A swollen belly isnt a good sign. My Albino catfish does this all the time. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I like your, I found it interesting when you explained how you'd bond with your pet snake and improve recognition. Betta Laying on side not moving but breathing. If you want fish that are livelier during the day, youd be better off looking for a different type of fish. 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. Same my pleco only comes out when the lights are off and since ive got an enenemy (sorry if i spelled wrong) he just stays there and dosent move at ALL even in the day and the lights are off i guess he loves darkness an also cus hes hiding from my guppie named bob. When capturing the fish, be sure not to grab the tail fin because this could damage it. He also has a white spot on his eye. Use a fish net or scoop to touch the fish gently to test whether its alive or not. Nighttime is when these fish can take their time exploring their tank to find food, which they often do by keeping their skin touching the substrate (or other objects in the tank). You always want to do the best job that you can when taking care of fish. If you give them a variety of hiding spots, a variety of plants, and a variety of tank mates, your pleco will most likely be happier and more active. For a limited time, download my pleco catfish ebook below on how to care for these beautiful animals. They won't necessarily be dead yet, but they'll be struggling to try to breathe. Vote. Whatever was wrong has seemed to be fixed as he's now behaving like normal. All you need to do is solve the issues that are making the fish sick. The better stores will do, so in that case you dont have to. A forum community dedicated to Aquatic tank owners and enthusiasts. Increasing the temperature in the sick fishs tank is another way to combat the disease and aid recovery. I did my weekly 50% water change with my regular EI dosing which didn't bother him at all. The best way to prevent your Pleco from dying is to feed them a variety of food and provide at least 10 gallons of water for them every day. He may also fall sick due to anxiousness. I know that this thread was posted in 2003 but I just wanted to revive it as we had an accident with 2 of our pleco's today, a bristlenose and a dwarf clown pleco. An ammonia spike is one of the most likely causes of the sudden death of your pleco or other aquarium fish. You dont have to reach into the tank and touch it with your bare hand. Just like any other fish, they need a certain environment to feel good. If this is not taken care of, it will cause your fish to die. Clean the fish tank and regularly change the water to keep things clean. Leaving things alone could cause the fish to die. Rotting fins is a sign that your fish have some type of bacterial infection. But the water parameters are checking out okay. (Per Species Guide), The 7 Biggest Giant Pleco Species You Didnt Know About, Do Plecos Eat Plants? If you notice your pleco is breathing rapidly or gulping at the surface, its most likely because of an oxygen deficit. They do generaly but if it is stunted then I would say I lived to its maximum potential given the circumstances. Regular water changes are an important part of fish tank maintenance. Check your water parameters as this is the most likely cause. When using tap water you need to use tap water conditioner. you read and agreed to the. My Pleco did that for a while too. My male sits in his cave or in front of it to attract the ladies. You should be changing 15% of the water on a weekly basis. As long as they are damp or wet they can live for probably 20-30 minutes. Pleco upside down and breathing but not moving. You might need to address water quality issues. If none of the above are the problem then diseases come into play. I feed my Plec bloodworm, cichlid diet, sinking pellets, flakes and he eats algae. One of the most common questions I hear is why do my pleco likes to hide and not come out. Pleco catfish don't move . Home Aquatic Problems & Solutions Why is My Pleco Not Moving? The fish might be very sick and it feels unable to move. If the fish is still alive, it should move when you touch it. A pleco cant survive off of algae and needs its own diet, apart from what you feed its tank mates. To test if your pleco is dead or not, you can try to touch it and see whether it reacts. Receive our FREE eBook by filling out the form below. JavaScript is disabled. You should be testing the water parameters regularly to protect the fish. 2 - Rotting Fins. Sometimes fish will get like this when theyre sick. I wouldn't worry too much about yours! if he is acting strange i would try to get him in a small treatment tank with lots of oxygen, dose a general med and salt would be a good start till you can figure out what is wrong with the little fella. While there are a lot of similarities between plecos types, there are also a lot of differences in terms of care. you read and agreed to the. 3. Wouldn't the fish survive for at least a few days even if it was suffering from a disease? Use an algae pad to clean the sides of tank, and siphon out the water left inside. Aren't the nitrates a tad on the high side? How Often Should You Take Your Bearded Dragon Out Of Its Cage? Any recent additions to the tank, or changes made in decor or anything? 11 Signs Your Pleco Is Dying [+ How To Save It], Do Plecos Eat Snails? Some plecos will swim upside down because they want to eat the food on the surface of the water. Breeding bristlenose plecos is certainly an exciting thing to do. Later in this guide, well go over the exact symptoms of dropsy. Quarantining and giving medicine is the most effective way to cure this disease. What can I do? Infections can be remedied by giving the fish medications. Have you bought the pleco in question within the last week or so? We found him on the carpet under his bed and it looked pretty dead. Are you noticing that your fish doesnt have a lot of pep? Read on to learn about the signs and symptoms, the causes, and treatment options for your pleco. Disease can make fish sluggish and it can also cause them to stop eating. Or can he be savedlaying on side at bottom of tank, Betta laying at bottom of tank, not eating, pale, barely breathing. Clean your fish tank. Keeping pleco catfish in an aquarium can be a good. Turning white may be a sign your pleco is dying. What kind of disease? If your fish is stressed, you may notice the loss of color in addition to the loss of appetite and abnormal swimming behaviors. If it doesnt move if you try to touch it, then its truly dead. Why is my fish laying on its side at the bottom? If they are desperate enough, they will turn upside down in their search for food at the surface. Also, algae is starting to grow on the glass so I dont think that hes roaming around much at night either. He was struggling really hard, and ended up tipping upside-down, fighting his way up to the surface, and all kinds of things. This post may contain affiliate links. To revive a dying pleco, perform a big water change and make sure the water parameters are optimal. Its a sign that something is wrong, and you might need to make some changes. Many enthusiasts say that plecos will play dead sometimes. My guppy is laying on its side at the bottom of the tank and still moving. It could simply be that the pleco fish succumbed to an illness during the night. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. 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. My betta is laying at the bottom of the tank and breathing heavily. Although a cloudy eye most likely isnt deadly, it is an indicator that something is wrong and should at least be examined. Poor pleco got nudged accidentally with the hose, though, and he's having a -really- hard time swimming. To have a healthy Pleco fish, owners should keep assessing all these factors and keep maintaining a quality life for the Pleco for it to survive. 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. The signs above have a lot of things in common. Plecos are often misunderstood because they dont like to be shown off, which makes sense given their wild origins. The hardest test for a Pleco keeper is to get the Pleco addapted to his new home. The water might be dirty or the parameters could be way off of what they should be. Contests including the Tank of the Month, You also have to keep in mind that theyre nocturnal. If your pleco has a sunken belly, its starving due to malnutrition. I think it is just tired or not used to your tank try turning the lights off. Can be seen here, incuding specific details and how-to's on some of my special features. The problem may have been caused by the fish swallowing air, so pre-soak the fish food in the future to avoid this problem. There seems to be a lot of confusion about what, Most of the pleco species sold and kept in the. When a pleco fish dies in the fish tank, itll stop moving and itll float. I have a fish who is laying at the bottom of the tank breathing rapidly whi My betta fish is laying at its side at the bottom of his tank and looks like hes struggling to My fish is laying on the bottom of the tank still breathing, Oscar laying on one side and only breathing (not moving at all) since morning. My husband's pleco often does this. In order to keep your Pleco happy, you will need to ensure that the tank is heated and supplied with a filter. JavaScript is disabled. Many conditions that have the potential to kill plecos can be fixed with the right treatments. Im blogging mostly about freshwater and saltwater aquariums, fish, invertebrates, and plants. If your plecos dont seem to be doing so well, then youre probably disheartened. There has to be something wrong. Start looking closely at the water parameters so that you can keep the fish safe. Juts curious - as I was doing a water change today and about 10 minutes into it I noted my true Albino Bristlenose Ancistrus wedged in between my rock wall - and my overflow box at the top of the tank. However, a stressed pleco catfish can be recognized by a few things: A stressed pleco is most likely the result of an insufficient tank setup, bad water quality and or conflicts with other fish or plecos. I had a pleco who lived out of water for 12 mins! If your pleco fish doesnt appear to be moving, youre likely going to be incredibly concerned. It could be related to water quality, malnutrition, or even other things in the tank that are causing the fish stress. #3. The hardest test for a Pleco keeper is to get the Pleco addapted to his new home. Especially if they are in the breeding season. Typically, loss of color is associated with poor tank conditions. An air pump is optional, but recommended to prevent your pleco from swimming up to the surface to gulp air. Stress will make fish stop moving and acting normally, too. Come join the discussion about flora, fauna, health, housing, filters, care, classifieds, and more! He could still be in shock from the move. Ich can be treated by using medication that will get rid of the infection. Do your best to determine what is wrong with the fish. Infections are usually caused by the various bacteria and parasites that may be present in the tank. Fish can recover from this but most will die. Filtration is crucial to keep your water parameters optimal, as pleco catfish are big polluters. Why is my pleco hiding behind the filter? The first thing you should consider is whether the pleco has died or not. Ill go over how to tell if your pleco is dying, the underlying causes of those symptoms, and how to prevent them from dying in the future. Check to see if anything is causing the fish stress. Its very uncomfortable for the plecos, and they might rub against objects in the tank in an attempt to find relief. Although some plecos do like to eat algae, not all of them do. Take any remaining fish out of the water and keep them somewhere safe. They like to eat shrimp and bloodworms. We are a family friendly community with an incredible resource of information for fish owners and enthusiast alike. There are other reasons why a pleco might start floating, but its possible that the fish could be dead. If the plecos are in a community fish tank, then itll be important to ensure that they are kept only with compatible tank mates. Since plecos dont have scales, it can be hard to know whether its dropsy or not. If the chain is broken, this creates dangerous circumstances. Monitor your fishs feeding to ensure he is eating. It might help you to figure out how to help the fish by doing some troubleshooting. Fish Lore is an amazon affiliate and some pages may contain links to aquarium related products on amazon: Affiliate Disclosure. Using a tiny pointed tool, such as a pair of tweezers, slightly open the mouth and slightly loosen the gill covers. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. We need the oxygen to flow and the current from a filter or movement of . If you dont already have some in your tank, consider putting in some real. Mine in the day is under a log and will only come out if there is food. If you catch some of the signs early enough, then itll be possible to turn everything around. These fish enjoy hiding and they often stay in the same place at the bottom of the aquarium. Keep the filter, heater, and lights on for long enough periods of time to ensure their comfort. 5 Tips for moving into your new Home with pets, [] injured while moving. he has been banging in to the top of the tank really hard. I have heard of RTC living out of water for 45 mins!!! Maracyn Two is a product that you can purchase to treat fin rot. Plecos are supposed to be fairly hardy fish, other reasons why a pleco might start floating. Plecos are strong swimmers, so it may be necessary to have two people present in order to remove them quickly. Knowing what signs to look out for might allow you to turn things around before its too late. Im experienced in the fishkeeping hobby for many years. They can also take advantage of other opportunities that come with darkness, like avoiding predators. If your pleco is stressed, it may exhibit some of the following behaviors: Hiding is a natural defensive response for many fish. No matter what we did, he would'nt come out. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Youll also learn about why plecos might die so that you might be able to turn things around moving forward. I thought the pH controller was set okay so I wasn't too worried. One of the biggest myths is also that plecos clean your tank. They will eat some algae but they need more than that to stay healthy. Both stress and poor water quality can make it more likely that the fish will get infected. Quarantining fish is putting them in a closed-off environment for a couple of weeks, before putting them in your main tank. Sometimes plecos that can't breathe well will float near the surface of the water. Open the lid of the tank and turn on the artificial lights. All Rights Reserved. Some will also cause fish to have a hard time breathing. Highly recommend algae wafers. Noticing whether your pleco has a sunken in belly can be hard, especially if you dont see it very often. A fish that doesnt react to being touched is probably dead. I know one of my tetras had mouth fungus and I used aquari-sol and it took care of the problem. This gave me false readings that my water had hardly any co2 in it. Checking temperature and pH levels is also essential because the water needs to be at a pH of 7.0 to 8.0. At the petstore, which of course is just a pet store. I have seen this behavior once before and today, its happening again. Pleco catfish are often kept in the aquarium hobby because, Plecos and cory catfish are two extremely popular catfish species, Pleco catfish are one of the most popular fish in, Pleco spawning Plecos are cave-breeders, and they spawn exclusively in, For a limited time, you can download our FREE pleco catfish ebook, 2022 KeepingCatfish.com - Privacy policy Webdesign by Websmart Websites. How long have you had the tank? Add an airstone if your filter doesnt create enough surface movement. Plecostomus fish, commonly called plecos, are relatively easy to take care of. Surprisingly, common plecos aren't meant for most home aquariums. Water parameters are good. If your pleco is gulping at the surface, it doesnt have enough oxygen and is suffocating. It might be normal to see a pleco breathing but not moving. Researching before owning your pleco will give you the necessary information and guidance on preventing and treating these issues when they happen because not every fish owner is perfect. Cloudy eye is caused by bacteria and if your pleco is under stress, has had an injury, or lower immune system it can come up. Most plecostomus species are nocturnal, meaning that they are more active at night than during the day. It was in a tank with Piranha and had scars on it, but after a while they left it alone.