Pleco upside down

[fyrefly13]

What are your water parameters? If you are having that high of a die off, the water quality is really not ideal OR your tank is infected.
Are you acclamating(sp) them before releasing them?
Has your tank been cycled?

Water parameters? I am not having "that high" of a dieoff. The dalmations were the only ones that died (except the pleco, he was about 4 years old maybe older) and i have not had any problems with any other fish. Of course I am acclamating them before release. Cycled? Maybe when I moved a few months ago.

What type of catfish do you have?

Don't know.

Platys and glassfish are schooling fish. On their own they do not do as well.

My platys and glassfish have been around for more than 2 years.

I don't mean to sound like I am lecturing. Just trying to give you the info you asked for, info I wish I would have had when I started.

I don't take it as lecturing at all. I appreciate everyone's advice.

 

[suby7272]

I fully agree and second every bit of what graphicdesign_r just said.
However, one cannot stress enough the importance of water changes. No matter how efficient your filters and all other accessories are, water changes are irreplacable, and they better be atleast 50% weekly (like what graphicdesign_r said). I guess your constant, few and far in-between water change schedule wasn't catching up with the growth of your fish. This was a clear case of ammonia spike !!

All the best !!

 

[graphicdesign_r]

I don't take it as lecturing at all. I appreciate everyone's advice.

Then stop being defensive. How so?

Like "the pleco was 4 years old" statement. Plecos can live well over 10 years, so it is an abnormal death due to something regardless whether you take responsibility for it or not.

You have not responded with your plans, what will you be doing to fix the problems in your tank?

 

[mduros]

I didn't respond to this thread because your fish had died. But people are right here. 3 fish in an established tank is a high die off. Unfortunately, your pleco should have been much bigger at 4 years old and probably did get stunted from the size of the tank.

You do need to do weekly water changes in your tank, you are right, you have been lucky. The first time I went to the LFS I go to now, a woman was in there with her boy and one of the staff was showing them how to do a water change. She was surprised and said they only changed it when it looked dirty, he laughed, I laughed... And he explained to her the need for regular weekly partial water changes. I do a water change a week, sometimes twice a week if I want to give my fishies a special treat. They love it!

Especially since you had 3 fish die you should test the parameters. I am suspecting that perhaps your tank is suffering from old tank syndrome, a condition brought on by lack of water changes.

I don't know how big your chocolate pleco will get, but you should find this out and don't get anymore plecos, they are not social fish and are much happier being the lone pleco. They will tolerate each other better when raised together. And please rehome your goldfish, or your tropical fish, the two need different water conditions to live healthy lives.

And remember, we're only trying to help. We've all been there and made some mistakes at one point or another.
Take care,
Mary.

 

[S.A.]

Water parameters? I am not having "that high" of a dieoff. The dalmations were the only ones that died (except the pleco, he was about 4 years old maybe older) and i have not had any problems with any other fish. Of course I am acclamating them before release. Cycled? Maybe when I moved a few months ago.

Parameters are the levels ammonia, nitrate, nitrites, ph, hardness, and a few other readings. If you moved your tank a few months ago, how long was the tank out of commission? Or was it a quick move (like mine) where the tank was drained, partial water retained, and fished placed in a moving container and then set back up rapidly? If the tank was dried out (gravel and filter both) you may have lost some beneficial bacteria and it could have (not necessarily would have) taken several weeks to reestablish the balance.

What type of catfish do you have? Don't know.

Please do a search and find out. It makes a huge difference. Some cats get very large and are not social creatures and a waste producers. Others are naturally small (ottos) and should be kept with nonaggressive fish, don't create a HUGE bioload, and in a small school.


I am glad you are here to find out the info. We are here to help. Please let us know what you decide to do with your golds, silver dollars.