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I have a common Pleco in a 55 galllon tank with 2 small goldfish about 1.5" and the Pleco is about 2". I found the pleco (aka Charles) on the floor all dried out. I checked the the tank levels, it was all good Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate was less than 10. Ph was about 7.8, temp at 75 deg F so my question is what would cause him to jump out? thanks in advance.

Fish jump. It's what they do. Sometimes, but not always, it's because of water quality... sometimes they're just jumping out of the tank for no reason. Get a tight fitting lid and put tape or anything over the holes where you can.

I should have figured, the most simple answer is usually correct. I was was going crazy trying figure out why, that is what I get for overthinking. Thanks for the help.

You should really look into a cover for your tank. Most tanks come with them. Otherwise, you can find them in most pet stores. Sorry about your loss.

One of the things about fish, is that occasionally, even a member of a species not renowned as a 'jumper' may suddenly take it upon itself to take a closer look at that nice shiny looking world above the surface, just in case there's some food titbits out there, for example. Or may leap out of the water because it's panicked by some sudden shock. Just because a Plec is a heavily armoured fish that normally resides on the bottom doesn't mean that it isn't capable of going carpet surfing. And even in perfect water conditions, if a fish decides to take an aerial excursion, the only thing you can do is make sure there's a cover on the aquarium to prevent carpet surfing accidents.

Having said that, it's a shame about your Plec. Especially when the Plec has become sufficient of a family memebr to warrant its own pet name.

Incidentally, even a cover isn't sufficient to stop aerial excursions with some fishes. One or two of the bigger Bichirs and the Reed Fish, Erpetoichthys calabaricus, need a VERY heavy cover that is preferably fixed to the aquarium in some way, because if they can't jump out, they're sometimes ornery enough to try and crash through the lid. And Arowanas are acrobats par excellence. When a 3ft Arowana decides to jump, it can fly 10ft across a room, and land with the impact of a small mortar shell. Not good if it lands on a glass coffee table!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

In one of my tanks I have a plec that is approximately 9" and on occassion he attempts a jump. You can imagine how hard he can hit the cover and make things rattle, which I imagine does to his brain:%):%)

Last edited by OldTimer at 08-Mar-2005 19:59

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain