bad luck with plecostomus?

Question

for some reason i cant seem to keep a pleco alive for more than 5 days. all other fish remain healthy and live for a long time. i have kept many fish before but have never been able to keep a pleco alive. my cousin is giving me a pleco with the tank that she has had for a long time and i really want to keep the fish alive. can you give me some stats on the species? you know like what kind of water conditions they live in and any tips from experience you can give- thanks

Update:

* this is an older pleco that i am getting i belive it is at least 3 years old and is about a foot long- if that helps

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

It has to be unsuitable tank conditions you must have ammonia and nitrite in your tank and how big is the tank i had a 2ft plec just re homed it and it was 8 years old as it was like a tidal wave going through my 150 gallon tank when he moved i have a 4 inch bristle nose now 4 months on hes still going strong so check your ammonia and nitrite in your tank first make sure that your feeding it algae wafers people seem to think they just live off algae in the tank they don't

? · Answer

I had plecos for many years and never lost one.  We moved twice with ours and he is still going strong.  I just got two today with a new tank I bought and they are doing good.  Maybe try not to get a real yound one...get it a little older.  They usually are real hearty fish.  We even swam with some in a river here.  It was a clear spring and they were all over it was awesome.

noselessman · Answer

you need to know what species it is, and find out what PH it thrives at,  he sounds like a comman plecoe, he will need a 100 gallon or larger tank.  he will need drift wood to ches or he will not get enough nutrition in his diet, feed him sinking algewafers and sinking omnivour food of some kind, pellets might be dangerously small has he could try to swallow it hole and get injure.  feed him raw and or blanched veggies like spinich, cucumber, squash, romain lettuce ect...  
You need to do weekly gravel vacuuming,  plecoes are very dirty fish, and they also have to live in the dirtiest part of they tank, and neead a clean environment to thrive.   good luck

guppylover123 · Answer

get a aggresive type of pleco because they aren't affraid to get picked on. i got a normal pleco and he died because he got picked on, but now i have a 5cm peppermint bristlenose who isn't affraid to attack.

bad luck with plecostomus?

4 Answers