hkirchen

I have a 29g FW tank
Amonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10

3 guppies
2 zebra danios
1 Dwarf Gourami
1 Yo Yo Loach
1 BN Pleco

I do a 25% water change every week, I have two filters Topfin 30 and Penguin 100. I keep the water at 80 degrees farenheit.

I have just gotten out of a mini cycle. During this mini, I lost one of my zebra danios, and two of my guppies. The list above is all I have left in my tank. My Longfin Albino BN Pleco is the second one that I have had since November. The first one died, not sure why(I wasn't in a mini cycle then) Now my second one is acting the same way the first one did before he died, and I am at my wits end trying to save him, and to make sure that I am not doing something wrong.

He is not eating. I can tell because when I first got him, he was very active, and he pooped a lot. Now he is not pooping at all and he stays near the top of the tank on the glass.

After the first one died, I thought that I did not have enough hiding places, so I got some driftwood with anubias growing in it. The plant was to help control the Nitrates which would get as high as 20. I thought maybe that was bothering him too.

I feed him algae wafers every night after lights out, only to come in the morning to see it disolved and sitting in the same place making a mess. I tried zuchini, and he was not interested. I have romaine lettuce in there now right next to his head, and he is not taking the bait.

What can I do, what am I doing wrong? Are these guys that sensitive?

jdhef

It could be he is feeling the effects of the mini cycle. It seems to me that sometimes fish get stressed, stop eating and never go back to eating. Hopefully this is not the case for your Pleco. Also, I don't have any experiance with Pleco's, but is the temperature too high for him? I don't know what a Pleco's temperature range is, but it just struck me as possibly being a little high.

Good luck.

URFisher35

i'd suggest dropping your temp likd jdhef said. the high temp holds less dissolved oxygen...thus the BN can't breathe as well and is near the surface? idk...just an idea. i had my temp at 79-80, and by BN hung out near my air pump. i dropped the temp to 77 and he was happy!

mathas

Unless my two bristlenose are the exceptions, 80°F is not too high. My tank is usually around 82°F, and both of my plecos have very hearty appetites.

It could be, as URFisher35 suggested, an oxygen issue related to the temperature, but temperature itself probably isn't the culprit here.

hkirchen

Do you think I should try to lower a couple of degrees, or would that not make much difference? When he was healthy, he cleaned all around the heater and filter intakes. I do not know what else to do. Why would both of them act in the same way unless the same thing was agitating them?

agabr123

i'd add an air stone or a bubble wand to see if the increased oxygen will help, as mathas said it's probably the decrease in O2 that's the problem, not the temp itself

lowering the temp just a little would help too

hkirchen

Well, I just got back from the LFS, and they asked what my pH was. He said that fluctuations with that would cause problems too. Would that be the case. I have never tested my ph because I was always focused on the amonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Would it be beneficial to find out if my ph was fluctuating a lot during the day?

He also said to give blood worms in liquid form to my pleco. I did not know that they ate something other than algae or veggies.

mathas

pH fluctuations can definitely affect fish, but I would think if this were the case, it would be affecting all of your fish. I guess it couldn't hurt to test it, though!

From PlanetCatfish (the bold is my emphasis):

Beeker

Be careful with pet store sales people. They rarely know what they are talking about. They talk as if they know and as if they have your best interests and the best interests of your fish at heart, but they are only in it to sell. Mathas pointing out the profile in comparison to what the pet store salesman said is a good example of this.
Yes, your ph can affect the fish, but I can't imagine that your ph would fluctuate much if you are doing 25% water changes weekly. Sure, check your ph, and if it is a problem, it should be fixed, but I agree with the others that you should lower the temp a couple clicks and add an airstone or wand.

agabr123

i doubt that your pH is fluctuating during the day, unless any of the chemicals you are adding can alter pH or you have limestone or something like that, then your pH is probably stable. its true though, like others have said, that an unstable pH can cause a lot of problems, and that is why most will recommend that you leave it stable, as most fish can adapt to a very wide range of them.

good luck

hkirchen

Thank you,
I will try an air stone or wall. I will monitor my ph for a few days, but if it is stable, I will not do anything to it.

I think that he(the guy at the LFS) was just trying to come up with something that I might not have thought of so he could sell me something. He started talking about buffers and things to change ph. Luckily, I have you guys and enough knowledge that I check everything out before trying it.

I would hate to lose another pleco! I don't know if I would want another one after this if he does not make it! They are so cool though!

agabr123

yeah, unfortunately that is what those stores are for....selling things....most of the time they really aren't interested in what is best for the fish. now, there are a few that are, and if you find one keep going there!!!! it's up to the consumer to keep the really good LFS around!

cerianthus

Have you check its stomach (full or tucked in)?. Maybe it is getting enough on its own (algae/drifwood) at night? Although zuchini worked, so did Romaine Lettuce with Zebras and other fancies although zuchini was bit more messy than Romaine.
Droping temp does not help with intiating eating. Ususally raise temp to stimulate feeding.
Look for its Poo, long dark green to brownish string if you can. They do produce good amt of waste when eating well/well fed.

hkirchen

It's stomach looks tucked in compared to when I got him. He hasn't pooped that I can see in many days(there used to be a constant string attached to him!)

i have set up a four inch air stone, and he is not as high on the glass as he was before, which might be a good sign. I will monitor this for the rest of the day.

I will continue the nightly zuchini, and there is already romaine lettuce in there right now. i hope he starts eating soon.

The other fishes seem to think the air stone is their personal play thing that I put in just for them!

hkirchen

Usually this store is very good, but I think it varies from which sales person you get. Even the best need to sell things to make money! I think the only way to avoid this would be if you knew the sales person personally.

Having been in retail for 15 years, I can certainly understand why they try to sell more things. I guess it is my job as a consumer to research before buying, and double check all information.

agabr123

yeah, i completely agree.

hkirchen

Update on my pleco.

Well unfortunately he died last night. I tried everything I could think of and still lost him. This was my second Longfin Albino Bushynose from the same place. Is there anything about this type that would make it weaker and less likely to acclimate?

I will probably not get another one, it was just too hard to watch that twice. Maybe if my algae gets bad again I will try another type of algae eater.

agabr123

i'm sorry you lost him

Beeker

I'm sorry for your loss.
It is very difficult to watch the health of a helpless animal go downwards and not be able to take care of it.