Bristle nose and guppies feeding and dying

I have guppies and bristle nose pleco in one tank. I'm worried because the plecos aren`t eating because when I put food in the tank the guppies start eating it. I`ve added algae wafers, vegetable tablets, cucumber and lots of vegetables. I always feed them at night and I`ve only had them for a week. Today one of my pleco died and the guppies were eating them, is that normal? I have no idea why the pleco died because there are no problems with the water and the other ones are still alive. It is my first time with plecos and I`ve already asked for help at the place where I got them.

 

Hello, we'll need more information to determine the cause.

Tank size, temperature, water values (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate), complete stocking list, and general history of the tank (when did you set it up, how long have you had the fish, did you cycle it before adding fish?). Photos of the tank/fish in question are also helpful.

 

Hello, we'll need more information to determine the cause.

Tank size, temperature, water values (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate), complete stocking list, and general history of the tank (when did you set it up, how long have you had the fish, did you cycle it before adding fish?). Photos of the tank/fish in question are also helpful.

tank size: 60 liters- since the plecos are still small
temperature: 24 Celsius - 26 Celsius
I`m not sure about the water values, but its should be at a correct level since our drinking water here is comparatively soft. I had goldfish in the tank before but they died so we left the tank there for a year after cleaning. After a year I set up a tank and placed a bid for guppies. Surprisingly I won the bid and had to purchase the guppies. I did not cycle the tank but the guy we bought from said we just needed to change 10-15% of the water everyday for two weeks. We added the plecos after a week of cycling. ( we bought the plecos from a different retailer) The guppies are all fine and doing relatively well. They also have grown a lot. The plecos were fine for a week but one died today.

 

Hello!, welcome!, can you tell us exactly how many fish of what species are in the tank?

Not to be rude, but the guy was wrong. You will now half to complete a fish in cycle and you will probobly lose more fish, and I would contact the manager of the store and get my money back as his employee gave you bad advise.

You need to test the water for ammonia, nitrite , nitrate, and Ph

Your tanK sounds like it is over-stocked and over fed and uncycled and the ammonia killed the pleco and may kill more.

One bristlenose needs a 20 gallon tank or larger depending on the exact species. Pleco are territorial, and they should not be housed with other plecos unless you know that you have a male and a female. If they are very young, you have some time to get them separated before they start to get aggressive, but do not wait too long, you never really know when they are starting to become territorial, they fight when the lights are off.
I would feed the guppies a normal amount of food, "What they can mostly finish in one minute." some of it will fall and the plecos will get to it eventually. The pleco will also eat algae off the walls and they should have driftwood to gnash on as well, it is very important for this species.
You can drop a wafer in the tank at night, maybe once a week, they will eat during the night, the guppies will not eat it all. Be careful not to overfeed I would not add veggies until the tank is fully cycled. I would drop a wafer the day before you are going to clean the tank.

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Hello!, welcome!, can you tell us exactly how many fish of what species are in the tank?

Not to be rude, but the guy was wrong. You will now half to complete a fish in cycle and you will probobly lose more fish, and I would contact the manager of the store and get my money back as his employee gave you bad advise.

You need to test the water for ammonia, nitrite , nitrate, and Ph

Your tanK sounds like it is over-stocked and over fed and uncycled and the ammonia killed the pleco and may kill more.

One bristlenose needs a 20 gallon tank or larger depending on the exact species. Pleco are territorial, and they should not be housed with other plecos unless you know that you have a male and a female. If they are very young, you have some time to get them separated before they start to get aggressive, but do not wait too long, you never really know when they are starting to become territorial, they fight when the lights are off.
I would feed the guppies a normal amount of food, "What they can mostly finish in one minute." some of it will fall and the plecos will get to it eventually. The pleco will also eat algae off the walls and they should have driftwood to gnash on as well, it is very important for this species.
You can drop a wafer in the tank at night, maybe once a week, they will eat during the night, the guppies will not eat it all. Be careful not to overfeed I would not add veggies until the tank is fully cycled. I would drop a wafer the day before you are going to clean the tank.

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Thank you so much for the information. I will try and get a larger tank. I have 2 small ( 2-5cm) bristlenose pleco in my tank and a few guppies in a 60 liter tank. Not to be rude or anything ( im really greatful for your help) I do not think they are overfed because i only feed them a very little amount. By now i have areadly completed a cycle. But i added the pleco after a 1 week cycle. But my guppies seem to sense me when they are asleep and wake up and eat the food. I however do have driftwood in my tank. But suprisingly all the guppies are doing ok and seem good. Thank you so much

 

Many good shops will test water for free.
If you don’t have a way of testing the water for nitrates and ammonia there is no way of knowing if the tank has a full working nitrogen cycle/ has full colonies of bacteria consuming the toxic ammonia.

Ask the shop to write down the numbers of the test if they don’t offer a print out of the numbers.

If you have not changed 45% of the water in the last few days now would be a good time.

 

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