Weird pleco behavior

[Mandiemo]

Hey guys.

Bit of an update, we decided to turn our air pump and stone off in the big tank last night and all our pleco are down the bottom doing their normal stuff... yeh weird. We do have all the same air pump in all the tanks and from the same company, so wonder if there is something up with these? As the air stones are all different ones.

But when we came down this morning, we noticed our other male Brutis 2 was out of his cave (he has been deep in it fanning, so we thought he was looking after eggs)
Anyway, when i looked at him he wasn't in a good place and looked terrible, breathing lots, red blotchy all over.. so i rushed to get the fish jug and net and by time i had scooped some of the tank water into the jug he was dead... really really strange, he hasn’t showed any signs of being ill or anything, he does look terrible though. Sorry if the picture below upsets anyone, i really dont mean to but I’m now worried about my others, wanted to show what he looked like at time of him dying to see if anyone has any idea?

Brutis 2 was in a tank with his GF Callie who is currently wafting about under a stone like she has an itch.. i am worried she is going to get ill too. So got myself some PIMAFIX sand MELAFIX to add to the tank today, think ill add it all of them... is there anyway my cabomba plant i took trimmings from into all the tanks has carried an illness form one to the other to the other?




Totally at a loss at moment and trying everything we can to save all our babies

[black ghost]

Is there anything in the air...? Air fresheners? Candles? Perfumes?

[Mandiemo]

Nothing that would impact them all. I generally don’t spray anything in the house as I have a sensitive GSD. We do vape, but its nothing new either. All 3 tanks are in separate rooms

[plankton]

Sorry for your loss.
How long has he been fanning eggs and fry?
It's quite possible that he hasn't been eating during that time which would have weakened him.
Nobody's gone in the tank with cream/lotion on their hands have they?

[Mandiemo]

Morning.
He was only in the cave for a couple of days, but only solid for 1 day, but when I checked the cave last night to see if there was any fry there isn’t anything, so unless they have been swished out when he came out during the night or something else.
No no.. on the creams etc... neither of us use it, or nail polish or anything else.. we are very careful and I even take all my jewellery off if I’m sticking my hands in the water...

Unfortunately we lost another this morning, our Longfin Pleco..,. Tails was dead on the wood and the dam crystals were already munching her gutted as she was my fav.

We get the Poly Filter stuff today so going to put that in one of the tanks filters and see how we go with that, hopefully it will show us what is going on with our tanks...

[plankton]

Sorry to hear.
I'd do the biggest water change you can, just in case something has got in the water.
Pop some carbon in the filter as well for 4 or 5 days (and then throw it away), just to help even more to get anything nasty out of the tank.

[Staffylover]

another thought check the date on your dechlorinater, if it's Prime it will stink if it's gone off, bit of an unlikley one but had 2 bottles like this one was prime so I know about the smell although it still seemed to work, the other had been stored in a cupboard a long time it killed a few fish in QT before I realized, pretty sure that was the cause, it's not very likely but worth checking?

[Mandiemo]

Morning all.
Update this morning is looking better. We stuck some PolyFIlter in last night into one of the tanks and we are waiting for it to cycle a bit to see what’s happening, We have also managed to regulate our PH back to 7 in all the tanks with seachem nutural and all our pleco seem 10x happier, they are feeding, all at the bottom of the tank and even Brutis and his 2 girlfriends are checking out the breeding cave again, which is a big bonus....

We are hoping it was just something in the water that caused an issue and we have managed to cycle it out fingers crossed it wont happen again. Thanks everyone for your support ill keep you posted on progress.

[Mandiemo]

another thought check the date on your dechlorinater, if it's Prime it will stink if it's gone off, bit of an unlikley one but had 2 bottles like this one was prime so I know about the smell although it still seemed to work, the other had been stored in a cupboard a long time it killed a few fish in QT before I realized, pretty sure that was the cause, it's not very likely but worth checking?

Just checked it and there isn’t a best before dat or anything on it.. it does stink anyway. We did use a different conditioner in the last water change to try and regulate the PH so could well be... thanks

[black ghost]

Very pleased to hear it.

You say the water has been different the last couple of weeks. Are there any roadworks near you? There may be something in it for now that might need PolyFiltered. The one in your tank should do it but it’ll take a little time after you do a water change so I’d do smaller changes and observe their reaction.
Maybe the other dechlorinator you used just doesn’t do chloramine...? Oh and Prime stinks at the best of times, (that’s why I don’t use it...).