Juvie L66 not eating

Gingercat · Post by **Gingercat** » 21 Nov 2004, 02:47

I've had a juvenile L66 pleco, only about 1.5 inches long, in a ten gallon tank for five days, with a pair of Apistos. They'll be there till their new home, a 50 gallon tank, fully cycles. The Apistos are eating fine and have settled right in. But I'm pretty sure the pleco hasn't eaten since I brought it back from the store. I've tried sinking carnivore wafers (ignores it), flake (also ignores it), and bloodworm (he spat it out) and feeding him only once the lights are off at night, but there's no sign of its eating a thing. I'm having to syphon the uneaten food out daily. Does it often take longer than this for a pleco to settle into new quarters? Is there something irresitible I could try to feed it?
Temp is 79
Ammonia 0.25 (both before and after a 20% water change, which is weird)
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 10 ppm
pH 7.4

magnum4 · Post by **magnum4** » 21 Nov 2004, 16:06

Im confused both of these tanks are not fully cycled yet you put the fish in the smallest of the two tanks were the ammonia will build up faster than in the 50 gallon.

Chances are your pleco is not interested in the food due to the ammonia levels, Do more water changes to get them as low as possibe. Is there good hidding places where the small pleco can feel secure after the move?

Clearwater · Post by **Clearwater** » 21 Nov 2004, 17:57

Was he active in the fish store? Did he look heathy. Do you have a place for him to hide. Is he moveing around in your tank. Some fish take a little more time to adjust in a new place. If he is sitting in one spot, breathing heavly, not active then be worried this is a sighn of bad stress and can kill your fish. If he moveing around and seems ok then just give him time to adjust. My L 66 likes shrimp pellots, algie waffers, cucumber, flake food. Idd move them to the bigger tank as soon as you can, just to make sure it is not ammonia that may be causing the probs. Good luck with him hope he does good.
Cheers Clearwater

Gingercat · Post by **Gingercat** » 21 Nov 2004, 19:32

thanks for the advice. I think I just have to be patient!

He's not breathing heavily and he's moving around some, but he's not taking advantage of any of the hiding places I've given him. I've been doing about a 15% water change every three days, so I think the water quality is good. And, I think he might have eaten last night. I put a carnivore wafer directly in front of him -- he ignored it -- then crumbled it before I went to bed. Gone this morning, so I think he ate it, unless the two Apistos did. It's possible that a whole wafer is too big, so I'll crumble them from here on in, at least until he's bigger. He's going in a 50 gallon, just as soon as it's cycled.

Clearwater · Post by **Clearwater** » 21 Nov 2004, 20:26

Im sure he will be fine and he sounds like mine. She would rather swim around and not hide like my other plecos do. Shes allways out and about.

very nice fish.

Gingercat · Post by **Gingercat** » 22 Nov 2004, 01:59

And now he's not moving, just stirs a little when I touch him. Don't think he's going to make it. Water parameters are all fine. This is very sad.

Gingercat · Post by **Gingercat** » 23 Nov 2004, 01:17

Thanks for all the encouragement and help, guys, but he didn't make it. Died sometime this morning. I don't think there was anything to be done. Just one of those lousy things.