Poor Choices (please help, lots of Pleco questions; new member!)

[grace_k]

I'm a baaaad fish mom.

Forgive me for telling my entire aquaria history here, but I always think more information is better than not enough.

Five years ago, I bought a 20 gal tank and a bunch of "really cool" fish. I know, now, that I made some fish choices that I shouldn't have; But at the time all of my information was coming from suggestions made by the salesperson at the pet shop.

I stocked the 20 gallon with

1 beta (male)
6 neons
2 rainbow "shark"s (I've also seen these called redfin sharks. Gray-skinned catfish guys with all red fins)
1 bala "shark"
1 pleco, small
1 algae eater (small)

A few months later, the two sharks, the algae eater and the pleco were all about 4-5 inches long and the smaller fish had died. I experimented a bit with a few different kinds of schooling fish (tetras, glass fish, danios), and I could never keep anything but the danios alive. I didn't know all that goes into water chemistry then, but I knew I needed a bigger tank. I bought a 29 gallon tank and moved my remaining fish.

2 rainbow "shark"s (5", 3")
1 pleco (5")
1 algae eater (4")
4 danios

A year and a half ago I moved the system two hours to my new home and had no fish loss whatsoever, which felt like a victory. I added a new bala because the other had died from what I assumed was old age. The tank did well for the next six months (the danios progressively "disappeared") but then the algae eater and two rainbow sharks died abruptly overnight. The larger of them was by this time around 6-8 inches and started hiding himself inside one of the plastic rocks I kept in the tank. I ended up throwing away the rock because I couldn't get the fish out.

This is when I started testing the water's chemistry and I couldn't believe how bad it was. I spent a lot of time getting the water to safe levels for the fish and once it was stable I have to admit to leaving it alone. I didn't do much more research.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the bala and the large (12 inch) pleco were develping ich spots and I treated according to the "ich attack" bottle's instructions. The ich went away and this interaction with my fish made me want to replace the ones that had died. When I went to the store I decided to go with a couple of new balas since they seem to be schooling fish and mine was constantly chasing its reflection.

Well I went a little overboard at WalMart (I know this is an awful place to buy fish, but like I said I make poor choices) and now my tank is overcrowded and the water is worse than ever.

Now I need help with either getting the tank to safe levels to keep all the fish healthy, or making decisions about who's going to the local pet shop to find a better home. I obviously know I made some big mistakes so I'm looking for help here, not criticism.

You can tell by the photo below that the water is just no good at all. According to the tests I've done, the PH is below 6.0 and the ammonia is off the chart. I started treating for the ammonia but it is still off the chart and now the nitrite levels are awful. I've tried treating this with "Aquarium Salt for Freshwater" (it seems so strange to be putting salt in a freshwater tank) but I haven't noticed it helping yet. I feel like I'm chasing my tail and the whole time I'm terrified that I'm going to put my pleco through too much stress and find him dead in the morning.

Here are my specs:

Fish:
1 pleco (12" - you can see him in the left-hand side. He's the only one who held still long enough for the picture.)
1 pleco (3")
2 bala sharks (2")
1 bala shark (4")
2 blacklight tetras (I've had these for six months and they're doing well)
5 glolight tetras (ditto above)
5 neon tetras (yeah I know, I'm dumb. I just got them and they're already dying. I had 6.)


Hardware:
29 gallon tank with hood
Aqua-tech 20-40 gallon power filter
Hydor water heater (I have always kept the water between 78-80 degrees)
4 plastic decorative plants
Stone pebble bottom (2-3" deep)
-- I also purchased an 18" bubble wall to set across the back because I thought I was having some oxygen issues, but it seemed to be stressing the fish so I turned it off.


I have a feeling it will be suggested that I give away my large pleco. I'm incredibly attached to this fish (I even named it), so I'd really rather alter the tank just to keep him happy. He should be in a 55 gallon, I'm sure, but my apartment complex won't allow more than 50 gallons per room, not to mention my budget is getting kicked in the teeth as-is with all the new water chemistry correction tonics I've bought and the new filter I had to buy because I shorted mine out last night when I moved it from the wall outlet to a power strip (it was used when I bought it; probably just its time to go). I bought the Python No-Spill system as well and I can't believe how much easier it makes everything!

So if I had to make this 29 gallon work for my pleco, what are my best options? I've seen some talk about under-gravel filters, which would be good since the pleco's so messy - what is the best brand/type for my situation?

The pleco also seems more interested lately in eating protien than the algae disks I drop in for him. Any food suggestions?

And in the future, when I have more money and upgrade to a much larger tank, what is the ideal setup for plecos? What different pleco species are there and how difficult are they to keep? Could I keep 2-3 different plecos in the same large tank or are they territorial?


Thanks so much for any help that anyone can provide.

 

[Blinky]

First off, welcome to AC! Second, everyone makes mistakes. The important thing is you want what's best for these guys

IMHO a 29g isn't going to work for a foot-long pleco, no matter how you slice it. They're big (up to 24"), they're messy and they're strong - at 12" your plec could easily do serious damage or get out of the tank and end up on the floor. If you can get a 50g, that would be much better but an easier (logistically, not emotionally) choice would be to trade him in for something smaller.

I know it's not what you want to hear, but my advice would be to trade in the balas and plecs, they just get too large. Keep the tetras and do lots of water changes to keep ammonia at a minimum. Once the tank is back on track, you can add some smaller fish.

Some fish that would work in a 29g community tank, just off the top of my head (obviously not all together, lol): cory catfish, a gourami (no kissers or giants though), a betta, platys, mollies, rams, kribs, otocinclus catfish, a bristlenose pleco, guppies, kuhli loaches, zebra/leapord danios, many varieties of tetra, harlequin rasboras, glass fish, a single angel (if you're careful about tankmates)... there's loads to choose from

If trading the plecs in isn't an option, get the biggest tank you can and be prepared to use that Python a lot. I wouldn't install a UGF, it will mean breaking down the tank and just isn't worth it IMO. For specific info related to diet and tank size, you could check out www.plecofanatics.com - it's a great site, loads of information and a nice forum as well

 

[budrecki]

First let address your water problems.

You can tell by the photo below that the water is just no good at all. According to the tests I've done, the PH is below 6.0 and the ammonia is off the chart. I started treating for the ammonia but it is still off the chart and now the nitrite levels are awful.

The ammonia and nitrite are of IMMEDIATE concern. You probably have OTS, old tank syndrome. In order to guide you in the right direction we need exact numbers for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, and if you have it, gh and kh.

DO NOT add any more chemicals/treatments until we have these numbers.

How often have you been changing the water? How much?

 

[zave2340]

Welcome to AC and good luck with everything


Here is my point

You siad you have 2 Rainbow sharks. First of all this shark has two differant trade names. Red tail shark or rainbow shark. Sometimes they are mis labeld as rainbow shark. ANYWAY, i have a 30 gallon, and my Redtail in at 5inch. They are GREAT fish i love mine. BUT, you can only have 1 redtail in a tank. The best part of a red tail is the tail and fins. Red tail sharks and redtail black sharks (same thing) are only spouse to be put in 1 per tank. The means you shoudl remove one. Now, there is a upside to this. When a redtail in properly put into a tank by its self, the fins will turn FIRE RED. It is amazeing. I have a albino verstion of the redtail. White body, Fire red tail and fins. It looks GREAT. Anyway. That is my point, hope it helps and good luck

 

[YuccaPatrol]

I feel for you because I know you are in a difficult situation. But you have come to the right place and people here are generally friendly and helpful.

It is possible to find new larger aquariums for CHEAP/FREE if you are willing to do some searching. My theory is that the vast majority of aquariums in the world are sitting empty in basements and garages, and that many people would actually love to give them away to someone who will use them. Ask your neighbors, your co-workers, anyone you see regularly and you are likely to have some positive results.

I placed a want ad at www.craigslist.com and will soon be receiving 4 new aquariums ranging from 10-55 gallons, with all the associated equipment. It took 2 months, but someone finally responded.