Common pleco concern

I recently got a common pleco from a friend. When I first put him in my 25L tank he was perfectly fine however I recently got a 58L tank for him, my two angels and two siamese algae eaters. Over the last 3 weeks he has been loosing his colour and I assumed it was from the stress of being moved. Today I noticed that he has started developing red spots on his fins. He is eating algae wafers and the occasional Zucchini and is eating a rather good amount. I just did tests and the ammonia is a bit high but not deadly the nitrite and nitrate levels however are extremely high and I am going to do a large water change. The tank is still cycling but the water had been absolutely perfect last week. I will be doing a large water change and will treat the water I just want to know if this is in any way related to my pleco loosing his colour and having red spots on his fin tips.

 

I don't have a pic of mine and he's in a pond outside now( South Alabama) due to him being 8 or 9 inches long but he has red coloration on his tips of fins, its just his color pattern. Do you have a pic?

 

I recently got a common pleco from a friend. When I first put him in my 25L tank he was perfectly fine however I recently got a 58L tank for him, my two angels and two siamese algae eaters. Over the last 3 weeks he has been loosing his colour and I assumed it was from the stress of being moved. Today I noticed that he has started developing red spots on his fins. He is eating algae wafers and the occasional Zucchini and is eating a rather good amount. I just did tests and the ammonia is a bit high but not deadly the nitrite and nitrate levels however are extremely high and I am going to do a large water change. The tank is still cycling but the water had been absolutely perfect last week. I will be doing a large water change and will treat the water I just want to know if this is in any way related to my pleco loosing his colour and having red spots on his fin tips.

I would give him away. They will get 2 feet long. Way to big for a 15 gallon tank. Simese algae eaters also get 6 inches. Same with angelfish.

Sorry to say it, but your tank is heavily overstocked. I would upgrade the tank(by a lot), or giveaway all those fish- as they will all outgrow the tank- very quickly. No matter what your decision, good luck!

 

When

I would give him away. They will get 2 feet long. Way to big for a 15 gallon tank. Simese algae eaters also get 6 inches. Same with angelfish.

Sorry to say it, but your tank is heavily overstocked. I would upgrade the tank(by a lot), or giveaway all those fish- as they will all outgrow the tank- very quickly. No matter what your decision, good luck!

I already know that they are going

I do already know about all of their sizes but was not miss informed when I got the angels and the algae eaters. I can unfortunately not get a larger tank and have no idea who I would be able to give my pleco to. For now though I think they will be ok in the tank they are because they ate all still young. But thank you for the heads up[/QUOTE]

I unfortunately do not have a pic but it is definitely not normal because he has never had them before.

I don't have a pic of mine and he's in a pond outside now( South Alabama) due to him being 8 or 9 inches long but he has red coloration on his tips of fins, its just his color pattern. Do you have a pic?

 

When

I already know that they are goin


I unfortunately do not have a pic but it is definitely not normal because he has never had them before.

Thank you for understanding. Just be ready to upgrade to a 30 or 40 gallon when the fish get big.

Do the red spots look like bumps, or just rashes? Where are the spots? Directly on the fins or where fin meets the body? This information would be helpful.

 

Depending upon the fish, ammonia and nitrites in a aquarium can be deadly, or at lease stress the fish to the point they are susceptible to disease and parasites. The toxicity of ammonia is also dependent upon pH. At pH level of 7.0 and below, the ammonia exists in the ammonium ion state which is minimally toxic. At higher pH levels, especially above 7.5, the water will contain ammonia which is quite toxic to most fish.

Some fish are tolerant of these nitrogen compounds and can be used to cycle a tank. However, it sounds like you tank is still cycling and you have some fish in there that are not so tolerant. The overstocking situation makes it worse.

Do frequent partial water changes do reduce the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in the tank.

I would also suggest using an ammonia detoxifier like Seachem Prime, API Ammo-Lock or Kordon Amquel plus. These products do not remove the ammonia from the water, but will convert it to a less toxic form , protecting the fish until the bacteria have an opportunity to convert it.

I also suggest adding zeolite media to your filter. This are contained in products like API Ammo Chips, Fluval Ammonia Remover, Seachem Zeolite, Marineland Zeolite, etc. There are also products like API Nitra Zorb and Seachem De-nitrate that will help remove nitrite and nitrates along with ammonia.

Hopefully, with such measures, you fish will live long enough for your tank to cycle. Once they get beyond the small size often seen in fish stores, common plecos are huge waste generating machines, so they need large tanks, large filters and a well cycled aquarium.

 

Thank you for understanding. Just be ready to upgrade to a 30 or 40 gallon when the fish get big.

Do the red spots look like bumps, or just rashes? Where are the spots? Directly on the fins or where fin meets the body? This information would be helpful.

It is mainly small rashes at the very tip of his fins

 

Depending upon the fish, ammonia and nitrites in a aquarium can be deadly, or at lease stress the fish to the point they are susceptible to disease and parasites. The toxicity of ammonia is also dependent upon pH. At pH level of 7.0 and below, the ammonia exists in the ammonium ion state which is minimally toxic. At higher pH levels, especially above 7.5, the water will contain ammonia which is quite toxic to most fish.

Some fish are tolerant of these nitrogen compounds and can be used to cycle a tank. However, it sounds like you tank is still cycling and you have some fish in there that are not so tolerant. The overstocking situation makes it worse.

Do frequent partial water changes do reduce the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in the tank.

I would also suggest using an ammonia detoxifier like Seachem Prime, API Ammo-Lock or Kordon Amquel plus. These products do not remove the ammonia from the water, but will convert it to a less toxic form , protecting the fish until the bacteria have an opportunity to convert it.

I also suggest adding zeolite media to your filter. This are contained in products like API Ammo Chips, Fluval Ammonia Remover, Seachem Zeolite, Marineland Zeolite, etc. There are also products like API Nitra Zorb and Seachem De-nitrate that will help remove nitrite and nitrates along with ammonia.

Hopefully, with such measures, you fish will live long enough for your tank to cycle. Once they get beyond the small size often seen in fish stores, common plecos are huge waste generating machines, so they need large tanks, large filters and a well cycled aquarium.

Thank you very much that is extremely helpful