PlanetCatfish.com

I was just looking in my tank, and I noticed my pleco dead. It was like 4 or 5 years old. I took it out, and its, um, "exit hole" was flapping like a plastic bag. I went to flush it and some brown liquid stuff came out. Nothing has been done to my tank recently, and no other fish are dead. It kind of spooked me because I stuck my hand in to get it our from behind a rock, and in the movie Outbreak that happened to people(with organs turning into liquid). What happened to my fish?

It is almost impossible to say, but 4-5 years of age is when many loricariids that have been fed on a high protein diet develop lethal gut blockages.
-Shane

It was in a tank with Malawi Cichlids its whole life. The food fed to the tank was regular tropical fish flake, New Life Spectrum, Cichlid Flakes, Cichlid pellets, and Wardleys fish pellets(discontinued, I got like 10 bags for 5 bucks). All of the pellets had added spirulina. I dont know what it ate, I just figured it was eating algae.

I've seen this happen too...where their bellies are totally bloated and then they gush. not a pretty sight! I agree with possible gut blockage. sorry to hear about your loss!!

btw - do you know why wardley disco'ed their pellets??? my africans loved them!

Yeah, it was a bad death. I dont know why Wardley stopped them, they are great. My big fish get mouthfuls, and the little fish take all they can. I got mine at a dollar store near me.