quick question.. just bought a new fish. a pleco he is about 3 inches long but he is dark black with white dots and stripcs.. he's not a zebra pleco wondering if he is a false zebra pleco? i'm not sure how to identify him.. i can't find money profiles on plecos right now.. anyways, he was doing fine for about 3 or 4 minutes after i transfered him into my tank but then all of a sudden he stopped swimming and is just chillin on the bottum of the tank now.. looks a little stress so i turned the light off, the tank is open but there is only one other fish in there with him.. a ID shark, about 1 1/2 inches long.. tank was cycled and water is clear now but he seems a little shocked.. only thing I can think of do plecos not long brackish waters? other plecos I have are fine in these water conditions.. i'm thought i transfered him rather smoothly.. had him in a fish bowl then gradually added about a half cup of water from the tank every few minutes but i duno why he's just sitting there now.. !! help please he's a really cool looking pleco.. i have a several other tanks.. should i try and transfer him again??!! i dont want to but if i have to will.. any suggestions???
new pleco looking rough.. any suggestions?
- Thread starter wunderkind
- Start date
i think cause hes a pleco, and im guessing your fishtank has just been setted up a few days ago, and no algea as grown in your fishtank yet, and plecos eat algea, and he has nothing to eat so hes just chillin?
My pleco spends a good portion of his time just hanging upside down on the underside of a rock that I have. I think I am feeding him to much "good food" cause I haven't seen him cleaning the glass for a couple weeks. Either that or he is just lazy.
dont buy candy striped plecos they are small but do not eat algae. mine is just there. he never does a thing except hide from light
thanks for the advice guys.. tanks was cycles over a month ago, water conditions were perfect.. he's doing great.. he's was just looking at the tank settings for a looooooong time.. now he's perfectly fine.. when he gets scared he goes back to the spot he was before.. thanks for the advice though... as for the amount of algea there was somewhat of a outbreak last week, i cleaned the tank and did a 25% water change and reduced lighting.. there is plent for him in there.. and i'm not sure if he is a candy strip because he's eating quite abit of algea now..
thanks
thanks
Plecos tend to "sit a spell" when they are first moved to a new setting, they may even change color slightly. :huh: i don't now... They are also nocturnal, theyt may just hide for the first few days-weeks, then just be active at night. but over time they start to be active in the daytime...
sounds like he has enough to eat, but if you notice that he's not eating.... try some cucumber, that tends to spark thier appetite!
~Krys
sounds like he has enough to eat, but if you notice that he's not eating.... try some cucumber, that tends to spark thier appetite!
~Krys
thanks for the info, very active now.. what do you think about current in a small tank for a pleco? the tank i have him in paticular is pretty strong. I'm sure he'll be fine but how do i know if he likes it or not?
anyways, thanks every my pleco's doing really good now.
anyways, thanks every my pleco's doing really good now.
couple of points with Pleco's
-they are very timid and often try to hide during daylight. If your tank has no dark place to stick his head into, he might get stressed
-Pleco's do not do well in Brackish water, this doesn't mean they will die, or can not live in Brackish water but generally they are not the species to have with salt.
-larger / older pleco's tend to get more skiddish and aggressive to other pleco's. I have two, one is 4 years old and fairly large. He only tolerates the other smaller pleco after feeding. During and before he chaces his tank mate away.
-Pleco's need a spot to dart to, you will find even if you do not have any really dark spot for him to hide in, they will always swim back to the place they feel the most hidden.
As to your point in general. I have not seen a fish that does not look stressed in the first 5 to 10 minutes of being introduced to a new environment. Make sure you acclimatize them properly, no fish do well with sudden changes particularly temperature. The best way to introduce new fish is to sit the complete bag into the new tank for at least 20 minutes to stabalize the temperature. I then add tank water in small amounts to further get the new fish used to the PH, Kh levels then scoope them out and add them.
-they are very timid and often try to hide during daylight. If your tank has no dark place to stick his head into, he might get stressed
-Pleco's do not do well in Brackish water, this doesn't mean they will die, or can not live in Brackish water but generally they are not the species to have with salt.
-larger / older pleco's tend to get more skiddish and aggressive to other pleco's. I have two, one is 4 years old and fairly large. He only tolerates the other smaller pleco after feeding. During and before he chaces his tank mate away.
-Pleco's need a spot to dart to, you will find even if you do not have any really dark spot for him to hide in, they will always swim back to the place they feel the most hidden.
As to your point in general. I have not seen a fish that does not look stressed in the first 5 to 10 minutes of being introduced to a new environment. Make sure you acclimatize them properly, no fish do well with sudden changes particularly temperature. The best way to introduce new fish is to sit the complete bag into the new tank for at least 20 minutes to stabalize the temperature. I then add tank water in small amounts to further get the new fish used to the PH, Kh levels then scoope them out and add them.