digitalphrage
oh god how did this get here i am n
If you're feeding him and he's not eating, then he's probably very stressed. What sized tank were the fish in? Did the pleco have sufficient places to hide (like a cave, a flower pot, large plants)? I'm concerned that in your concern to help the little guy, you may be inadvertently making his situation worse. Changing tanks is stressful, being pulled out of the water for photos is stressful, living in a bucket with (possibly no hiding spots) is stressful. I know you had the best intentions, but the pleco doesn't know that. The calming medicine might help, but ultimately, the fish is still getting stressed.
So, aside from the issue of getting him to eat, you'll need to work on minimizing the stresses in his life as well. Make sure he's got places to hide and escape to where he can get into the dark and feel perfectly safe. A flower pot with a portion of the side broken out might be perfect for this, but there are many other possibilities. If there's any way you could get him into his own quarantine tank without the goldfish, that would be even better. The goldfish is almost certainly adding to his stress.
As far as the foods go, the fact that the goldfish was eating his wafers is an easy fix. Just don't keep plecos with goldfish since they aren't really compatible in terms of temperature and environmental conditions. You should also try out different kinds of veggies. Yours might not be fond of cucumbers but he may love greens or zucchini or other aquarium safe vegetables.
Either way, I have a feeling that if you can reduce the stress on the poor guy and you provide him with food, he'll eventually start eating. Unfortunately, these issues (stress and appetite) are highly correlated, so you have to correct both at the same time. A stressed fish is likely to not eat, and a fish that's not eating is going to be stressed. Good luck with him.
So, aside from the issue of getting him to eat, you'll need to work on minimizing the stresses in his life as well. Make sure he's got places to hide and escape to where he can get into the dark and feel perfectly safe. A flower pot with a portion of the side broken out might be perfect for this, but there are many other possibilities. If there's any way you could get him into his own quarantine tank without the goldfish, that would be even better. The goldfish is almost certainly adding to his stress.
As far as the foods go, the fact that the goldfish was eating his wafers is an easy fix. Just don't keep plecos with goldfish since they aren't really compatible in terms of temperature and environmental conditions. You should also try out different kinds of veggies. Yours might not be fond of cucumbers but he may love greens or zucchini or other aquarium safe vegetables.
Either way, I have a feeling that if you can reduce the stress on the poor guy and you provide him with food, he'll eventually start eating. Unfortunately, these issues (stress and appetite) are highly correlated, so you have to correct both at the same time. A stressed fish is likely to not eat, and a fish that's not eating is going to be stressed. Good luck with him.
