Pleco issues

[ericric38]

Dear all,

Last week Ive picked up 3 pleco's. One 1' L333 and two 1' L134. Though they seem fine and peaceful with each other, I am having a bit of trouble in getting them to eat. So far I have tried frozen blood worms and crushed peas (deshelled). 2 of them are constantly on the tank wall and the other one is always beneath one of the many drift woods i put in the tank. Also, they seem to have a hint of sunken belly (maybe its hungry?), but i still see strands of poop (it looked small, so it had to be from the plecos). Can someone please help? THANKS in advance =]

Tank information:
Tank size: 18' ADA tank (dont know size in gallon)
Substrate: White sand from my brother's reef tank (Cleaned very thoroughly)
Filtration: Eheim 2213 (been running for 2 years), aquaclear 50 (well seeded), sponge filter (new to provide oxygen in water)
Plants: floating plants (used to lower nitrates)
Lighting: household LED floor lamp from IKEA (on for 8 hrs a day)
Tank decorations: drift woods and 1 clay pot cave that none ever goes in

Parameters:
ammonia: 0
Nitrates: 10ppm
Nitrites: 0
PH: 7.8 (a little high?)
Temp: 26C
water: RO/DI

Please do let me know what I missed. Thank you in advance for your help!

[lucasjiang]

Your parameters look fine. Although pH is slightly on the high side, it shouldnt affect the pleco's appetite. Normally plecos will eat less when you have just introduced it to a new tank as it is still adjusting to the environment. To help it adjust, you can provide more hiding places and dim the tank lights so that they feel more comfortable. In addition, feeding can be done at night, because it is more likely for the pleco to venture out of its hideout in search of food. After a while, when it has adapted to your tank environment it will gradually eat more. As long as you see poop, it is definitely a good sign.

Dont worry, when i got my L134s, one of them had a really sunken belly as it hadnt eaten for more than a week. I rectified the problem in the end and it still survived and is thriving now

[ericric38]

Lucas,

Thank you very much for your prompt reply. I will try to get a couple more pieces for them as well as clay caves after work.

I have a few more questions about my setup. According to my reading online, I understand that pleco needs very good water circulation. Does that mean i need to throw in a powerhead? I ask because i noticed white fuz on the drift wood. what is it and how can i get ride of it? is it due to under circulation? lastly, is white sand not ideal for plecos?

Sorry for all the questions, thanks again for responding =]

[Stormz]

Personally, I think your water temperature is slightly on the low side and the ph is on the high side. Not sure about how good you clean the sand but since you mentioned that it was used for marine tank maybe it will have some uneasiness for the plecos.

[mukyo]

Fungi?
Pleco need to be warm. But i think your temp will do.
Feed only after dark. Before you go to sleep. If you want you can get moonlight. That doesnt bother them much.
You can buy hikari algae and sinking carnivore pellets.
Give a bit only early.
And when appetite is good start to increase steadily.

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Thank you

[ericric38]

Personally, I think your water temperature is slightly on the low side and the ph is on the high side. Not sure about how good you clean the sand but since you mentioned that it was used for marine tank maybe it will have some uneasiness for the plecos.

Thanks Stormz, After a bit of reading on the net about the plecos i have, I need to raise the temp to 28-30 and lower the ph to 6.8ish...I will remove the sand as well as the white sand reflects light and is blinding for myself let alone the plecos...i will post readings again after i get done with it. THANKS AGAIN!

Fungi?
Pleco need to be warm. But i think your temp will do.
Feed only after dark. Before you go to sleep. If you want you can get moonlight. That doesnt bother them much.
You can buy hikari algae and sinking carnivore pellets.
Give a bit only early.
And when appetite is good start to increase steadily.

Thanks Mukyo, Ive read other pro's feed those too. I will definitely try those out. Im not sure what that whitish grey fuzz is. I mean it only grows on the areas where i think has a lower current/ flow. Which is why Im not sure whether i should throw in a power head for circulation. Ive use the pieces of wood in my planted tank before without fuzz growing out it, and i cant seem to rub or scratch if of!

[ericric38]

Hi all, I have just made some changes to my tank. Ive bought a new heater (cause my old heater i think is broken), hikari carnivore and algae pallets. I just popped a carnivore pallet in and turned off the light. Just now when i went to check on them (lights off) I saw my L333 eating, while my 2 L134s are swimming up and down the right tank wall. Im so happy that one of the plecos are eating, but not quite sure why the other 2 are racing up and down the tank wall...pleco pros please share some insight on my L134's behavior, thanks!

I have syphoned out all the marine sand and now its a bare bottom tank with an extra piece of driftwood added. The heater is working on bringing the water temp to 30C

I would like to thank you all once again for your prompt responses, I really appreciate it!

[lucasjiang]

Sometimes the plecos do like to swim along the tank walls. Was your L134s doing it continuously for a long period of time? Or just a few times?

Bare bottom tanks would indeed be better as it is easier to maintain the tank and siphon out their excrement.

Lastly, i think your temperature might be slightly too warm for the plecos, i checked the data on planet catfish, the temp range for L134 is 24-28 deg celcius while the temp range for L333 is 26-31 deg celcius. I think 28 deg celcius would be better then the current 30 deg celcius

[dhmy2kgto]

May I suggest you feed your Plecos before you turn off the nights at nights. I found that my Plecos prefer to feed in the dark

[ericric38]

Sometimes the plecos do like to swim along the tank walls. Was your L134s doing it continuously for a long period of time? Or just a few times?

Bare bottom tanks would indeed be better as it is easier to maintain the tank and siphon out their excrement.

Lastly, i think your temperature might be slightly too warm for the plecos, i checked the data on planet catfish, the temp range for L134 is 24-28 deg celcius while the temp range for L333 is 26-31 deg celcius. I think 28 deg celcius would be better then the current 30 deg celcius

Thanks Lucas, sorry for the delayed response, I was a bit caught up with work. My current tank temp is at 27. The thank is currently now bare bottom as i have vacuumed all the sand in the tank. Ive bought both hikari algae as well as carnivore pellets and i have been feeding them right before lights out. However I still see un finished food...I feel like they like to munch on the wood more than eating the pallets. Is this normal? THANKS again in advance =]

May I suggest you feed your Plecos before you turn off the nights at nights. I found that my Plecos prefer to feed in the dark

Thank you for your input dhmy2kgto, I really appreciate it. As mentioned above, my plecos are not a big fan of the pellets, can you advise what i should do? My Plecos are only around 1-1.5 inches long, they are pretty small so any suggestions is greatly appreciated. THANKS AGAIN =]

[kickyourpoo]

your pleco are small so maybe you want to reduce the amount you feed. break the pellet into smaller pieces and try dropping them near the area of your 134s?

[mukyo]

3 small pleco. You should just give half hikari algae green. And one hikari carni red.
Feed too much they dont eat.

-----------------------------------------
Visit and comment my L Tank and S Tank... <-- Click click !!
Thank you

[lucasjiang]

L134s are omnivorous, so they would likely munch on the wood. As for L333 it is rather on the carnivorous side, so it would seem a little weird for them to munch on wood. However, as long as they are eating and their bellies are not sunken, i dont really see a cause for concern.

And please adjust the amount of food you feed the plecos, to keep on having food rotting in the tank will inevitably result in an ammonia spike if your filtration isnt good enough.

[dhmy2kgto]

Thank you for your input dhmy2kgto, I really appreciate it. As mentioned above, my plecos are not a big fan of the pellets, can you advise what i should do? My Plecos are only around 1-1.5 inches long, they are pretty small so any suggestions is greatly appreciated. THANKS AGAIN =]

Well similiar to what some of the members mentioned, I broke the pellets/wafers, both carnivous and algae into tinier pieces and dropped them into the tank. Afterwhich I would switch off the lights and they will slowly come out to feast (Try not to stay around to look, they somehow know you are there). Plecos are shy and prefer dim lighting, so lettting them feed in the dark seems to be the most ideal way I could find.

When you wake up the next day and see that all the pellets/wafers are gone, you know that had a good supper, haha.....

[ericric38]

your pleco are small so maybe you want to reduce the amount you feed. break the pellet into smaller pieces and try dropping them near the area of your 134s?

Thanks Kickyoupoo (LOL), I will try to feed smaller portions =]

3 small pleco. You should just give half hikari algae green. And one hikari carni red.
Feed too much they dont eat.

Thanks Mukyo for your advice, i've been feeding them alternative pallets everyday, i'll try to give the combo today =]

L134s are omnivorous, so they would likely munch on the wood. As for L333 it is rather on the carnivorous side, so it would seem a little weird for them to munch on wood. However, as long as they are eating and their bellies are not sunken, i dont really see a cause for concern.

And please adjust the amount of food you feed the plecos, to keep on having food rotting in the tank will inevitably result in an ammonia spike if your filtration isnt good enough.

Thanks Lucas for your kind reminder. i try to net out any food thats been left in the tank in the morning. I have 2 filters running right now, in-terms of bio load, i should be quite safe right? (aqau clear 50 + eheim 2213 connected to a 800L/hr external pump xD)

Well similiar to what some of the members mentioned, I broke the pellets/wafers, both carnivous and algae into tinier pieces and dropped them into the tank. Afterwhich I would switch off the lights and they will slowly come out to feast (Try not to stay around to look, they somehow know you are there). Plecos are shy and prefer dim lighting, so lettting them feed in the dark seems to be the most ideal way I could find.

When you wake up the next day and see that all the pellets/wafers are gone, you know that had a good supper, haha.....

Thanks dhmy2kgto for your advice, i dont have a light on anymore. I find it quite annoying when i cant look at them without scaring them off. I remember this one time i saw my baby L333 eating the carnivore pellet a distance and as soon as walked off it went n hid behind the wood!! drives me nuts!~ haha

Well their bellies arent sunken in any way so think this is a good sign, also the current from the filter seems to be clearing up all the poop from the ground too so seems like the set up is going pretty well =]

[dhmy2kgto]

Glad to heard that they are doing well. Enjoy your Plecos!!! Lovely catfishes