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i have a 30g tank with 5 goldfish. tank is clean, regular water changes, and clean sides. all fish are healthy. my prob. is ive tried to introduce plecos in tank to keep it clean. they are fine for a couple weeks, then they start to slow down, then die. i feed them waffers, and fresh veggies. nobody has been able to help me. one person said it could be my ph. any help would be appreciated. i have lost three so far.

if thats what your being told, you either need to have your water tested at a local shop or buy your own water test kit and see what the measurements are.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Is the goldfish tank heated?. It's better to test your water parameters, at your LFS.


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not always. the shops i go to all use the same fresh water master kits that I have. and besides, some charge to test water

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Okay, a couple of possible problems.

#1 is your tank is way overstocked as 1 goldfish should not be placed in a tank of less than 55 gallons.

#2 is that goldfish our gluttons and it may be that your plecos are not getting a sufficient amount of food.

#3 is what type of pleco's are you placing in the tank? Some are omnivores and a diet of only algae wafers & vegetables will not suffice.

Also many pleco species get huge and you may just be causing more problems. Both goldfish & pleco's are huge waste producers and your regular water changes may not be sufficient to mainain your water quality. What are the parameter's? With that many goldfish and pleco's you should probably be doing daily water changes.

Jim

---

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

i have had my water tested today and everything looks good.
and no my tank is not heated

Golopus,
while your goldfish will be fine in cold water, pleco's are tropical fish\. They require heated water of around 24 degrees celcius. Go to your LFS and buy a heater with a thermostat and a thermometer and heat your water to the right temprature before attempting to add a pleco again.
Also, like old timer said your tank is way overstocked

Hi there,
unless the plecos are rubbernose plecos,
you cannot keep them with goldfish.
Plecos need much warmer temperatures.

You have 4 goldfish too many in a 30 gallon tank.
Start stocking with 1 goldfish in 30 gallons,
then add 10-15 gallons per additional goldfish.

So, 5 adult goldfish need a minimum tank size of 70 gallons.


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You said your tank had clean sides...does that mean that you're cleaning off the side of the tank? If so thats where plecos eat so you should leave it alone and let them handle it.

I have to disagree about the plecos needing heated tanks. Un less it gets under about 50 degrees then A common pleco can handle the temperature...but the common pleco is by no means suitable for a 30 gallon tank.

-Vincent

i just moved him to a 55gal tank with a couple of goldfish. if i get a heater to raise temp from 64F to 74F, will this cause any problems with the goldfish, who do well in cool water?

Yes, goldfish should not be kept at such
high temps.
Also, if it is a common pleco, it has no
place in a 30 gallon tank anyway, these fish
grow to be 20 inches long or even bigger, depending
on actual species.
What kind of pleco/plecos are they?


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i only have one, in a 55gall. tank. it is a common pleco.

You say your water tested fine but what did it test? Some say a small amount of ammonia is fine when it's not. Some think 80ppm nitrates is fine when it's not. Preferably you want nitrates below 20 and should never have nitrates over 40 or testable amounts of ammonia and nitrite. Even if your water is fine now the goldfish will grow and eventually produce so much waste you'll need to do daily water changes to keep up. Alot of people end up using fast growing plants to help keep the nitrates down since even with frequent water changes it can be hard to keep a goldfish tank clean. A pleco only adds to the problem and common plecos don't really fit in even 55g tanks. They eventually grow too big. Why do you want a pleco? A pleco makes a tank dirtier and causes more algae not less. The amount of waste they produce counters the amount of leftover food they eat and only increases the nutrients available for the algae to use to grow. You'd be better off doing more gravel vacs and water changes to keep a tank clean than using a pleco.

You'd be better off doing more gravel vacs and water changes to keep a tank clean than using a pleco.

Totally, or go for a nice small pleco, such as a rubbernose pleco, that A) Inhabits cold waters as Goldfish do and B) only grows to be 4-8 inches depending on species



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thanks all. great help. ill try.