# Normal or Not?



## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

well i just set up my new 30 gallon long yesterday morning and put my pleco in around 3:00 and he keeps going up to the top for air. i have a filter and pump so he should have plenty of oxygen i just dont no


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## chris oe (Feb 27, 2009)

You just set up the tank - did you put water conditioner in it? I think it may be a little too early to add fish. That may be why you're having a bit of trouble. Has he settled down?


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## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

yes i added stress coat which is the same thing and he is normal but he just goes up to the top for air and he never did that in my old 15 gallon


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## chris oe (Feb 27, 2009)

Well, here's the thing, going to the top for air is a sign that something is not right, that he's in distress. If he's still doing it I'd be concerned. I think stress coat might take care of chlorine, but does it do chloramine? if it does it will say so on the bottle. If I remember correctly it didn't used to, and you may have a problem because of it only partly treating your water - if there's chloramine in there and untreated it could cause distress. It seems a little too soon for it to be a cycling problem, but plecos aren't usually first choice for a cycling fish, usually people use danios or guppies or something to cycle a tank with.


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

yeah a pleco isn't really an ideal choice as a cycle fish... not saying they're not hardy; I've seen some survive in water conditions that astonished me. but there's other more hardy, and often cheaper fish to cycle with

I wouldn't think a pleco would go to the surface for air though... at least I've never seen one do it

on another note, since this is a new tank, your pleco is obviously not going to have any algae to munch on, so MAKE SURE you give him plenty of veggies and/or algae wafers


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## celticsfan13 (Nov 7, 2010)

try adding some tap water conditioner directly 2 the filter, my pleco does that when he is very stressed ex, when i add new fish, and if u put a little tap water conditioner in to the new tank that should help, he prob was shicked by the change in p.h. levels, and change of scenery


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

A pleco should never be put in a new tank, it needs to be established at least a couple of months. Plecos aren't as hardy as most people think. Some have survived in horrible conditions but most will die. 

I won't say that its not normal for plecs to go to the top, mine will feed off the top at times. But it does sound like he is stressed to the point of wanting to find a better area to be in and they can jump out if they aren't to happy.


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## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

ok well it does chloramine too and yeah i guess but ive used him to cycle with my clawed frog too and they did fine.i used them in the 15 gallon


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## chris oe (Feb 27, 2009)

ok, well to answer your question it is normal for a pleco to go to the surface when he's massively unhappy. Under normal circumstances a happy pleco never would. So if he's still doing it, there's something wrong here. If he's still doing it you can check your water parameters against your other tank, to see if the ph is too different, or if some other thing is off, but if your other tank is still up and running, I'd put him back in it and cycle with some other kind of fish because if it was me I would not want to risk losing my pleco. But that's just me.


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## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

yeah i dont hes gonna go back in the 15 for now thanks


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Try a fishless cycle, then no worries for you or the fish.


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## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

i just have a white sucker in there for now hes about 7 in. long


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