Pleco Died Just now.

[sbui118]

Hey everyone,

Today, my L-200 pleco died. I bought him yesterday and when i put him in my Mikula tank. Everything was a fine until this morning. WHen i noticed he couldn't suck on the glass, everything he would swim to a high spot, he was slip down then fall onto his back, I tested my water and everything was normal.
Ph: 7.4
Temp. 77
Amm: 0 ppm
Niritie: 0ppm
Niriate: 5.0ppm

I was worried do i did another water change. same results.
Ph: 7.4
Temp. 77
Amm: 0 ppm
Niritie: 0ppm
Niriate: 5.0ppm

He stopped moving but i could tell he was still alive. A few hours later he died..

I want other Pleco, but i don't want to kill another one. If anyone could help me find the problem it would much appreciated.

When i do my my water changes. I use Prime and API aquarium salt.

 

[Lornek8]

Sorry for you loss. An overnight death of a fish is typically due to a water issue. It might be that your tank tests out okay but the parameters may not have been similar to where the plec came from and this led to shock. Also could be to aggressive behavior from a tankmates or simply a poor quality fish from the shop.

What is "Mikula" tank?

 

[sbui118]

Yeah Thanks. It was the first I ever lost....

Sorry i didn't mention it. I keep wild caught gibbers (frontosa) mikula's. Mikula is the variant.

I am hoping its poor quality fish from my LFS (there was 4 dead fish when i was there). But i don't want to kill another fish.. Any suggestions?

 

[Lornek8]

Frontosa aren't ideal tankmates for plecs as they require different water. Do you know the harness of the tankmates? Are there rocks in the tank and if so what type?

 

[Brengun]

Sometimes you just dont know where lfs fish have come from or how long they have been in the shop. If there were dead fish beside the one you bought I would not have bought at all.

I once waited a year for some fish in a shop to survive in their care so they werent going to die on me and also for the humungous price on them to come down. Extreme I know but they were rare L128 which normally I would never buy from a lfs but they looked great everytime I went to the shop to visit them.

They are going great in my tank and on the proper diet and growing well. Its rare for me to let my pH go up to 7.4 though. 7.2 and usually down to 6.5 is more my ph level.

I would say your fish was either sick before it left the shop or it couldnt cope with the change in tanks and died of shock. It can happen and apart from trying to match your tank perameters with the shops there isnt much you can do about it.

 

[Irene0100]

may have been a poorly fish, but also it may have had problems acclimatising to your water. ph is a little high, should ideally be under 7.
also you should not add any Salt - this can be a killer for many catfish. so do not but more until your water parameters change and you have no added salt left.
only if you use RO water you can add mineral salts but not sea water salt.
API aquarium salt is for Salt water marine tanks not for tropical fish.

 

[bigbird]

i would agree with all of the others. I am not a big fan of mixing american and african fish. They both have vastly different water needs etc. If you are asking my view, get a syno catfish and not a pleco type L fish for your African Frontosa tank. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[Bigjohnnofish]

good tank paremeters... not sure which nitrate test kit your using but API one - you really need to shake the living daylights out of the test bottles before using them to get an accurate nitrate reading... cichlids are tolerant of high nitrates in most cases... but plecs are less tolerant...

still sad to hear... hope you get the fsith back in yourself to have another go at keeping plecs :thumbup:

 

[zeebo]

hi, sorry to hear of your loss. I agree, any of the above suggestions could be the culprit. But also, they need high oxyen so if you were not providing enough , that could also be a concern. Still, I am leaning more toward sick fish. Just hard to tell.

If you get another L200 in the future, you would obviously get one from a healty tank, but it would also be a good idea to add some air stones . And from what other members said, you would need to set up another tank too. Good luck

 

[sbui118]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I am thinking about getting another one. But this was the first fish I ever lost, I don't wan't to lose another one. What should i do besides not add salt?

I use an API master test kit. Can Pleco's adjust to a PH arund 7.4? My frontosa's normally like it above 8.

 

[zeebo]

hi, glad to hear you are planning to get another L# ! And good that you are asking before getting one.

To get the best fit for your tank and for you, there is a site here , plec profiles. Check it out, there is a lot of info, tells you each one's preference on water , ph, temp, food , decorations ,etc.

Do you plan to use same tank , or will you be setting another tank up?

What size tank will he go into ? Some get big, while others stay small in adulthood. You will see that on the ''Profile'' site.

They all must have some hidey places, a few so they can choose where they like it best--makes them happy . Some prefer caves, some hide behind wood , some prefer rocks/slate.

I have 2 L128's,blue phantoms, very similar to your lost green phantom. Mine prefer high oxygen, so I lower the water level and use 2 HOB filters, plus I have a hydra-sponge filter in there and 2 air stones. They NEED high oxygen.

Also , feeding, mine only get raw veggies, while some plecs need protien diets.

As members said, no salt .

Some can adjust to ph of 7.4, but read the profiles .

Another concern would be the tank size and how big your choice will be at adulthood. And their tank should have more bottom area than height as they live on the bottom.

Acclimating , I always ask the store to test the ph from the tank ,so I know how big a difference from theirs to mine. I try to keep my ph at 6.8 for the phantoms. Temp 79d.

You can google European temp and size to get an accurate translation as the Profile site is not in degrees or inches.

You can also check out the photos of tanks site here as well. There are some great pictures of set-ups, and seems most members are aware of the kind of plecs they have and it's needs for they type of hidey places they prefer and other things their plec might be fond of in it's natural environment. -Most L200's are wild caught ,so you would want to replicate their natural env as much as possible to make them less stressed and happy. L200's do not need protien, and if given enough , could cause bloat, a serious problem , as their intestines are not made for protien, but they do excellent with a variety of fresh veggies.

The last I can think of is wood. There was a recent thread here about wood. So what I have learned, most don't need it but most like it. I find mine rasping on it and I think it helps with digestion as well as they mirco-organisms that grow on it. Not to mention wood can be an extra hidey place.

My L128's hang out on rocks which I placed under slate . Since they are very similar to L200's and assuming you are wanting another same, I thought I would mention it.

Substrate is dependent on the type of plec and you. Some memebers use sand and some use gravel and some use nothing. It would be a good idea to also read the older threads on set-ups ,meds-health issues(plecs are sensitive to some meds and can't handle them) . The older threads are a world of knowledge for anyone caring for plecs !

Well hope this helps some. It is good that you are asking and not just jumping in again so you can provide the best home for whatever kind you decide on. The worst thing someone can do is walk in a store , fall in love with an awesome plec, bring it home and not have it's needs ready .Please don't take offence, It is something some of us have done in past, but learn to read a lot the next time, before making a choice, I too am guilty of this...so read as much as you can , read the site on ''tankmates'' as well . You will be able to make a good choice by having more knowledge about the plec you decide on.

wc's seem different for members here. I do a 10% daily, while others do 25% weekly. Depends on your water and how much poo they are creating. I do a vacuum once a week, others do it once a month. Since a tank is not a flowing river, it basically becomes the fishe's toilet-that can breed disease. When I do the daily wc's , I am just removing from the top. Prime with new tap water. Stagger your cleanings , giving time between vacuums and filter cleanings so you are not removing too much beneficial bacteria at once. Plecs live on the bottom, if they are living in poo, they will get sick first, ususally.

and ask about anything you aren't sure about , or on the fence about. The memebers here are great and willing to help :yes:

Good luck and perhaps other members will add to this... :hi:

 

[sbui118]

Thanks for all the help everyone! My plan is try another L200 in my mikula tank. before i pick em up im gonna have do about 4 water changes with no salt. Hopefully removing most of it.
Its a 125 gallon tank. Also, right now the only oxygen they get it from my canister filter. I am thinking about adding 2 air stones.. good idea? again, thanks everyone!

 

[zeebo]

humm, I am not familiar with the type of fish you have, frontasia? but if their needs are vastly different ( and seems so ) to a plecs needs, one or the other will not be happy/helathy.

We see you badly want an L200, and I don't blame you, they are awesome plecs ! But there are needs to be met as mentioned in the prior responses, and sorry, my long response, that honestly , unless you can meet the needs for the green phantom plec or any ohter plec in the tank you already have set up, it might be wiser to set up another tank.

L200's can get by in a 50g tank and you can set it up with all it's needs, wood , rocks/slate, high oxygen via air stones, a lower ph, etc. Then you can look into other dither fish that would be needing the same water parameters. There are some great Amazon dither fish you can add , a nice choice to choose from, and since they are from the same place, many would do well with your L200.

Of course you would need to cycle the new tank, and that means waiting, which some people are not willing to do. And perhaps another tank is not feesible for you .

Either way you choose, I remember you said you didn't want another fish to die , so think strongly about another tank first. It really is the best way to go for the kinds of fish you want to keep. Different needs can be easily achieved this way. All the fish are happy in their own environments. The less stress on any fish, the less you will need to worry about illness and deaths.

If you can't do that,and if your mind is set , no matter the advice given , then be sure you get the salt out , get the ph down, add some caves or hidey places so he is not stressed, add some air stones,wood, and make sure he is not going to be eating protien foods.

Please don't take this wrong and think I am just butsin on you , that is not it. It is soley advice , you can take it or leave it, but since we all love our plecs , we try to do the best for them, and try to help new plec lovers do the same . They are beautiful fish and we understand why you dig them, we do too ! So just trying to help you get the best outcome for your newfound love . hth. Good luck with whatever you choose.