Pleco hanging in the bubbles from the airstone

[JeanPro]

Is this normal? This is a snakeskin pleco. 20 gallon tank with perfect parameters for the water. I did a 25% water change just in case but he seems to go up there a lot.

There are 6 juvenile guppies and a violet Bruno pleco in there also

Thank you for the help.

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Can we have a full tank shot? It could be there isn't any cover for him in the tank and the more larger? dominant Bruno plec has forced him away from the bottom of the tank.

If there are hiding places in the tank, it may be unwell, or it could be an oxygen issue. Oxygen issues often relate to problems with biological filtration, so it would be useful to know what filter you have? and what filter media it contains?

Even though your test kits says you have good quality water, this is not necessarily true and you may have chloramine in your water supply etc.

cheers Darrel

[JeanPro]

Thanks Darrel, there is an overhang carbon filter which was just changed and the violet bruno Pleco is much smaller than this guy. I use the water conditioner (API's stress coat) to rid any chloramine/chlorine. There is some bogwood and plastic plants also. I'm wondering if I need to do more water changes or gravel vaccum again? The only thing I could think was that there used to be live plants in the tank that didn't do well and I got rid of them but maybe there's dead plant material? I'll post a tank pic shortly

[JeanPro]

I put the photo there

[Coldhands]

Hi! Is this tank a new set up? Was it "cycled" accordingly?
Tank could also use more wood or hiding places such as rocks, slates, and caves. A dark background would also help.
Good luck.

[JeanPro]

It's not a new set up it's been running for about a year, it was cycled with quick start and a few guppies. I have some more plastic plants on order. I tried some najas and water sprite but they didn't do well, so I pulled them and put them into a tank that had better lighting where they are doing better...

I have 5 tanks total, two 20 gallons, a 29 gallon an 85 and 150. None of my other tanks give me trouble except this one. It seems nothing survives in this tank, save for the one guppy from last year.

What does the dark background do? I have those on my other tanks but some came that way.

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Thanks Darrel, there is an overhang carbon filter which was just changed.

OK. When you say you changed the filter, is there any filter material left over from before the change?

There is some bogwood and plastic plants also.

It is a bit of an empty tank, a lot more structure (wood and caves) would make your plecs feel more secure.

I'm wondering if I need to do more water changes or gravel vaccum again? The only thing I could think was that there used to be live plants in the tank that didn't do well and I got rid of them but maybe there's dead plant material?

I think your problem is that you have insufficient biological filtration capacity for your bio-load (the fish). If most of the biological filtration capacity you have in your tank resides in the bacteria in the gravel, vacuuming could be disastrous. Against that if there is decaying fish food in between the gravel, the bacteria feeding off it could be depleting oxygen from the water.

Changing water is always a good idea, whether vacuuming your gravel does any good depends upon a number of factors. I think you can discount the plant remains, they don't contain much protein or sugar, so they aren't very polluting when they decompose. If you could get the Hornwort (Ceratophyllyum) at the top of the picture to grow, it would make tank management a whole lot easier.

Looking at the tank I wouldn't vacuum the gravel.

People talk about tanks being "cycled" or "not cycled", but it isn't an on-off switch, "cycling" is a continuum from an instantly toxic tank through to highly oxygenated, stable and resilient tank. Have a look at Shane's article on oxygenation <http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworl ... ved+oxygen>.

The reason that the bioload depletes oxygen from the water is that ammonia is diffusing all the times from the fishes gills, (and from the microbial breakdown of proteins) and you need enough biological filtration capacity to convert the toxic ammonia (NH3) into less toxic nitrite (NO2), and eventually, the relatively benign nitrate (NO3).

Because we've gone from 3 hydrogen (H) atoms to 3 oxygen atoms (O) when ammonia is converted to nitrate, we've used oxygen, and added hydrogen. Acids are "hydrogen donors", so as well as oxygen we need a source of carbonates to neutralise the extra acids.

cheers Darrel

[bekateen]

What does the dark background do? I have those on my other tanks but some came that way.

Hi JeanPro,

The dark background simply gives the animals a sense of security. With a bright, wide-open tanks (like yours), the bright backgrounds are thought to amplify the fish's feeling of exposure and vulnerability. So by providing a solid dark background, the fish may feel more safe, and they are more likely to come out into the open and be active, which you as the pet owner will also like, because it means you get to see them more often.

Myself, I don't do anything fancy. I simply tape black construction paper to the outside of the back wall of the aquarium.

Cheers, Eric

[JeanPro]

Thanks Eric! That makes perfect sense.

[JeanPro]

With the most recent water change and the dark background both my plecos have returned to the bottom of the tank and are active and eating> Thank you all for your help! It is much appreciated by me and the fish. Once the new decor comes in, I will post a new pic with the update!

[Coldhands]

Great! Good luck!