clown pleco lost in fake rock & vacuum ?'s

[gemini69]

I put a small clown pleco (about 2") in my tank about a week ago and I haven't seen him since that night. I figured he was hiding but upon doing a water change and a thorough search today, removing anything large from the tank, the only place he can be is inside my fake rock. The fake rock is hollow with one hole that goes to the hollow inside of the rock on the bottom, which is buried in the sand, and one hole to the hollow inside on the front of the rock about the size of a nickel. There is nowhere else he can be. I removed and examined my driftwood, removed all large plants, checked the filter, etc. Do you suppose he went in there, got stuck and is already dead? Might he come back out on his own? I can't imagine there is much oxygen in the water in there--think it would be pretty stagnant. I will attach a photo showing my fake rock--it will be the big gray thing on the left side of the tank.

Also, I am terrible at vacuuming. The tank looks dirtier when I'm done. A lot of what I try to suck up in my gravel vac falls back down the tube into the tank again--like the suction isn't strong enough. I bought the large gravel vac from Drs. Foster and Smith so the big tube that sucks stuff up is 18" long with a 2" diameter. Does a smaller one have more powerful suction? Any hints would be much appreciated. My white sand shows every bit of funk in the tank and it's so frustrating that it doesn't look any better when I'm finished.

[siymdapolio]

I have no idea were your fish went! He could be in the filter but you should check the filter right away.

Don't worry after everybody is done vacuuming the water does not look so great but that should dissapear after your filters have thoroughly filttered that water. When i vacuum i barely try to go over the substrate trying not to agitate it but this is natural pebbles that i have in the tank. Trying not to irritate good bacteria in the substrate.

Lets see what others say

[gemini69]

I looked in the filter--removed all the media--and he's not in there. I think he's gotta be in that fake rock.

My water doesn't look too bad after I vacuum but the substrate (sand) still has crud all over the place--there is just so much that doesn't get sucked up in the gravel vac. Stuff will start to go up the tube a few inches and then it falls back into the tank even though it is actively siphoning the whole time.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Your pleco is more than likely inside the rock. Plecos love caves and will get into one any chance they can. It is possible he is still alive in there.

[smaug]

I had a bamboo shrimp that I thought was gone may times.He was in an ornament very similar to yours.

[A340]

I don't have a fake rock like yours, but I do have a Clown Pleco and he'll disappear for a few days and sometimes even weeks, after I fear the worse, he'll usually make a brief appearance before disappearing again.

I would check the rock carefully though, and if you do find him in there, plug up some of the holes he maybe be able to get stuck in.

[gemini69]

If he ever comes out I will try to plug the one hole he can get in, as the other hole is below the substrate buried in the sand.

[Iclimb06]

I had a similar problem when I got my zebra danios. I went to do a count, and if you have ever tried to count those things you know it is nearly impossible, and after the twentieth time I counted, I determined that one was missing. I gave him a day, and then I started searching for him. I finally determined that he was in my big fake rock. (The big gray one on the right of my avatar.) It had a small hole in the top, and when I slowly pulled it out of the water as I rolled it towards the big hole in the bottom, out he swam. I plugged the hole with a leftover suction cup that happened to wedge nicely into the hole.
As far as vacuuming goes, make sure there are no kinks, or anything else that will reduce the flow of water. How high is the bottom of your tank? My girlfriend’s tank used to only be about two feet off the ground, and we had a terrible time getting suction in the vacuum. Especially when the bucket started getting full, because the water was only falling 6-8 inches. We bought a new stand that was about four feet tall, and now she has good suction. When I bought my tank, I happened to wander into the Wal-Mart pet section just to see what they had, and I found Python vacuums that hook up to your faucet, and you can fill and vacuum using water pressure from your sink. I saw them elsewhere for about 45 bucks, and Wal-Mart had them for $30. If there is faucet within reaching distance of a 25ft hose, I would go get one. Plus, you can easily add a garden hose in the middle. (just do not use it for anything else) I just did a 10 gallon water change in about 10 mins, and I am pretty slow, because everything has to be just right.
Wish the best of luck finding your clown pleco!

[NickFish]

I haven't seen my bristle nose for over a week, and a long time back when I had my common pleco (beginner mistake), he would disappear for months.

Give your fake rock a gentle little shake, see if he comes out.

[SkarloeysMom]

Hope you find your pleco. I've never had one so don't have any advise on that.

As for the vacuuming, you will get better suction with a smaller vacuum, I think I have a 1.5" x 18", or by getting your drain bucket as far below the level of your tank as possible.

When vacuuming sand I hold the vac end a little above the sand and then kind of move it back and forth quickly to stir up the yuck from the surface of the sand. I do suck up some sand when I vac but whatever, there's plenty in there. I usually turn off the filter when too so it doesn't suck up any sand that may get into the water column.