Well this is my first post here, I have been searching for info on this as I have a (I hope not) dying pleco.

Last night I moved my tank (30 gallon) to my new house my wife and I just purchased...
I set up the tank and naturally it got a little cloudy with debris, I got everything running again and the filter was starting to clean out the tank.
I wake up this morning to find my pleco outside of the tank and in my mind dead. As I was picking him up to take him to our pond for a nice burial I noticed he was still moving his mouth and gills! I rushed him back to the tank and put him in. He started really pumping the water through and every now and then moves when the other fish go by...
I guess my main question here is, will he be alright? He was pretty dry and stiff from his dorsal fin back but toward his head he was still rather soft? I've had him (Falcone is his name) since 2000 and is roughtly 13" long...

In nature, during dry season, some plecos can hole up in holes in the sides of a river and sort of coccoon themselves in until things get wet again. They can also breathe some atmospheric oxygen. Plecos can thus stay out of water longer than most fish. Since he was alive when you found him, he actually might survive. The biggest concern would be injury and infection from the time he was on the ground, presumably bouncing around and such. If he's not beat up too badly, then he might be fine. Keep an eye out for bacterial or fungal growths on his body which are pretty common in fish that were on the ground. You can put some extra aquarium salt in the tank to reduce that likelihood, maybe a tablespoon per 3 gallons. Plecos don't like a lot of salt. Also, I suggest adding MelaFix by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals which is a natural antibiotic and can help heal the injured areas of your pleco. Be sure to seal any holes in your tank lid to prevent jumping in the future. You probably will need to check your water quality for things such as pH, ammonia, nitrite, hardness, and oxygen since the shock of a new water quality at the new house, the travel, etc. certainly could have caused him to jump in the first place.

My 14" pleco is 11 years old so yours grew pretty fast.

Well hes moving a lot now, but still not 100%
I treated the water and its much better than it was. It looked like he jumped out and just landed where I found him. I'm just really hoping that he comes back, the wife and I both had a little teary moment.

I never got to get a good measurement of him since he would never sit still, hes actually, for sure, 11 1/2"
But I dont know why he got so big so fast. All my fish have gotten big very fast. I have 3 others in there all goldfish (1 calico fantail, 1 Comet, and 1 Black Moor) and never had a problem with the pleco and them. The newest fish I have has grow from about 1" to almost 5" in just a year. Back in 98 when i started my tank I just got some comet goldfish to establish the tank, well, then never died. One of them did about a year ago, but the other is still alive and kicking @ about 14" (he'll sit still for me)...maybe its just the water, always had a water softener.

Heres a picture of him from just a few minutes ago. As you can see he still looks pretty bad from right before his dorsal fin back, but its looking MUCH better than it was this morning. He is moving all his fins so theres still some hope!

Hi mwprs37

I have the same fish in my tank.I had a pleco in there for months and he did very well.I made the mistake of adding another fish right from the pet store and lost everything in the tank.Since then I have replaced them all and the pleco.The fish are all doing well but I lost that pleco to.I have been told over and over that they can't be put in the same tank.I knew it could be done because it was working for me.Now you tell me you have the same thing and it's been working for you.Thanks for the info and I am now going to get another pleco for my tank and try again.I love watching them.
I now have a small tank set up for the new fish.I keep them in there for awhile just to make sure they are ok.
Thanks for the info and I hope Falcone will be ok.
swampview

Well, Falcone didn't make it throught the night, I was sure he was going to pull out of it, but I guess he was out of the tank for too long. He'll be in fishie heaven now. We put him in our pond, so he can have all the room he needs.

As far as the goldfish and the pleco, I've never had a problem with them, Falcone was a pretty laid back pleco and never bothered them. As long as you keep the tank clean and the pleco fed I guess theres no need for him to be feeding on the goldfish. I fed him 5-6 frozen peas a day and every other day 2 algae wafers. I'm going to get another one today, not sure on the name, anyone have any ideas?

So sorry to hear about Falcone

swampview

I'm sorry Falcone didn't make it. In the photo, I can see how part of his slime coat and skin was sloughing off from his time on land. He looks like my Plecy who is a Liposarcus pardalis. As far as goldfish and plecos, it's not a predicable thing. When Plecy was maybe half a foot long, he was in with 4 goldfish in my 50 gallon tank. For a year, everything was fine. Then, he started to suck on my fantail. I had to take him out. My panda cories also started to suck on her. Plecy went into a way-too-small 10 gallon tank for about a year and then to the 40 gallon he's in now. This spring, I moved my 3 2" or so fantails from my basement pond to that tank. Because Plecy is now 14"+, he's too big to suck on the now 3-4" fantails. That doesn't mean he might not do it someday. It has nothing to do with hunger. Plecy was well fed back when he sucked on the fantail. It's just a matter of the opportunity of a goldfish that can't evade him, and then he tries it and likes it. With any pleco and goldfish, the sucking may or may not occur. But, once it does, the pleco has to be moved. So, everyone who combines these fish must keep an eye out for problems. It is very much more likely for small plecos to suck on large goldfish than the other way around.

Well heres my new little guy, almost 2", we're undecided on a name....



My other fish...
Ernie (Calico Fantail) and Albert Pujols (Black Moor)



The old man of the tank, Pete (Comet)...

Hi mwprs37

I'm so glad you got another pleco.He is very nice looking.Did you put him in the tank with the other fish or is he in his own tank for a while?
You will have to get to know him and then it will be easy to name him.

swampview

Nope I put the bag in the water for a few hours for him to get the water temp, then put him in, he went to work right away.

We decided to name him Jack Burton, from one of my favorite movies, Big Trouble in Little China...

Hopefully Big Trouble will stay out of trouble!

:rolleyes:

Hi mwprs37

How is Jack doing?I hope he is staying out of trouble.
I got my new pleco and 2 chinese algae eaters 2 days ago. They are all very small but they will grow.I put them in a seperate tank for now.They are doing fine so far.I will leave them there for about a wk just to make sure they are healthy.I have the same fish as you in my tank. I hope they will all be friends.
swampview

Jack is doing good, hes keeping out of trouble...he seems to like me a lot more than Falcone did (Rest his little soul)...

I swear hes grown 1/2" since I got him too...

mwprs37

I'm so glad Jack is doing well and keeping out of trouble.I told you I got my pleco and chinese algae eaters.I am sorry to report that they didn't make it.I had to go away for a few days and couldn't keep an eye on them.When I got back they were gone.I was so upset.I don't know if I should try again.I will keep a watch to see how your pleco is doing.
swampview

Hi mwprs37

Well I did it.I went out and bought 2 new plecos yesterday.I put them in their own tank with a bubbler and stone on the bottom.When I got up this morning the water was very cloudy so I put in a filter and by this afternoon the water was clear.I also put in 3 algae waffers.The tank is only a 5 gal but its only a holding tank until I now that they will be ok.Then I will put one in the large tank I have with other fish and one will stay in his own tank.
How many algae waffers is enough each day for the two of them?
Do they like the light on all the time or can I turn it off at night?
And how is Jack doing these days?Is he keeping out of trouble?
All I want is to give these plecos a real go start.Any advice?

Thanks swampview

How long are the plecos? I'm guessing just maybe 2 inches? If so, then half an algae tablet every other night should be enough. The light should be on during the day and off at night. The plecos are active when it's dark.

Hi Robyn

The plecos are 2-2 1/2 in. long.I saw in your site that they like drift wood.I can easliy get that on my property.Do I have to do any thing to it before I put it in the tank?I am also going to put some squash in the tank tonight.
Do you know if I can put some sickens in the tank with the plecos? I will be taking one pleco out when I know he is healthy and the other will be in there alone.What do you think?

swampview

To use driftwood, it must be sterilized and true driftwood which is aged for a long time under water. My section on treating driftwood is at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/plants/decor2.htm#drift

What are "sickens?"

Hi Robyn

I am now soaking the driftwood and getting it ready for the pleco tank.The one pleco is doing better than the other.He seems to be all over the tank.The other one stays on the glass behind the filter.Any idea why?

Sorry about the spelling.It is Cichlids.They are the colors of saltwater fish.I don't know to much about them yet but I have a chance to get some for free.My friend has a huge tank full of them and they are breading all the time.Do you know anything about Cichlids?
swampview

Each pleco is different. Most hide during the day but some are more active during the day than others. I've never had any cichlids. They come in a wide variety of sizes and temperments. The more docile, mostly South American cichlids, such as angelfish, kribs, and rams should be okay with a pleco. Larger South American cichlids like oscars may go after the plecos. Most of the African cichlids are more volatile and often attack other fish. Some people say the only fish you can keep with them are plecos but many people have written me to ask why their plecos were killed by their cichlids. Also, plecos are South American and like softer water while most African cichlids like hard water so plecos are better kept with their closer South American piscine (hopefully) friends.

Hi Robyn
So far so good with my 2 new plecos.I did add the driftwood to the tank and they love it.They have been in the tank for two wks now and seem to get along great.No problems.I have even seen them snuggle up to each other.I was watching them yesterday and the one was really active.He was all over the tank and at one point he was raming into the side of the other pleco.Is he playing or is he fighting?They are both the same size and I can see that they have grown already.
Should I be concerned and seperate them?

swampview

I don't really know (and might not even if I saw it). Since they're both small, I wouldn't worry about it. Keep an eye out that they don't do that too often or hurt each other. Otherwise, it's probably just bumping into each other.