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Hi guys - just wondering if someone might be able to help regarding my rhino pl*co....

he is about 6 yrs. old and has been fine until recently....i have a 10 gl. (i know....teeny!)....tankmates are a khuli loach, a sword, and a marble molly. my pl*co is HUGE for the tank (about 7in.) which explains the limitations on filling the tank further.

anyway, nothing has changed about the tank recently....i added some larger gravel on top of what was already in there....not much though. lately my pl*co has been thrashing around on the bottom of the tank. he does this for a few seconds then will swim to the top kinda fast and either repeat again or just hang out on the side of the glass. it is not constant behavior just something he has never really done before. also, his belly looks a little blotchy. not like there is something on him, just like his skin is a little lighter in some areas. it goes away and comes back. water quality is ok and temp is a constant 78.

anyone experienced this? i am worried....he is my favorite guy!

Is it eating normally? I dont have this kind of behaviour with my 1 foot rhino and it has been very gentle in its movement around the tank despite its size. The change in colour might be stress-induced i though..

he is stressed out, this explains his color change. fish express moods via color changes, lighter or lack of normal color usually means stressful situations. he needs more room and he is mearly freaking out because he has no room to swim and be as graseful as they can be. my best advice to you is to think about getting at least a 20 gal long so he can atleast swim side to side and have some room. hope this info is useful to you and good luck.

he is eating normally but he does seem to be stressed....i am thinking it could be the fact that i added pebble sized gravel.....maybe he is irritated by it? he pretty much thrashed around enough to carve a bare space out for himself in the bottom of the tank and lays in that spot comfortably. i know the tank is a bit on the small size for him. he has lived in it since he was a tiny guy though and hasn't really grown in the last couple years. this behavior is just so sudden...normally he is very docile. thanks for the help!

you had a rhino in a 10 gal for six years?

yes i have



i didn't really know what i was getting into back then though.....i thought he would stay tiny.....HA!

yeah but........six years!?? ten gallons?
my rhino i had for 5 years maybe...7-8 inches...can never imagine him in a ten

A 10-gallon tank is way too small for a 7" fish. It's like confining a human being to a space the size of a bathroom, with no possibility of escape. Sure, you might survive, but you'd be miserable. Regardless of how long he's been in there (there's nowhere else he can go, so he has no choice but to attempt to adapt as long as possible), his behavior and abnormal coloration are clear indications that he's now in distress.

He needs to be in a much bigger tank--at least 30 gallons, preferably larger. If you can't size up, I'd suggest finding him another home--it really isn't humane to keep him in that tiny box, even though you've done so with the best of intentions and obviously care a lot about him.

30 is too small