Think I might be losing my pleco

by Sandman1969 Tue Jul 14, 2015 4:34 pm

First topic message reminder :

Not sure what is wrong, but I cannot remember the last time I saw him eat and he will not touch any zucchini and he used to gorge on this stuff.

I have done a few water changes recently such as a 50% about a week ago & another this past Friday morning with a small one yesterday.
On the top of his head, just at the base of his dorsal, it is a bit indented and his underside seems bloated. Not sure if I am looking at the right spot. I was able to grab him with not much of a struggle and I can feel a film on him.
He's around 10+ years old. Called my buddy at Big Al's and he suggested General Cure by API. So I am currently treating the tank.

Not sure what else I can do for him at this point.

by Suprd71 Thu Jul 16, 2015 9:00 am

Dorsal rays are not an indicator of age, they are more an identifier of species. 10 or less are the "commons" that max out around a foot long. I have one, 4yrs and done growing. Pretty well a twin to the one you just lost. I would wager his first several yrs of life did some extensive damage, and contributed to his possible early demise, moreso than the time with you. As for the blood, I couldnt say. Maybe something else took a peck at him after passing?

by Sandman1969 Thu Jul 16, 2015 9:10 am

Ok, gonna try this again. Request timed out when hitting send???

Anyways...the other pleco I had, had about 20 rays and was over a foot. I was here & watched him pass with a final jerk movement at death. He was fairly heavy and a bit bloated. My sharks don't eat meat & never touched him. The blood came from his underside, not sure if anus or the other part, I assume as that spot was reddish.

by Suprd71 Thu Jul 16, 2015 9:29 am

Yep your other plec was the monster kind. 20 rays, thats a lot! 11 or more are the Hypostomus Plecos(I'm pretty sure?), BigAls Barrie had one couple years back, I swear 2ft long! We'll never know the exact cause of death of your guy. Maybe ingested something with a rough edge, put a tear in his innards? Total guess, just unknown.

by GaryE Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:02 am

One thing you might want to consider is heat. Summer in a non air-conditioned environment can accelerate problems. It's when I used to lose the elderly fish, before we got AC.
Any water quality issues are worse in oxygen poor warm water. So you may be seeing seasonal issues.

by Sandman1969 Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:31 am

What's the max temp for a pleco?

by GaryE Thu Jul 16, 2015 3:20 pm

Just on their own, they can easily tolerate around 30. It's the other life in the tank that goes out of whack - the bacteria, the wastes, the parasites without hosts... decay is accelerated, which consumes oxygen.

I find once you are above 26, problems in a tank are boosted.

BTW, I missed the post that said you'd lost him. That's bad news.

by Sandman1969 Thu Jul 16, 2015 3:29 pm

Ya, he passed last night with me watching him. At least I was here unlike when the other died.

The max temp so far has been 82F. Right now, it's 77.1F.

by fish lady Thu Jul 16, 2015 5:21 pm

sorry to hear

by Sandman1969 Thu Jul 16, 2015 11:39 pm

The sad thing is, I keep seeing him squirming in the container I put him in, as if he was just in a coma like state. But I waited a bit to see if he'd snap out of it & start breathing again.