thephantom007

pls help my pleco just change his behavior suddenly i dont know why, im a beginner but i have my thank for like a year almost and i have not problem i have the same fishes, what i did its clean the filter and the whole system because it was kind of slimy i do clean it frequently and my pleco just star acting weird like trying to escape from my tank moving around really fast and hitting the other fisghes and when he gets calm just lay down at the bottom of the thank with the bally side up and barely breathing i just move him to a clean water container and a lil food and my fish stabilized and his calm and quit like usual what could be wrong in my tank the other fishes are really normal, the colors are bright and they look really happy, what happened to my fishy pls help i being searching but with no luck, i will love some help thank you very much

Tony G.

Welcome to Fishlore.

From what i know that is not normal for a pleco. Usually when fish dart around like that its becasue they are startled and well.. they run into things like deco or in this case the glass walls. Maybe you spooked him while moving the filter? It happens sometimes.

When he is upside down... is he breathing rapidly? Can you take pictures of it? Are any of the fish's gills red? this is important as red gills are a sign of ammonia poisoning which can kill your fish.

What are your water parameters?

Do you know about the nitrogen cycle?

Sorry for all the questions, it could help us know whats going on with your pleco.

Hope you enjoy the site!

thephantom007

thank you for the reply, well i just start reading about that (the cycle) but like im saying i have the tank for like a year, and i just drain half of the tank to put more clean water i been doing that since i get the fishes and everything was ok until now, i have my pleco in a separate water container and his ok now and calm and when he is moving around he just do it by itself i dont touch him, that just happened few days ago thats why im worried tomorrow ill will get some LG tablets for my fish because i wasnt feeding him very well and some shrimp pallets what do i need to do to reduce the ammonia level...

Im gonna get my kid tomorrow so i can test the water and im new at this i though just to keep the water clean everything would be fine but i was wrong after reading lots of info i appreciate more info that can help me

Tony G.

You can lower the ammonia by doing water changes and adding a product called Prime. It cant be found in most places (here in mexico) I've only had luck with it in a Pet Store called (+Kota) I also suggest that the test kit you get is Liquid. The Strips are not reliable.

I think it would be safe to reintroduce the pleco to the tank. It will only make him more comfortable.

One question, what are LG tablets?

thephantom007

jejej aqui tratando de hecharme mi ingles heheh, son unas tabletas de alga que se comen los plecos bueno eso eso es lo que lei, porque el alga que produce mi pecera ya no es suficiente ya que mi pez crecio muy rapido, y ok buscare eso aqui en las tiendas de estados unidos, otra cosa es es que cual seria la temperatura ideal para mi pez los Gold fish pues pueden estar en agua fria pero no se si mi pleco tambien resista y el cambio de temperatura por aqui fue muy drastico, y como es ese test liquido y como funciona ?

Tony G.

Haha its alright. I am pretty sure we hae to talk in english though, its a forum rule If there is any way i can help send me a private message and that way you'll understand me and it'll be easier to explain

So, LG tablets are supplements for algae correct? I think you should also try to find "Algae wafers"and shrimp tablets, as they really do seem to enjoy them.

goldfish are temperate water fish, so in other words they are alright without a heater. They can withstand very low temperatures, but i wouldnt go higher than 74 F with them, as they really do prefer colder water. The pleco should be alright. There are members here who have plecos with their goldfish in outdoor ponds and do well. I guess it depends on your location. If you are in Puebla or somewhere like that then it gets too cold. But if you are in morelos then its warmer, so it should be alright without a heater.

The liquid test kit comes with 2-3 test tubes, matching colored cards and Bottles with the reagant in it. Usually they come with an ammonia test, a nitrite test, a nitrate test, a pH test, a GH and KH test. You basically follow the instructions for each test. Some require a few drops while others need more. Then you match the colors on the test tube to the card, giving you the reading.

thephantom007

ok i put the fish back but with any reaction i touch him and he doesnt wanna move :but he is alive the color looks ok

thephantom007

i cant post the pictures

Tony G.

Thats good, if he has his normal coloring then it is a good sign. Plecos attach themselves to things. Maybe if you leav him there for a while he should go on his own. It helps too if you've got the light turned off.

thephantom007

ok dear friend im gonna keep on eye on him i hope he make it trough tomorrow so i can get all those things to keeping healthy thank you very much and ill keep u inform how my fish is doing have a good nite and thank you. (Finger crossed)

Tony G.

Good luck! One thing though, they'll be pretty expensive... So good luck!

thephantom007

well not here i just got him really cheap but he was a baby really small but now wow he is big now i just got stock on the glass as usual i hope everything goes fine but im thinking to release him to a big pound in a golf course where i work

Tony G.

No! Dont release him! It endagers him and the wild life! you should take him to your fish store and see if they take him and put him in a display tank or something.

LOL i meant the products and test kit. Each test kit is like 260 -320 pesos.

thephantom007

hey there its me again well i put my pleco back but he still the same (im guessing is a he and not a she lol) i check the amonia level it was really high so i put some easybalance but i got some amonia clear just in case i didnt use it yet, and i bought some food for my pleco i separate him again and put him in a clean water with some food with not light so he can recover im being looking trough internet and my pleco looks exactly like this, pls some one can tell me whats going on with my fishy picture

Tony G.

oh wow! He looks pretty bad... I am not sure but the fact that the ammonia was really high thats what could be casuing him the pain. I suggest you dont use easybalance or ammonia clear. Waterchanges and Prime (it detoxifies ammonia) will lessen the ammonia.

I reccomend you do Daily waterchanges of 30-40% with a dose of prime. This will keep the ammonia low untill your tank finishes it's mini cycle.

thephantom007

what its dose of prime i look trough the store and didnt see anything called like that and yeah tomorrow first time thats what im gonna do clean the grave at the bottom not all just like a half of it and take some stuff out from my tank so it doesnt look to piled up and what other recommendations u can give me.
Also for how long i have to make the water changes daily

Tony G.

You need to do waterchanges untill you no longer are going through a mini cycle, which is 0 ammonia 0 nitrites and SOME nitrates. Prime, i think it's by seachem. Did you check the store i told you about? its called +Kota (Mascota) they have them in most malls and shopping centers. you can check online and see if there is one near you.

They have American (reliable) products but can be rather expensive. What kind of test kit did you get? If i lived closer i would totally help in any way i could. I would give you some seeded media to start your bacteria colony up again. I'm in queretaro.

thephantom007

Sorry man i live in chicago illinois, but i will look for those things trough internet and i know i get the strips test but i was looking all over the store for the one u told me ill will look on internet for that one i hope i can find some colony of bacterias also and my big problem was to clean the biofilter i guess, im being reading a lot since i got this problem and i am learning a lot about keeping my fishes healty

Tony G.

hahaha i thought you lived here. No problem then, if you can go to petco or petsmart you can find it.

When you clean your tank i recommend only doing one thing at a time. Like say dont clean filter if you are removing water and vaccuming the gravel. Or clean the filter with tank water.

You can buy live bacteria. It is called TETRA SAFE START. It is the only bottled live bacteria that really does cycle your tank. There are no others that do this. This is the only one.

As far as test kits, Check amazon.com. Type in "API master test kit" it comes up for about 17.99.

thephantom007

wow thats a really good info and yeah about the filter i just read that today i guess that was my big mistake cuz all the time i clean it on the zinc what im planning to do tomorrow is:
1.- Vacuum the gravel just like 75 % of it.
2.- take 50% of the water tank.
3.- put some chlorine cleaner to the fresh water.
4.- put my pleco back to the tank.

Do im missing something?

Tony G.

hmm... it sounds about right...

thephantom007

ok another question you told me to get TETRA SAFE START i bought a bottle called Aquasafe and it says i got bio extract and it says it contains biopolymers do i need to get the TETRA SAFE START also?.

Also im thinking to get a new filter the one i have the biofilter its not the right size and i cant get it nowhere just buying a new filter container

Tony G.

Tetra safestart is different than aquasafe.

Aquasafe removes chlorine and chloramines form water while TSS adds live bacteria to the aquarium so it can jump the cycle.

thephantom007

wow hard work today, i just finish to clean my water fiuuu!!!! lots of work i took out some ornaments to be easy to clean tomorrow i should get a big bottle of aquasafe lol, im gonna see how it goes wish me luck