Pleco.

Question
Out of the blue on day my Pleco started to "shiver" & he turn over onto his back. I quickly reached in & flipped him & he was still alive. I figured he could be coming down with some kind of sickness so I placed him in his own separate tank. He ate 1/2 of an algea wafer and is still reacting to noises outside that tank. He continues to shake or what looks like seizing and flips over..

He previously was in a 30 gal. tank with 1 large goldfish, 2 small tetra and a rope fish. The temp in the tank is around 75 - 70 deg. I recently just replaced about 25% of the tanks water. I'm unsure of his actual age. What could be wrong?

Answer
Hi Caitlin;

There are several possibilities but it's almost impossible to say what could be wrong without being able to run tests and cultures or without obvious outward symptoms of something. We just can't usually do all that with fish. There could be infection, a nervous system disorder, reaction to waste toxin exposure, shock, or even something like cancer causing partial paralysis. There isn't much you can do about most of these possible disorders and it isn't a good idea to just start dumping medication into the tank. I would just keep his tank as calm as possible and make sure it stays very clean. Clean fresh water boosts the immune system. Change water every couple of days, but no more than 25%. Also be sure the new water is the same temperature as the old water so he doesn't go into shock. All tanks need a weekly 25% water change all the time anyway but isolation tanks need it more often. Isolation tanks are usually smaller and without biologically established filtration. Even a daily 25% change isn't too much.

Plecos are also tropical fish so if the tank is under 75f he will not do well in the long term. Your goldfish is a cold water fish that needs temperatures below 72f all the time. They really aren't compatible for that reason. One or the other will not be it's healthiest all the time. With fresh water, warmer temperatures and peaceful environment hopefully he will recover on his own. I hope he gets better soon...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins