've tried to give him some algae tabs and shrimp pellets and he has no interest in those either. There are no other visible signs of illness on his body. I have a 10 gallon hospital tank that I can treat him in but not sure what meds to use on this.
My pleco has always been very healthy and hearty until this point.
This is a well established 55 gallon tank and I change water about every 2 weeks.
Temp stays around 80 degrees.
I've had my water tested at two different fish stores and both said everything looked great. Sorry, I do not have exact water perimeters, but I do not believe this to be a water quality issue.
The few other tank inhabitants are 2 mollies, 1 golden algae eater, 1 otto, and 2 tetra. They are all healthy. I have had all of these fish between 1 and 3 yrs. There are also some tiny snails that hitchhiked a ride on some live plants a while back. I do not have any live plants at present.
Any advice, should I medicate and if so, which meds?
Thanks very much.
 
Have you added anything new lately?
What is your light schedule like for your tank?
Has that been changed?
Have you re-decorated or re-arranged the tank? Does he have a hideaway to get away from other fish?
Do you see him poo at all?
 
Do you provide driftwood for the pleco to rasp on? As a shot in the dark in case his digestive system may be on the fritz......I would treat him in the hospital/QT tank with epsom salts and see if it induces the pleco to go to poop. He may be constipated/bloated.
 
Thanks for your replies, I'll answer your questions.

Kswords: I have not added anything new. I have not rearranged anything in the tank. Pleco has a rock cave that he likes to hang out in, no one ever bothers him. Light schedule is on a timer, on at 7am, off at 8:30 pm, hasn't changed. I've seen very small amounts of poo, usually he has huge ropes of it when I see it.

pinkertd: He does have driftwood, it has been in the tank for a long time. He never has shown much interest in it.
As for the epsom salts...what would the treatment amount be for a 10 gallon tank?
And just to be clear, do the epsom salts differ from the aquarium salt?
CORRECTION: I did add aquarium salt to my 55 gal tank several days after pleco stopped eating. This is the only remedy I have tried.

Are there any medications that could be harmful to a pleco?
Thanks very much for your help.
 
Last edited:
Just needed to be sure about the driftwood, some people aren't aware that it aids with pleco's digestion. I'm betting he's rasping on it from time to time which is a good thing. Epsom salts and aquarium salt are two entirely different products. Epsom salts is commonly used as a laxative, even for people. The dosage I use is 2 tablespoons per 10 gallons. If it's bloat related, he should leave you a big pile of manure within 24 hours!;) I don't think plecos generally like aquarium salt in the water. And please don't medicate your pleco without any symptoms to go on, they are sensitive to some meds. It wouldn't hurt to raise the hospital tank temperature up to around 84 for a couple of days for him. Heat in itself may make the pleco feel better. We discus keepers do it all the time when the discus seem to be off.
 
Ok, I moved him over to the 10 gallon, added 2 tbsp of epsom salts, and turned the heater up to 84. I really hope this will work, I feel so sorry for my little friend.
A few more questions:
Do I need to remove the filter if I am just treating with epsom salts?
How long should I treat?
At any point do I add more epsom salt?
pinkertd, thank you very much for the help.
 
No need to remove the filter. Keep an eye out for him to excrete waste. If he doesn't do this after 4 hours, you can add another tablespoon in. Is he moving around at all?
 
I added more, no poop. He moves around very little, likes to stay in one spot for long periods of time. Since I put him in the 10 gal, he is basically staying in the same area, hanging on the side.
 
I have never heard of using epson salts to treat a pleco. I have used aquarium salt on the other hand to deal with ich and plecos and other scaleless type fish. I would recomend that you post on plecofanatics.com your questions as all the members there are well... pleco fanatics... lol

sorry but that is the best advice I can give
 
KnaveTo - There are no outward disease symptoms to try to help the pleco. It just stopped eating and became lethargic. Sometimes when other fish stop eating with lethargy with no outward disease symptoms, it has been attributed to bowel blockage or "constipation."..if you will. Wondering if there is a digestive blockage was why the epsom salts was recommended. Epsom salts is used strictly to clean the fishes bowels out in case of some bloating in the stomach or intestinal blockage due to something the pleco ate and is harmless to the pleco and the tank in every other way. But I do agree, if there is no large poop and still no other symptoms of a particular disease, rather than go shotgun and use any meds on the pleco, contact plecofanatics.com for further guidance.:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom