Help in rearing Plecos

[ms]

Hi,
Need some expert advise here.
I had been trying to rear Pleco in my 4ft planted tank to help with cleaning up some Algae that I have in my tank.

I have tried spotted pleco, dark color pleco and some other $1 or $2 type but they all died after about 3-4days to 4 wks.

The rest of my fishes like Cardinals, Yamoto schrimps, Otos, platy are doing alright.

Can anyone tell me what is happening? It is due to low food intake? I noticed that I drop in pallets for bottom dwellers, but it got eatened by the Cardinals.

Help.

MS

[stormhawk]

First of all you need to have a healthy pleco to start with. Some plecos are not fed during transit from other countries into Singapore and some don't get proper nutrition while they're at the fish shops.

Don't mistake nice colours for healthy fish. Before you buy any next time, look for the following on the pleco:

1) It should not have a sunken belly
2) It should have proper finnage, not torn or broken
3) It should have no external injuries
4) Eyes should be clear without any cloudiness
5) Colour of the fish should be good without any discoloured patches
6) It should be active while in the tank at the LFS

Some species of plecos don't feed alot on algae and those that do will usually avoid some types of algae. Some are herbivorous and some are omnivorous. Most do not adapt to feeding on sinking pellets or wafers unless trained to do so over a period of time. Different species have different requirements but all seem to require driftwood in the tank as a component found in the driftwood, called lignin, is an essential part of their diet. Some get too big for the planted tank and can really mess up some plants and others will even try to feed on your plants. The problem in your tank could be nutrition. It is possible that your pleco isn't the right type for the tank or its not getting enough food or its missing some important food items in its diet.

Refer to online resources like planetcatfish.com for more information on species or ask the people at Petfrd.com's subforum for Catfishes and other Bottom Dwellers. Most of them keep plecos and can help with your problems.