Sad Story

[discolove]

This is kind of disturbing, well atleast to me. Anyways I had three plecos in my tank. Two of them were still pretty small but seemed to be doing very well for awhile and then I had a buddy of mine give me a much larger pleco a couple of weeks back. Well just a couple days ago I realized that one of my smaller plecos looks very very thin. At the time I was in a hurry and thought maybe I just wasn't getting a good enough look at him so I thought it would be fine. Well I came back later that night after work and only saw one small pleco and the big guy, I just figured the other was somewhere I couldn't see it.

Fast forward to today, I looked in my tank and was almost sickened to see the missing plecos skeleton laying on the substrate. I couldn't believe it. The thing that really amazed me was how quick he was picked apart. I believe that my cory cats may have possibly picked him clean after he died. I removed the skeleton which was not fun at all. Luckily, the other plecos look fat and healthy but this one didn't make it. I fear that when the large pleco was added he ate everything he could find and the poor thing starved. I even supplemented with veggies and algae pellets everynight. I am considering taking the big pleco to the fish store and giving him to them. That way he can find a new home and not rob my other much smaller pleco of food. That and the fact that my tank really isn't good for it because of the large driftwood I have makes his movement room very limited.

[Disgirl]

Yes, that is sad. It is always sad for me to lose a fish, even a little Tetra and find the body and worse yet to see a skeleton. It is just part of this hobby though and death now and then of our fish is just to be expected. But still hard to deal with for some of us who really love our fish. I remember using the death of some of my fish as our children grew up to explain death to them. But enjoy the rest of your fish!:)
Barb

[poconogal]

I think its a sad story, too, I hate losing a fish, any fish. I have 2 ABNs, one male, one female. The female is the larger, about 5 inches, the male is about 4 inches. He gets bullied by the female when she sees him in her way. She will bully him from food, from the best spot on the driftwood, etc. I worry that he will starve but he's been alive in the tank since last fall. He used to be in a community tank that I closed down and I then moved him into the Discus tank. The female was not a happy camper when he appeared, either! They've reached an accord, of sorts. If I were you, I'd take the big pleco back to the store and give the little guys a chance to grow up. Also, if the big pleco is limited in swimming room, it seems kinder to return him.