plecy help

bluekrissyspike

bluekrissyspike

bwa-hahahahaha!!!!!
Mar 24, 2007
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in the last few days i've seen my pleco laying upside down in his cave twice. normally he attatched to the roof of his cave and he looks like he fell off and just decided to lay there.... i am worried that he may be ill or dying. has anyone else seen their pleco acting like this before? he is about 8 inches long and i don't know how old he is. he came in my tank and he was about 5" last year.
 
I would be concerned.I have never seen one just lay on his back.Mine will hang from the roof of their caves but always go upright when they flip down to the gravel.Is he swimming around and eating?
 
I would try and see if you can get a good close look at his head and belly. The head should be full and round with no divots behind the eyes. If there are sunken areas that is not a good sign. The belly should also be plump (not bloated) or slightly rounded. Sunken belly is also a bad thing.

What are you feeding it? If you are relying on the algae in the tank to feed it then that isn't good enough, especially once they reach 8 inches in length. He needs lots of food as most grazing herbevors do. They have very inefficient digestive systems that rely on bulk food. So start dropping in slices of zuchinni by his cave at night (you may need to weigh it down). That should help.
 
he already eats lots. peas, zuccini, brocolli, algea wafers, shrimp pellets plus some fish food that sinks to the bottom. he is back stuck to the roof of his cave again. i am going to have to take it all apart to get a good look at him though. he rarely comes out while there are lights on in the room so i built him a series of interconnected caves to play in. i'll try to get a better look to check his tummy and behind his eyes but he isn't starving i'm pretty sure.
 
thanks barbie. he seems to be ok otherwise, but like i said i hardly see him so it's hard to say how he is acting. he is looking nice and plump (maybe a bit too much...lol..gotta slow down on the treats) i feel better knowing that someone elses guys do the same thing. i'm still going to keep my eye on him though.
 
Hmm, maybe your pleco has picked up a trick from the clown loach gang. There's usually a new post every couple months, someone flipping out because their clown loach sleeps on its side. Naturally, the fish is fine, I suspect they do it just to mess with their keepers, and silently snicker among themselves when they get a reaction.
 
My royal, rubberlip, one of the bristlenose, and the gibby all do this from time to time. They fall asleep sucking to wood upside down. Relax, and wind up playing dead on the floor of the tank, just under the wood. You can check your water, always good to do, and I'm glad he's being fed right, but as Barbie says, sometimes, they just sleep like that.
 
Just for the record, what kind of pleco do you have? Several of my chocolates and commons do that often. Haven't caught the others doing it.
 
i'm not sure what he is. i looked on planet cat fish but there are so many types that all look so similar i couldn't decide. This pic is from a while ago but here he is:

HPIM0405.jpg
 
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