dont know whats up :cry:

Ive had my Pleco for nearly a week now, all my water levels are fine, its well oxegenated, have done 2 20% water changes.

And my pleco is breathing very fast most of the time. And has been very inactive.

dnt know were i am going wrong tbh, hez been in the same spot all day now, jst panting.

1. Is this the plec in the gallery?
2. When you say its well oxygenated, could you explain how?
3. Have you managed to look at his tummy at all?
4. What are the water parameters, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph?
5. Where did you get him from?
6. How did you acclimatize him? (prepare to go in tank)


Rapid breathing can indicate a few things.
parasites
not enough oxygen/temp too high
problem with the water
plus others
So the more info we have, the more likely we can try and determine the problem

what she said

Doodles said:

1. Is this the plec in the gallery?

Click to expand...

hogson mentioned on another thread it's a snowball pleco.

http://www.plecoplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1763

This might be worth a read hogson.

as above...
what temp is the tank please and how long has it been set up? what sort of filter do you have and how big is the tank? are there any other fish in the tank?

Well my tank is like around 80l, and well i dont know my xact ph of my water but took a sample of water to my local aquarium store and got it tested, and they sed it was perfect. The tank has been running for over a year, yes there are other fish in the tank, some tetras and some loaches.
Also i have a airstone running in the tank and my filter is a elite stingray.
And the water temp is around 26-28 degrees .

Don't suppose you know what they tested for?
I would think about investing in some test kits esp ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph. You can get masterkits that are pretty cheap.

Hows he doing today?

Well she sed it was for all of them, but yes i think i will invest in some testing kits.

Nd well ive mooved a few stuff around in the tank so he has more places to hide, he is currently in a small terrocota pot sticking to the wall, i put some food in for him b4 lightes owt but not shure if hes eaten it, and i havent had a opporunity to check his stomach as he always sticks to the back of the tank. I notices heavey breathing early yesterday, but i cant tell atm. Im going to introduce the bog wood tomoro c if that helps him.

try and get a master kit, they are loads cheaper.

Did you get the filter with the tank?
The largest stingray i found was the 15 which does up to 57L. If so I would seriously consider getting another filter. Also try and position the filter so that the outlet agitates/or breaks the surface of the water. This enables the gas/air exchange and also circulates the oxygen round the tank.

Also try and remove any food that isn't eaten.

Im not sure what to suggest about the plec as we don't exactly know what the problem is but it could be he didn't acclimatise very well.

Well when i bought him i left him in the bag in his water for 30 mins, then added sum ov my water and left for 30 mins then i added himm

Good you have given him some better hiding spots.
Could be the loaches are eating foods before the pleco can get to it.
This makes you put more food in and eventually pollute the tank with it.
Try just adding a little bit of cucumber or zucchini near the plec and change it every day.
The loaches will like it but there should be some left over for a frightened pleco in a new tank.

If I was caught, bagged and put into a new tank I would breathe heavy as well. Especially if some big eyes kept looking at me all the time. Even my older plecos, if I sticky beak a little too close get a bit of a pant up.

Just watch the water. In an 80Ltr tank I only do 20L wc once a week at most. If I was worried on water quality I would do 2 10L waterchanges twice a week and maybe a bit of a gravel vac while I was at it.

Not knowing you water pH is a bit of a worry. If you are using the same water supply as the fish shop it should be about the same but if they are using buffers or you have a different water supply then your pH could be quite a bit different.
Get yourself a mastertest kit which tests pH, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. The more you learn about water chemistry the better off your fish will be.

I know its a bit daunting at first but thats what these forums are for, to help others learn it all a little bit easier.

sounds like the set up is good, but as suggested an extra internal filter or something would help. the only other idea I can add is to only have the tank lights on for a few hours a day. he will be more comfortanble and less stressed in the dark

the stingray filter is not enuf for your tank, that will be the main problem with his breathing, you need to get a bigger filter or another smaller 1 to go with the 1 you got.

these have all been great advice that you need to take on board
what i have notice is that if i buy a new plec i will add food but i would not expect it to eat it (some do) if they have caves set up hidding places around in the tank perfict water conditions and other younger plecos in there
but all and all pleco's are not very active fish they keep to there selves and when your not around they are doing there thing

you need a test kit
you need to read about the species
provide it the conditions it requires
plus correct food
maybe a partner in the future

and even with all of this it will still not be active it will still be scared of you when you walk up to the tank but maybe one day if you have done all of this and not harrased it it might come out when it see's you if it does tho ever please tell me how lol

i only see my breeding plecos out and about if there in an comunity they are always hidding

make sure you are doing small daily water changes with vacuming parts of the tank till you get another filter to help out the one you have.
good luck and dont stress out to much keep lights off and try not to bother it .

let us know what is the out come