pleco not moving but breathing

It could also mean that the fish is constipated, though. Add an airstone if your filter doesnt create enough surface movement. Depending on the species, feed a varied diet of both vegetables and protein-rich foods that sink to the bottom. Fish laying on the bottom of the tank and breathing deeply require action as soon as possible. Can Betta Fish Live With Guppies And Tetras? Disease can make fish sluggish and it can also cause them to stop eating. Your pleco may be dying if it appears to have a bloated stomach. To test if your pleco is dead or not, you can try to touch it and see whether it reacts. Its very plausible that plecos can die due to not being fed properly. If you notice your pleco is breathing rapidly or gulping at the surface, its most likely because of an oxygen deficit. For example, a temperature fluctuation could have killed the fish. T. Swearingen, http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=126, S.Barbatus & Black C. Schultzei breeding tank. My husband's pleco often does this. I think it may be that the paleness is a better indicator of excessive CO2 than the gasping at the top is. Quite often bottom dwellers do just sit and not move. It is usually an injury if it only occurs in one eye. This situation can be turned around if you act fast. He may also fall sick due to anxiousness. Just as "Avaselene" has mentioned, Cories do it all the time. When my pleco went nuts, the pH had dropped to 6.8 and the drop checker was very yellow. For plecos, most types need a tank thats 30 gallons in size, but there are smaller species (like bristlenose & clown plecos) that can live in a 20-gallon tank. What should I do?! When plecos are just getting used to a new environment, theyre going to be rather skittish. Your pet store may have products that may do the job. Clean the fish tank and regularly change the water to keep things clean. He said that probably it was aged quite a lot. Later in this guide, well go over the exact symptoms of dropsy. Can be seen here, incuding specific details and how-to's on some of my special features. While in fact, there are hundreds. Baby plecos have been known to die when the water temperature fluctuates too much. Ich is very contagious and can be fatal, so removing the sick fish from the tank is important if other fish inhabit the same environment. Abdominal swelling typically means that the fish has some type of internal infection. This can happen to one eye or both. I don't have a picture but he looks kind of like this: Since he is a common pleco he is going to grow too big even for a 90 gallon (plus the waste he produces), if you would like we can help you pick out a medium sized pleco that will fit in with your other fish if you are willing to rehome your current pleco. If your temperature and pH are out of this range, you need to take steps to remedy the situation. Change the Tank Water Frequently. There are some cases where the pleco might have been injured by another pet in the tank, but most of the time they will recover on their own. you read and agreed to the. Both eyes will appear to protrude if there is an infection present. Unfortunately, this is not true. Provide adequate space and decor (ornaments and positioning of objects) so there is no danger for your pleco. Then it has cloudy eyes. If the chain is broken, this creates dangerous circumstances. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Fish that are acclimated in this fashion become comfortable in new tanks faster. Why would a pleco fish stop moving entirely? Nutrition might be playing a role in the fish dying as well. certain species have apparently demonstarted the ability to absorb oxygen into their blood through their stomac by swallowing it. It very well might be dead if it doesnt appear to be moving at all. Did you add any new fish recently, particularly any wild caught or F1s? The assumption is that plecos will simply eat the algae in the tank. They won't necessarily be dead yet, but they'll be struggling to try to breathe. This guy lasted about 10 years. Cloudy eyes in fish appear as a white cast or film over the eye. Yes this normally happens with Plecos. Unlike cory catfish, which breathe air and for whom its normal to gulp air, plecos dont normally do this. The fish could have been on the verge of death for some time. To revive a dying pleco, perform a big water change and make sure the water parameters are optimal. Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his familys fish tank. By entering this site you declare JavaScript is disabled. Both stress and poor water quality can make it more likely that the fish will get infected. 7 - Dropsy He was just hanging there out of the water not moving. Some will also cause fish to have a hard time breathing. Paleness is certainly a distress symptom. What's wrong with him? Try to fix this issue by isolating the fish and fixing issues with the water quality. You can get something called Stress Coat at the pet store, it basically removes any chlorine that may be in your water, it has also been proven to reduce fish stress. I may not have had one of the happiest childhoods, but I am having one of the longest. What are you feeding this little guy? Fix issues with the water quality and give the fish antibacterial treatments. We found him on the carpet under his bed and it looked pretty dead. The Plecos never attack the food of other fish during such sessions. He (or she) is normally pretty active, being a good vacuum cleaner for the tank. Any animal needs some time to get used to a new home and small lizards are often prey for bigger things. Does he look as tough he's thin or sick? Does the fish appear to be gasping for air? Whatever was wrong has seemed to be fixed as he's now behaving like normal. Small anekdote: I have a tank of zebra plecos (L46) (the fish that costs $200+ a piece). Plecos turn white for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to: poor nutrition, disease, stress, or inadequate tank conditions. In pursuit of becoming a professional, I also want to inspire as many people as I can to pick up this hobby and keep the public interest growing.Read more about Sean.Please join also my Facebook group. On Avid Aquarist, Jeff shares everything hes learned about helping aquatic life survive and thrive in a home aquarium. Wouldn't the fish survive for at least a few days even if it was suffering from a disease? Make sure to ask your fish store whether they have quarantined the fish already. What are some signs that your pleco is dying? Highly recommend algae wafers. It may not display this or other websites correctly. My name is Jeff, and my goal with this site is to share everything I've learned over the years about caring for aquatic life. However, if your pleco is dying: They may exhibit unusual or distressed behavior, such as rapid breathing, lethargy, or loss of appetite. The fish might be very sick and it feels unable to move. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Infections can be treated by isolating the sick fish and consulting your vet to determine the proper treatment. Just keep an eye on him. Jun 21, 2005 #1 I have about a 3" pleco in a 10 gallon tank. Your pleco needs immediate care in both cases. Sometimes plecos will just float near the top of the tank when the oxygen levels arent sufficient. I have one Bristlenose Pleco in a 55 gallon aquarium along with some other fish. Youll want to scoop the fish out of the tank and dispose of it. Of course, some of the fish might simply have genetic issues. Keeping pleco catfish in an aquarium can be a good. Jeff has always enjoyed having pets, but as a child, he was drawn to his familys fish tank. If your pleco has a sunken belly, its starving due to malnutrition. In some circumstances, plecos can get really aggressive towards each other. This gave me false readings that my water had hardly any co2 in it. ), -Research nutrition based on specific pleco species, fin edges turn black or brown and look frayed, have white dots (another possible symptom of ich). Its also possible that plecos will lose color when experiencing significant stress. A filter is a must. Your pleco may also be stressed due to their tank mates. Sometimes the fish might even be upside down. There are over 100 species of plecos, so it is essential to do your research to learn the best source of nutrition for your pleco species. Make sure to test your water if there are any abnormalities. It can take a few days for him to convinced one to lay eggs for him then he sits in the cave and fans them. Plecos are notoriously difficult to remove from a tank, its not uncommon for people to spend hours trying to find the perfect device or method to catch this fish. Hes in a seperate bowl. When using tap water you need to use tap water conditioner. One of our goldfish is sitting at the bottom of the tank and not moving. Fixing the water conditions will usually be enough to get the fish to become more active again. If you have plecos that just keep dying in your fish tank, then you probably arent caring for them properly. This can be a sign of an internal infection due to injury or the food its been eating. Its also imperative to regularly clean the fish tank. There is a man that works at Petco who actually knows what he is doing, and when my friend asked about getting a common pleco for her 75g, he said he only recommends them in a 150 gallon tank or more to fully thrive. Perhaps the heater stopped working and the water temperature dipped far too low. Like fin rot, Ich may appear due to poor tank conditions. If the fish isnt moving or breathing, its possible that its dead. Cloudy eyes will be a sign that the fish is being kept in bad water. Water parameters good? If you discover one of your fish has popeye, check the water levels to determine if that is the cause. You should be able to keep plecos alive for many years with proper care. Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are three crucial parts of the nitrogen cycle of aquariums. You might even be making the mistake of thinking that plecos can subsist entirely on algae in the tank. They take a full breath, in and out, about 6 times a second. They like to hide normally so he is quite happy. Is the fish dead or is it really sick? My male sits in his cave or in front of it to attract the ladies. Youll also learn about why plecos might die so that you might be able to turn things around moving forward. "We are living on this planet as if we have another one to go to". Recently, I watched. They like to hide normally so he is quite happy. Clean your fish tank. Even the tiny three-inch long zebra plecos are carnivores. Pleco turning white is one of the signs your pleco is dying Temperature, stress, food, environment, water or bullying all can lead to discoloration of plecos and eventually death. My Pleco sits underneath the rock in my mini cave. Another option is giving it an Epsom salt bath, which will help remove the fluid build-up in the fishs abdomen. Some even buy them specifically to try to keep the fish tank clean. Did you just get him? Turning white may be a sign your pleco is dying. Fin rot is caused by underlying conditions such as bacterial infection. FishForums.net is one of the internet's oldest and premier Tropical Fish and Aquarium forums! Rotting fins is a sign that your fish have some type of bacterial infection. Plecos are supposed to be fairly hardy fish, and this likely made you confident enough to purchase some even as a beginner. I had a big common pleco that lived for over 10 years in a 30 gallon tall along with. Leaving things alone could cause the fish to die. You are using an out of date browser. It can also be due to stress, so separating the bloated fish from its tank mates will ensure a stress-free environment for your pleco to recover. API Liquid Super Ich Cure is another product you can purchase to treat ich. This means that this fish only comes out a. The white spot on it's eye sounds like some type of fungus. This post may contain affiliate links. Of course, itll be prudent to try to touch the fish to see if it moves. An aquarium needs about 6 weeks to fully cycle before you add fish. Plecos arent known death, although they sometimes sleep on their backs which gives this impression. . Generally he is pretty active but sometime he just stay on one stop and don't move at all, even for like 1-2 days. Fish can recover from this but most will die. Plecos living in an environment with other fish could also be stressed. We might get a modest commission at no extra cost to you. Most of these signs of death are preventable by monitoring the water conditions and performing weekly water changes. A pleco dying is often the result of bad information and lack of knowhow about the species. However, many times, the death of a plecostomus is avoidable by some simple changes in their care. Pet stores often sell plecos as algae eaters or cleaner fish which is why you might think it doesnt need its own tank and can survive on leftovers/waste. Silly fish. A swollen belly with pleco catfish is caused by constipation or even worse, dropsy. A lot of pleco types also benefit from driftwood in their tank. If he's alive and swims away why are you worried? I just found my pleco upside down on the gravel. What does it mean when a pleco fish dies overnight? this post deserved to be sharedlots of gems! How To Know whether your pleco is dying, and the solutions for it. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community. It might need a bit more time to get used to its new environment. Today he seems very docile. Being able to maintain a small ecosystem and observe the behaviors and interactions in the underwater world peaked his interest early on and has kept him hooked until this day.

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