Haven't posted in a while but I have a slight problem someone may be able to help with. I had roughly 45 adult bristlenose plecs in a 150 gallon tank, they are about 2 years old. Over the last couple of months I have lost about 12, no sign of damage, no ripped fins. The tank is fairly heavily planted and there are 3 Bolivian rams and 3 bandit cory's in there. Water stats are fine, 20% water change per week and no signs of disease. It's difficult to notice when one dies, because of the planting, but I found one that had just died and it had an erect dorsal and caudal fin and its barbs were fully extended, I had to look twice to realise it was dead, any ideas?
Strange deaths
- Thread starter Big Den
- Start date
Be careful the plants aren't taking out too much oxygen in the dead of night making it a difficult situation for that many plecos.
I would suspect oxygen shortage too. add more air stone and if you can reduce the tank population.
Thank you but no help so far. I sit at my desk right next to this tank and the fish have never shown any signs of lacking oxygen. There is plenty of water movement and aeration with 2 Eheim 2229 wet and dry filters and a Eheim 2215 running through a sand filter. The water parameters are always spot on, even with a dead rotting fish the ammonia never rises above 0 ppm. Their main diet is daily JMC catfish pellets, occasional bloodworm and weekly broccoli stalk. I have never seen one of them in distress or showing any sign of disease, they just appear to die.
hi,
could be old tank syndrome, especially with a fully planted tank it does get difficult to clean the gravel etc. I do think that it is slightly overstocked. Maybe when you redesign add an air diffuser which is an attachment one can buy for the eheim filters. cheers jk :thumbup:
could be old tank syndrome, especially with a fully planted tank it does get difficult to clean the gravel etc. I do think that it is slightly overstocked. Maybe when you redesign add an air diffuser which is an attachment one can buy for the eheim filters. cheers jk :thumbup:
the time that they are short of oxygen is at night when it is dark and the plants start to absorb oxygen from the water. as soon as there is light in the room the plants release oxygen.
The lights come on in the morning at 10 am, then go off at 10 pm. In the morning I am sat in front of my computer at a right angle to the tank, from 7am , I can see the fish at this time and nothing is in distress. I know what fish look like when there is oxygen depletion in the tank because I've seen it when a filter packed up at one time. This is not a mass death, its rather spasmodic, like 1 in a week then perhaps 2, then nothing for a month or so, as per my heading, strange deaths!
More vege.
I have 9 year old bn and abn that still breed regulary. Fed primarily on raw zucchini. One pepp pair are 7 years old. If its not your water or low dso and there are no signs of external bacterial infections I suspect its an internal gut problem caused by food. I can't remember the last time I had a bristlenose die.
I have 9 year old bn and abn that still breed regulary. Fed primarily on raw zucchini. One pepp pair are 7 years old. If its not your water or low dso and there are no signs of external bacterial infections I suspect its an internal gut problem caused by food. I can't remember the last time I had a bristlenose die.
Bloodworm is too rich and JMC catfish pellets is Oil 12%, Protein a whopping 48%, Ash 8% and Fibre 1.3% (there's your problem.)
Bristlenoses are like cows, they gotta have their roughage.
agree with Brengun. They need more greens and less protein. It might not be showing it, but too much protein just does then no good in the long run. Some tolerate it more than others, but you need more gree in your diet. Zuchinni, blanched peas etc. this should solve your problem. cheers jk :thumbup:
Just an update; I have removed 25 fish from this tank which has left about 20 odd. Since then I have had 1 death, a large male. 3 pairs have spawned and there are quite a few fry emerging from under the rocks. The only difference in feeding is that I am feeding pellets every other day and flake food each day, broccoli stalk twice a week. Couldn't bear to part with the other 25 so they have gone into another 6x2x2 unplanted tank, no deaths in that one, same feeding.
Hi there, first off well done for removing the excess fish and adding some veg.
I keep and breed N'djamena and just wanted to give you a comparison
I feed them : Monday mushroom and flake Tuesday marrow and meaty granuals a small amount Wednesday Courgette and flake Thursday nothing Friday beans, sugar snaps or what ever else is in the fridge! Saturday mushrooms Sunday broccoli.
The flake and granuals are added for my middle dwelling fish and my corys. Also so they get that ten percent of meat that is good for them.
I change my routine all the time and do add tabs I'm once a week but they are outrage percent veg proteine and no ash our oil.
Your bn.'will Munch down all the food you put in there be it good our bad.think of them as teenagers who needed your guidance.
To much meat will lead to a shorter life, poor offspring, bloat etc.
they will breed if they are happy or not-just like people, that's why there was a baby boom in world war two!
They will look normal for maybe months our even a year but then you still start to lose them randomly.
I've bothered to write this because you seem like someone that wants to look after your fish family.I hope you see the difference in percentage of veg I feed compared to your current feeding. Check out the back of pleco tabs in your lfs and get ones that have the same kind of make up as I previously mentioned.
Hope to hear back from you soon
Respect cc
I keep and breed N'djamena and just wanted to give you a comparison
I feed them : Monday mushroom and flake Tuesday marrow and meaty granuals a small amount Wednesday Courgette and flake Thursday nothing Friday beans, sugar snaps or what ever else is in the fridge! Saturday mushrooms Sunday broccoli.
The flake and granuals are added for my middle dwelling fish and my corys. Also so they get that ten percent of meat that is good for them.
I change my routine all the time and do add tabs I'm once a week but they are outrage percent veg proteine and no ash our oil.
Your bn.'will Munch down all the food you put in there be it good our bad.think of them as teenagers who needed your guidance.
To much meat will lead to a shorter life, poor offspring, bloat etc.
they will breed if they are happy or not-just like people, that's why there was a baby boom in world war two!
They will look normal for maybe months our even a year but then you still start to lose them randomly.
I've bothered to write this because you seem like someone that wants to look after your fish family.I hope you see the difference in percentage of veg I feed compared to your current feeding. Check out the back of pleco tabs in your lfs and get ones that have the same kind of make up as I previously mentioned.
Hope to hear back from you soon
Respect cc
Just an update although I'm not sure it's related. This is a young 2 year old male that looks like it has been mauled by something. The only fish other than the of bn's likely to do this is a gold sucking loach of about 4 inches. I've never seen it attack any of them so could be while lights are out, do you think it possible?
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Exactly why I dont keep those sucker loaches. They will attack and eat the slime coat off other fish when they get big.