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it's possible that the people who were feeding them were only feeding in one corner of the tank, one plecs territory. the 2 plecs died possibly in a fight trying to get to food or defend territory. they are territorial, my 2 had many squabbles when they first arrived over territory, before working it out, but I alwyas had to feed at both ends of the tank.

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I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions

Okay, this is going to sound gross, but when we fished out the last dead pleco, his exterior was fine, but when we were netting him out, he happened to turn upside down, and the belly was hollow. He was dead 2 days before we discovered him, and none of the fish were eating him. Did he rot away, or was he taken to a hidden corner of the tank and eaten?????

I doubt water quality is the issue if the other fish are fine. In my experience, Common Plecos are very forgiving of water quality issues and extremely hardy fish overall. The others in the tank would show signs of poor water quality well before the Plecos.

I've never heard of Plecos eating living fish. They will munch on dead fish but they aren't made to catch and eat living fish. They don't have the mouth for it.

I've never had more than one common pleco in a tank at a time as I've heard they are very territorial. Batman, my Pleco, is getting large (about 14-15" or so) and has never been aggresive at all. He is housed with some Pearl Gouramis, Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish and a Krib. They all get along great.

My guess in this case is that the biggest Pleco has reached the age where its ready to settle down and lay claim to a territory it can call its own. Which meant all of the other Plecos had to go. That's my guess but I've never housed common plecos together so I don't have experience on just how territorial they are.

Last edited by Steve at 08-Dec-2004 12:32

we have a common pleco.

We housed it with our angles for over 10 years. It never did anything to the angles untill we got idiot swordtails that nipped the angles literally to death.

Once they got so stressed out, the pleco started to suck on the sided of them (It is kinda sad to see a pleco eating a half alive fish)

But just to say that as long as your fish are healthy, your pleco will probably not harm your fish (we have a gourami, and the pleco doesnt touch it)

My water seems fine. The other plecos died in early November, and these two died in December. All my other fish are doing fine including the Blue Rams. We dont do PH tests in India, so the best way to judge is by the health of the other fish.

Can you get your tank water tested? It sounds like something went wrong while you were away. Perhaps overfeeding? I know you say your water look clear and clean but looks are deceiving. Take a sample to the shop you get your fish from and ask them to test the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
I would also seriously consider getting some kits for yourself. Its times like these that you are experiencing that you really need them so you can check your water yourself.
If you have not done a water change since you got back do one at 25%. Check around the tank for any food that has not been eaten or gone mouldy and take it out. Look in caves, under driftwood or any other ornaments you have. Check around any plants you may have too.

Sorry to hear things arent so good in the tank.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

I have a very sad update to make to this thread. Two days ago, the third pleco died a mysterious death. Now only the biggest of the 4 survives. I saw that he was not coming out to eat, and today, I found his rotting body behind a big driftwood in my tank. He was not being eaten by other fish though.

I suspect murder.

Heh, not necessarily. Although carnivorous plec species exist, they feed mainly on very small fish or off of recently deceased fish. The common plec is known to rasp on the sides of larger, slow moving fish, but I wouldn't go so far to say that it will directly prey upon decent sized tank mates.

Now I think I am seriously freaked. You are telling me when they grow bigger, they try to eat other fish??????

I had gone on a 12 day holiday and had arranged for my family and friends to come feed by fish every alternate day. The longest they remained unfed was for a 3 day period.

Before I left, I had the following fish in my 79 gallon tank:

4 common plecs, 4 inches to 6-7 inches.
9 clown loaches, half an inch to 3 inches.
6 blue rams about 3/4th of an inch each.
3 kuhli loaches.

When I left, except for one of the clowns who I was really worried about, coz he was washed out completely, every body else was doing great. A few days before leaving, I had given away 2 black sharks that I had in the tank coz thye were fighting constantly. Both were about 8 inches in size.

When I came back from the holiday, I counted all the fish, but did not realise that 2 of the plecos were missing. The next morning, I saw bones all over the tank, only skeleton and no flesh.

My question is, how cld the plecos have died. They were not sick, and the water was sparkling clean when I came back. The smallest and the 2nd largest pleco died. Also, one of the Kuhlis is definitely missing.

I have 2 common plecos in a 75 gallon tank. I only see them get territorial if one tries to eat when the other one is eating first. If they take turns, which most of the time they do, everything is fine. Mine are about 6 and 8 inches each and have been together since June, when they were teeny tiny. They grow fast!

I worry about when they get bigger, will they try to eat my other fish (4 blind cave fish, 4 buenos aires tetra, 5 tiger barbs).

i keep 2 common plecos in a 75 for now till i can find someone who will take my other one off my hands. I never seen any aggression towards eachother though.

I have heard that before, but can they do this given the space and sizes. Also, in the past 6 months, I have never seen them fight.

they probably fought and killed each other.

you can only keep 1 of each species of pleco in a tank (some) or they will fight to the death.

The plecos came with this fish tank. They were in this tank at the original owner's place for over a year and they have been with me for over 6 months. They are not new additions. I added the rams 2 days before I left for the holiday (which was foolish I agree).

That is exactly the thing that has been worrying me. The clowns are acting unnecessarily freaked.

Also, my Mom, when she came to feed the fish, forgot to switch off the light and the ligt was on for 4 days. This I assume is why the clowns are freaked. However, they are now coming out to eat and have got back their color.

The bodies of the two plecos also, have completely disappeared, so I am assuming they died during the first week of my absence.

Although most fish can be acclimated to a wide range of parameters as long as its done slowly, plecs and clown loaches come from similar habitats: Clean rivers with low to moderate pH and soft water. I was thinking more toward water quality. Were the plecos the most recently bought fish? If so, when did you get them?
As far as getting your water checked, most fish stores will do it for you for free if you bring in a sample of your tank water. If you can get that done, it would be a big help in finding out what happened.
Even if the issue is water quality, its strange that the Rams and loaches survived while the normally tougher plecos perished.

Last edited by Captain_Candiru at 18-Nov-2004 11:46

I have never checked water parameters for a fish tank. Never owned any equipment. However, all my other fish, inclluding the Rams and Clowns are doing fine.

Do plecs need different water parameters than clown loaches. I am in India, and the water is nice and warm. All I need to do is de-chlorinate it.

I've heard of plecos getting territorial as they get larger, but considering the size of your tank and your plecs, that seems unlikely. A strange case indeed. It may be to late to ask, but what were your water parameters before you left? How bout upon your return?