follow up on sick algae eater )

Question
(the "form" didn't work so I'm just starting over but it's the same fish)  OK, as luck would have it I have an empty 25 gal tank, went to WalMart and bought spring water and drinking water (figured if I can drink it, they can live in it).  Cleaned the tank w/ vinegar figuring that it was all natural, there would be very little left on the glass once I wiped it off and it might even pick up dust and kill bacteria.  Put in gravel from an old tank in which no one had been ill or died, and then poured 10 gallons of the bottled water in there.  (You said something about 10 gallons per fish.)  I carried Bernadette (she has a name now, from the poster whose question you had answered--I thought her algae eater was called that! so now this one is).  Right now, she is on the bottom of the tank, properly oriented (improvement), dorsal fin expanded and eyes looking more clear.  I bought enough water for the whole tank but I am going to just let her recover a bit first.  I also bought not one but two new filters.  We are hoping she makes it.  Oh--I bought some "Cycle" that is a liquid (?) form of the bene bacteria, but have not put that in yet as there is no activity ammonia or nitrite/nitratewise.  But soon.  So, is there anything else that you can suggest which I can do PDQ.  The other suggestions I can follow up on and do, but they involve purchases off the web (we don't have a decent LFS--live fish store?--within 50 miles of here.  Again, thank you Nicole!

Answer
Hi Christine,

You're the second today to have a problem with the form - any more of you and I'll have to notify tech support! Sorry about that. Anyhow, I surely remember you and your pleco. :)

Vinegar or salt water, both are perfectly acceptable for cleaning a fish tank. Good for you to think of that! What I meant about 10 gallons per fish is that a general rule for goldfish keepers, is to house their goldies in a tank ample enough so each goldfish has 10 gallons...1 goldfish gets 10 gallons, two get 20 gallons, etc. Actually 20 gallons per goldfish is ideal, but in any case, that's what I meant.

That all sounds very nice! I hate to tell you this after you just shelled out a small fortune in bottled water, but your fish actually prefer just plain old tap water. If you really want to make it perfect, let it sit with dechlorinator overnight - this "settles" it, but even this is not a must. There is really no problem with the bottled water that you are using for now, but tap water is rich with minerals and trace elements that bottled water is usually stripped of, so unless your tap water is absolutely foul, your fish would prefer that you use tap water ordinarily to fill their tank.

All I would do is slowly add more water from your tap, after letting it sit a while with dechlorinator in it. I myself, am very fond of Seachem's Prime because of its simple dosing - 3 drops per gallon of water. If you are preparing a large amount of water, Jungle's Start Right (available at Walmart) is simple too, just use a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon for 5 gallons. The Cycle product won't hurt anything, but you have all you need right in your tank already - beneficial bacteria from the established gravel, and you can use one of your old filter cartridges, it should have lots of beneficial bacteria in there as well.

Everything sounds just fine. Just offer those veggies and you'll be all set! I believe you'll soon find your pleco shows a preference. I have two bristlenose plecos (dwarf variety) and one loves sweet potato, the other loves yellow squash. Zucchini and cucumber are their second favorite.

Oh! I forgot to say...do you have any driftwood in the tank? Plecos love to spend time on a piece of driftwood, you can usually find this as a decoration at your *local* fish store, sorry! I am so used to the lingo. For all pleco varieties, driftwood is supposed to aid with digestion as well as provide a comfortable spot to attach themselves. If you don't have any in your tank, get some if you can! I believe you will find it will be her favorite spot.

Thanks for being so conscientious. All your pets certainly appreciate your attention and devotion, and you are most welcome! :) Thank you for writing in.

Nicole

P.S. Have you ever visited www.plecofanatics.com? Try it, you might find it interesting!