my tank has been running for about 7 months but only three months with a new external filter, but I test my water every day and do a 20% water change every week, I have tried many of the suggestions above but my plec still wont eat, I have now set up a hospital tank which I have left running for a weak and add 30% of my normal tank water to it, I have been told by my local aquatic centre that I need to separate him from other fish, my fear now is that the move to the new tank will stress him out and make things worse. my problem also now is that if I put my plec in the new tank the bacteria on the filter wont be sufficient and the break down of proteins will not be happening quickly enough and the nitrate is just going to shoot up, but if I leave the tank to settle any longer then I think my plec like you all say will die.
royal pleco
- Thread starter gregoryelliottj
- Start date
3 months with a new filter isn't a terribly long time though. Proteins and nitrates are the least of your worries. You should monitor ammonia and nitrite. When you changed over to the new filter there could have been some ammonia or nitrite shock and the fish is still recovering.
Does he have a place to hide? Plec's like it as dark as possible. Give him a pot or a PVC pipe to hide in. Without stress he'll hopefully get well sooner.
(edit) I just re-read that the fish is only a few weeks new to your tank. Give him time to acclimitize. By the way, how large is he? How large is your tank, and what other fish are in there?
Does he have a place to hide? Plec's like it as dark as possible. Give him a pot or a PVC pipe to hide in. Without stress he'll hopefully get well sooner.
(edit) I just re-read that the fish is only a few weeks new to your tank. Give him time to acclimitize. By the way, how large is he? How large is your tank, and what other fish are in there?
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my water quality is good and i will introduce some pvc pipe for a hiding place, my plec is still young and is about 3" long I have a 75 gallon tank so big enough
15 rummy nose tetra
15 cardinal tetras
5 panda corys
Black ghost knife fish
3 glass catfish
[Royal plec]
The hospital tank I might transfer him to is 20gallons
15 rummy nose tetra
15 cardinal tetras
5 panda corys
Black ghost knife fish
3 glass catfish
[Royal plec]
The hospital tank I might transfer him to is 20gallons
The water quality may be good now, but without cycling the hospital tank, it will spike prety quickly. Protiens as far as I know are never a concern aside from general pollution concerns. nitrate is the result of the nitrogen cycle and is unnavoidable. Nitrate is not a big worry as long as you do ample water changes to keep it at reasonable levels. Most likely you wil not see nitrates at all in an uncycled tank (at least not until some bacteria grows) you should try to transfer a good bit of media into the hospital tank to speed up or instantly estabilish the cycle.
Tanks do not settle out or estabilish without an ammonia source. 2 weeks or 2 days makes no difference unless you are doing something to start the cycle. Waiting longer will have no real effect either.
if your hospital tank and your main tank are using the same water and are the same temp there shoud not be any real stress to moving the pleco, if the hospital tank hasn't been cycled, and you don't test and respond accordingly there will be stress.
Dave
Tanks do not settle out or estabilish without an ammonia source. 2 weeks or 2 days makes no difference unless you are doing something to start the cycle. Waiting longer will have no real effect either.
if your hospital tank and your main tank are using the same water and are the same temp there shoud not be any real stress to moving the pleco, if the hospital tank hasn't been cycled, and you don't test and respond accordingly there will be stress.
Dave
