Butterfly Pleco L52

[JWAR117]

I've tried to get my daughter a butterfly pleco and have lost 2 of them and just don't understand what's going on
Water parameters are good the fish act fine for the first day or two and then they just die with no warning All our other fish are fine and thriving i have bristlenose pleco and a green phantom even our tiny neon tetras in the same water and they have been completely fine.
We do have well water but it is not very hard Our ph is slightly more alkaline about 7.6 but i wouldn't think that in itself is enough to kill a fish
I have read on several websites that these type of pleco typically come from neutral ph is it possible that us having 7.6 ph is just too much for them to handle and transition into.
I will usually let tank water into bag wait 15 minutes then add a little more water and wait 15 more mins i try for at least 30 to 40 mins to help acclimate some before i let them out of the bag they came in. Its just crazy bc the butterfly pleco isnt acting distressed or anything it was eating some hopping around the glass hanging out with our corys and then few hours later it died. Id really like to get another L52 but dont want to lose another one Is there anything else i can try to make their transition easier or is our water just too much for them to handle?

 

[johnbetta397]

hi buddy i would be thinking of adding an indian ammond leaf to your tank to condition your water that will help lower the ph and make your fish happyer and id recommend when you get fish to float the bag with the fish for at least 30 minutes to help clamatize the fish before adding water from the tank by adding the water from tank to bag every 15 to 20 minutes untill the bag is full of aquarium water then net out fish from the bag and dont put the water in the bag back in the tank that will help

 

[L-ko]

Hi,

You haven't said much from which one can deduce anything.
The fact is that there are different strains of bacteria in different aquariums. It may therefore be that the Zonancistrus cannot cope with the bacteria in your aquarium.
The correct way would actually always be (even without these losses) to do a thorough quarantine over several weeks and to get the new fish used to the future aquarium water with its bacterial strains.
Another alternative would be to destroy the critical bacterial strains using UVC.
Everything else is more try and error.

Greetings
Elko

 

[L-ko]

...
Please post a picture of your aquarium.
Do you have a picture of the dead pleco? Were there any abnormalities?
What water parameters do you know from your aquarium?

Maybe I can discover something else.
If the pH value doesn't change abruptly, it shouldn't be a problem in a short period of time.

Greetings
Elko