I rescued a pleco! Help!

gail · Post by **gail** » 09 Feb 2003, 01:22

Hi, one and all...
Today I brought home an unexpected houseguest!!! A new administration (where I work) abruptly decided to dump an aquarium whose lone remaining inhabitant was a big brown fish who had lived there for at least 7 years. The tank was a horrid dark mess in which all other fish had long since died. I hadn't the heart to see the big brown fellow perish into the dumpster, so I rescued him in a plastic garbage tub, bought fish supplies on the way home, and set him up in a 20-gallon aquarium. He's about 9 inches long, seems healthy, and I am almost certain he's a plecostomus, judging by photos. I did a bit of net research, and I think I understand the basics of their care. I have fed him some sinking wafers and cucumbers, and he seems to be doing well. My question is this: what should I do with him? Is it humane to keep him as a lone fish (I really don't care to take on additional guests!!!!!)? Should I give him to somebody? Give him to a pet store? Or keep him? He is growing on me, I think... Thanks for any comments or suggestions...
Gail

Graeme · Post by **Graeme** » 09 Feb 2003, 02:18

He'll be fine in his own it's just the size of him and your tank. For the short term it's okay but he has'nt got much room to swim.

caril · Post by **caril** » 09 Feb 2003, 03:46

get a bigger tank for the pleco or give it to pet store which has well-maintained tanks...

stibolt · Post by **stibolt** » 09 Feb 2003, 15:06

Keep ´im. . I would do so.

gail · Post by **gail** » 09 Feb 2003, 16:56

thanks, everybody!!!! my new buddy is doing well in a bigger tank, with some nice new gravel and an aerator-thingie (technical term! see how much i'm learning!)... he likes those sinking wafers and is making kissy-face all around the glass, doing his little pl*co job! thanks again! i'll make good use of this site to ensure his progress.

gail

Simon1929 · Post by **Simon1929** » 09 Feb 2003, 18:31

makes sure you feed him up, they are great fish. Well done for rescueing him.

Simon

Ben · Post by **Ben** » 10 Feb 2003, 05:31

Congrats gail! To us, you are a hero! (well, to me at least). I would certainly have some harsh words with the persone who dumped it! For a nice big peco like that, it's a sin to treat it so horribly! Any idea what kind of pleco it is? I'd love to see some pics. You may want to try and get your hands on some cycled aquarium water to add into your tank, since it was an emmergency setup, you may end up with a big nitrogen spike in a couple of days.

Bravo! I applaud you!

gail · Post by **gail** » 10 Feb 2003, 22:42

Thanks again, everybody. Ben, you're psychic... I did indeed have a big "bloom"... getting better now. The fish is closer to 12 inches, really! I think he's a basic ol' hypostomus plecostomus... dark with lighter speckles... the common one. Right now he's glued to a piece of zuccini which I speared with a stainless steel butter knife and sunk to the bottom of his tank. I really like him! He glares around with his beady little eyes as if he's really taking the sights in! Do most pl*co fanciers name their pets, and have affection for them? Or are they more like specimens? What an interesting hobby!

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 10 Feb 2003, 23:08

Hi!

Well glad to see that you are starting to enjoy this. As your fish is a rather big one, make sure to give him a home that will be large enough, with a correct filter and heater!
Feeding zuccini is good but you might want to feed him some special made tablets that you can find in shop ... they are well equilibrated and will give your fish all he need , thing that might not be the case with the zuccini!!!
¨Make sure to feed him enough as a big one like that sure need to eat a lot!
And don't forget those water change!!!
Enjoy !!!
Cheers
Yann

gail · Post by **gail** » 10 Feb 2003, 23:12

Thanks!!!!!! I did buy some of those sinking wafers... I'm not sure if he's eating them... will he find them readily? I wonder how many he would like per day... I'll err on the side of over-feeding for now, I guess. He has a lot of personality... likes to hide under the zuccini and peer out (he doesn't seem to realize that his big body is exposed... he only seems to compute that his head is hidden, and he seems happy to "hide" and peer out)!

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 10 Feb 2003, 23:38

¨Hi!
Well it depends on how big is the waffer.
You can give him one, let him eat it, then 2... and on. I think he could easily eat 5-6 of them. Maybe more. You could also provide him with a place to hide such as a piece of driftwood ( bought in Aquarium shops) so he can feel safe.
Cheers
Yann

gail · Post by **gail** » 11 Feb 2003, 00:01

thanks! i wish there were some kind of good taple food that i could put in there for him so he could have all he wants. the wafers sort of decompose and disperse... do you suppose he can find the lttle bits of them and eat them? are catfish god at locating bits of food? sorry to be such a total NOVICE at this stuff! although i really like this fishy fellow, he seems sort of like an alien mystery creature to me, and i'm so concerned about not taking care of him. what would i have done without this forum??!! all the local petstore people i asked had never even seen one this big!! one of them suggested putting some bacon in there for him to eat! i like the idea of a driftwood hiding place... will shop around tomorrow. yew wee had sugested a bigger tank; he's now in one that's about 30 gallons, at least. thanks, everybody!

gail · Post by **gail** » 11 Feb 2003, 00:03

I MEANT "STAPLE FOOD"... i got excited and neglected to proofread...! thanks for being patient with a novice who has a big crush on her new big ol' pl*co!!!!

Post by **Barbie** » 11 Feb 2003, 00:17

Hi gail,

I think you might want to slow down just a bit on the feeding of your big guy, and keep in mind that until that tank has been up for 4-6 weeks, there won't be enough of a bacteria colony in your filter to digest the waste that he puts off. Ammonia is toxic to fish, and the more you feed him, the more of it he's going to have to live in, until those bacteria can catch up. For the first month or more, less is FAR better for his health. Have you read up on the "cycling" process that your tank will be going through in order to become established?

Cycling Articles These might help you get an idea of what's going to be going on in your new tank. I don't want to worry you and spoil your enjoyment of your new friend, but excess waste in his tank at this point is going to be a big nono. If we can answer any questions for you that the articles don't cover, post away

Barbie

gail · Post by **gail** » 11 Feb 2003, 00:25

Barbie, thank you! I had no idea about the dangers of overfeeding, nor have I read on the cycling issues you mentioned. I will go and do so right away. Meanwhile, I'll go easy on the food. Thanks!! The big guy thanks you, too. I gotta get a name for him/her/it... let's see... Moose? Fishzilla? BigBoy? Maximus? I'll think of something...suggestions? Thanks.

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 11 Feb 2003, 00:34

Hi!
THanks Barbie!
I sort of beleive that GAil knew all ¨this already!!!
Where do I have my head!!!
Cheers
Yann

gail · Post by **gail** » 11 Feb 2003, 00:40

I'm a total babe-in-thewoods!!!!!!

I've been reading and learning a lot these last few days, but it amazes me how many BASICS have escaped me! I'll get it right!!! Poor old Fishzilla/Moose/P.Rex is depending on me!!!!!

Post by **Barbie** » 11 Feb 2003, 00:55

Its ok Yann, I see this quite often at the fish chats. Everyone is so anxious to help and give people the information they ask for, they don't always find out what information the person might not know to ask for

My vote goes to naming him Hoover, which he will effectively become when it comes to getting rid of veggies *grin*. If the tank has just been up a few days, and you've noticed some clouding or bacterial blooms already, I'd definitely suggest a few 25% water changes over the next few days, and a drastic case of short rations for your new baby. If you know anyone with an existing tank full of healthy fish, you can swish their filter media out in a bag of water and dump that into your tank also. It looks like hell, but helps jump start the bacteria needed to digest the waste he's putting off.

Hope this helps

Barbie

gail · Post by **gail** » 11 Feb 2003, 01:04

Hoover it is. I changed out a fair amount of his water today and the water is almost clear. I am working on those cycling articles; fascinating... I thank you; Hoover thanks you!

Graeme · Post by **Graeme** » 11 Feb 2003, 10:48

Hoover

Great name

I wonder why!!

caril · Post by **caril** » 11 Feb 2003, 12:23

i think its a brand of a vacuum cleaner...

gail · Post by **gail** » 12 Feb 2003, 03:21

Thanks to one and all for so much help! Hoover's water is clear; he has accepted some live plants as his hiding place; I am shopping for some driftwood and other "furniture"; I seasoned the tank with some filter-debris from a friend's successful tank; Hoover seems to be eating modest amounts of sinking algae wafers. And to think that he came home with me (completely unexpectedly) in a garbage bag last Friday! Now that he's more relaxed, I got a chance to measure him... a good 12 inches! I'll get some pictures uploaded so that you can all see ol' HOOV soon. I think we're both in good spirits! THANKS TO ALL OF YOU DEDICATED HOBBYISTS AND EXPERTS (perfect strangers!) WHO HELPED ME. IT'S WONDERFUL THAT YOU TOOK THE TIME TO HELP A TOTAL NOVICE WHO WANTED TO RESCUE A POOR OLD PL*CO FROM CERTAIN DEATH. I'LL BE A DEDICATED SPEAKEASY LURKER/POSTER FOR A LONG TIME TO COME!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Zack · Post by **Zack** » 12 Feb 2003, 04:32

Thats funny, Just about every plec iv ever had has been called hoover. Good luck with your plec gail. Oh and i think i remember you saying you didnt want anymore house guests but since you already have the tank settup why not put a few more fish in there with him???

T · Post by T » 12 Feb 2003, 19:12

My first big ole common pl*co was called "plunger", he was cool.Glad hoover is doing well.

Post by **Barbie** » 12 Feb 2003, 23:54

I think its great that he's doing so well Gail, and that he was lucky enough to be found by you in the first place. I think for the initial cycling period, you should definitely just keep Hoover all by himself, but once the tank is stable, we could definitely give you some suggestions as to appropriate buddies that wouldn't cause any problems. Hoover isn't going to be horribly active, but there are many catfish that are that could coexist peacefully, with maybe some rainbows or angels for color or movement in the open water. You have lots of time to figure that out though. For right now, just enjoy him and keep an eye on his water parameters

Barbie

Cartman · Post by **Cartman** » 13 Feb 2003, 00:54

Gail seeing how you're brand new to this I thought I'd let you know that one of the best clubs in the country is right at your door step. The Ohio Cichlid Association is a very large and well established club. While cichlid is in the name they also do cater to Scavengers (Catfish like your hoover). So if there's anything you need help w/ getting (like seeded filter media or Misc. stuff) I'd contact someone in there club and tell them your situation and I bet they'd be more than willing to help you out. Their web site is http://www.ohiocichlid.com/ . They also hold one of the largest auctions/shows in the country. Many of my local club members here in MN. make the trek out to Ohio yearly for the OCA Extravaganza.

gail · Post by **gail** » 13 Feb 2003, 01:25

Ol' Hoov will be happy to stay by himself for a while, no doubt. I'm going to get some pictures of him this weekend so that you can all "meet" him. Of course, I'm an unabashed animal-lovin' nut, so take this with a grain of salt, BUT...I swear, he has personality! I observed him almost daily in his old home... he just hid on the bottom and stared upwards through the gray water. I never even saw him move. Now, he makes his rounds all over the sides of the tank, swims back and forth on the bottom, clearly responds to movement in and around the tank, and actively "hides and peeks" in the little plant forest which I set up for him. He definitely enjoys a sinking algae wafer daily. By the way, I visited the Hoover Vacuum Website; their ultimate huge vac is called the "Ultra"... Maybe I'll subtitle Hoov "ULTRAHOOV"... UltraHoov says "thanks again!"... that's my boy!

gail · Post by **gail** » 13 Feb 2003, 01:27

Thanks Cartman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll definitely check that out!!!!!!!!!!

Who knew???? Thanks!!!!!!!! What luck!!!!!!

Ben · Post by **Ben** » 13 Feb 2003, 08:23

LOL, not hard to tell the "bloom" was coming, once you've seen it happen a few times

I glad it wasn't bad enough to harm the fish. Those big commons can be pretty tough, as Hoover has well proven to us all! He's a survivor, and he did quite well with your aid. Seems he may have made a new catfish fanatic out of you ;).

gail wrote:Thanks again, everybody. Ben, you're psychic... I did indeed have a big "bloom"... getting better now. The fish is closer to 12 inches, really! I think he's a basic ol' hypostomus plecostomus... dark with lighter speckles... the common one. Right now he's glued to a piece of zuccini which I speared with a stainless steel butter knife and sunk to the bottom of his tank. I really like him! He glares around with his beady little eyes as if he's really taking the sights in! Do most pl*co fanciers name their pets, and have affection for them? Or are they more like specimens? What an interesting hobby!

gail · Post by **gail** » 14 Feb 2003, 02:48

UltraHOOV really IS a survivor... Since I adopted him suddenly, I have heard incredible stories about the decade (plus? minus?) he spent in his former tank... people have told me that he spent (LITERALLY) a year or more at a time almost unattended, apparently subsisting on algae, whatever anybody threw in (examples include potato chips and M&M's)... on a couple of occasions, he endured water so dirty that housekeeping services attempted to dump the tank, only to find that there was a flip-flapping fish at the bottom of the murky water!!!!!!!! Dear Hoov.... safe and sound, thanks to a bit of luck and Speak Easy.

I rescued a pleco! Help!

I rescued a pleco! Help!

Good progress