Scared

[Chriss82]

I want another Pleco soooo bad but Im kind of scared to try again. I had a Rubber Lip and he died within just a day of having him..... Any suggestions?? :help:

[squirt_12]

what are you paramits (sp?) like ph, nitrate, nitrites, ammonia???
how big is the tank???
is there lots of algae in the tank??

[gm72]

Right. Let's get the basic information first so we can better help you.

1. Tank size
2. Filtration
3. Tank maintenance schedule
4. Tank inhabitants
5. Water parameters including temperature

[squirt_12]

Right. Let's get the basic information first so we can better help you.

1. Tank size
2. Filtration
3. Tank maintenance schedule
4. Tank inhabitants
5. Water parameters including temperature
yes...what gm said. lol.

[Chriss82]

what are you paramits (sp?) like ph, nitrate, nitrites, ammonia???
how big is the tank???
is there lots of algae in the tank??

Ph, nitrate, everything is fine, my tank is a 10 gal. I think there is a BAD bactera bloom going on right now though. I can barely see my fish through the cloudiness! There is a bit of algae in the tank and I also provide Zuccinnie for my Otos and SAE.:confused:

[OscarFan]

theirs your problem. Thiers probably not enough algae. And probably feeding too much

[Arkie]

what sort of pleco was it? and a 10 gallon tank is kinda small for a pleco isnt it?

[OscarFan]

yaeh. they can get to be 16 inches. and the otos eat algae too

[Arkie]

yeah, i thought maybe the poster may have had a bristlenose pleco which is why i asked but most species do get rather large, maybe tank size was a contributer to why the last one died?

["the"Trinity]

yeah, i thought maybe the poster may have had a bristlenose pleco which is why i asked but most species do get rather large, maybe tank size was a contributer to why the last one died?

From what I've read, the rubber lip pleco stays small for a pleco - about 5 inches or so. However, I still wouldn't keep one in a 10 gallon because of the high bio load associated with them.

[Dave66]

yaeh. they can get to be 16 inches. and the otos eat algae too

The Chaetostoma species (aka rubber-lipped pleco) the original poster had, like all Chaetostomas, have to be kept in cooler water, about 70 being ideal, with a good current and high oxygen levels. They nearly always drop dead in water that's too warm and too low oxygen levels. Added this to your post, Oscar, as Chaetostomas max out at 5 inches, not 16. Be that as it may, even at five inches, a Chaetostoma has no business in a 10 gallon.

Dave

[Arkie]

ok cool im not familiar with that species, im still only a pleco newbie myself lol, :hmm3grin2orange:

[OscarFan]

thats what I was trying to say

[cocoa_pleco]

sounds like your tank isnt cycled, dont add more fish and do daily water changes.

no pleco in a 10g, even with smaller dwarfish species at least a 33g and best a 55g is recommended