I have a 55-gallon cool-water tank containing one approximately 7-inch koi, two fancy comet goldfish and a plec which is about 6 inches long and seems in good health. My tank is relatively clear of algae, but there is some for the plec to eat.

I feed the plec several Hikari Algae Discs each evening (just before the light goes off), but recently, the koi has become quite aggressive and will scarf up the wafers just as fast as I can get them to sink. Often the plec gets none!

I have tried to put the wafers in after the light goes out (and after the other fish have been fully fed), but the koi still makes a pig of himself. I am concerned that the plec will starve.

Any suggestions? Is there an algae-based "cake" that I can place on the bottom to allow the plec to "munch" on at leisure? Or, do I have to get rid of the koi (I would hate to have to do that)?

Many thanks,

Bob

You really need to find or make a pond for the koi more for its sake than for the pleco. Koi can grow to 2 or 3 feet long and need ponds over 1000 gallons. I have two koi over 1.5 feet long that wouldn't even fit in a 55 gallon tank. Koi grow fast. They eat a lot so it's no surprise your koi would eat the pleco's food. You might try adding the algae wafers even later at night after it's been dark in the tank for a while and the koi is more likely to be asleep. I feed my 15" pleco with the sinking algae wafers but also cucumber. You can try various fruits and vegetables. The koi and goldfish will also nibble at those. Pieces of fruits and vegetables can make a tank quite messy. I've never seen an algae "cake." Good luck!

Robyn,

I have a son who lives about 1.5 hours' drive from me. He has a koi pond (outdoors). If I put my koi in a 5-gallon bucket with a battery-powered bubbler, do you think that the koi will make it?

Also, my son lives in Sacramento, California, where the nighttime temperature can drop to around freezing at night (although his pond usually will not freeze). Will this kind of transition be too much for the koi, and shall I wait until Spring to make the transfer?

Many thanks,

Bob

You're lucky you have a son with a koi pond! A 5 gallon bucket doesn't have much room (he'd couldn't swim straight easily). I suggest getting a Sterilite storage tub (one of those semi-clear whitish storage boxes) or another type of plastic tub. Put in the fish and only enough tank water to cover him over. Add some AmQuel which neutralizes ammonia. If you have a battery air pump, that's great, put that in. Put the lid over the tub to reduce splashing but be sure it's not totally closed as you want gas exchange. He'll be fine in there for a few hours.

What are the current daytime and nightime temperatures averaging there? If it's still pretty warm (nothing below 50 degrees F), he should be fine. Try to let the water he's in (in the box) drop to the pond temperature if the pond is cooler before putting him in there. You would do that by putting the box with the koi and water outside near the pond. Be sure he can't jump out but gets oxygen.

It's a good idea to be confident that your koi as well as the fish in your son's pond are all healthy before mixing them to avoid transferring something. If your son has a large tank or quarantine pond, he may want to quarantine your koi if there's any doubt.

Let us know how things work out!

Those hikari algea wafers are like some wonderful drug to fish ! All my fish try to eat them fortunalntly they are all tiny compared with a koi so the pleco gets his grub. Your pleco might try eating fish food like mine do if he is hungry enough.

Many thanks for the feedback, Robyn. The daytime temperatures in Sacramento run about 70 degrees F. now, but at night, it can get down to about 45. During the winter, it can freeze, but a "hard freeze" is unusual.

I am tempted to try and wait until Spring to make the transfer if I can be sure that Oscar, my pleco, will be able to get enough to eat. I am going to try the cucumber suggestion in the meantime.

Many thanks again!


Bob