My biggest loss yet...

[newb]

yep that says it all. After going to pickup some more snails from Tim, I came home to find my HUGE green phantom pleco dead. He was lying on his back in the middle of the tank, completely dead. I pulled him out and he didnt have a single nip/bite mark on him. I am guessing he died due to old age. I mean he was at least 9". He was by far my favorite pleco. Not sure if I want to replace him yet or not.

[eklikewhoa]

Hmm.... normally you see them show age instead of just going belly up...

[newb]

the old age theory makes me feel better about it.

[BEdward]

Ow that sux. How long did you have him?

[newb]

I had him for about seven months. but I bought him when he was like 7".

[newb]

what would be signs of old age in a pleco...

[miaboy2]

sorry to hear that...

[eklikewhoa]

I have seen some a bit bigger and still full of life.... normally they get listless and stop eating.

[76dragon]

Does anyone know how long plecos live in the wild??

[TaTeR ToT]

yeah.

were his eyes sunken in?
this is a sure sign of not getting enough nutrition.
the green phanton you gave me had his eyes slightly sunken in, but i have been feeding romain lettuce, zuchini, cucumber, and mango slices, every week, and he is like lime green, fat as hell, and very very active, he spends all day out and about, the L200 aka green phantom, needs mostly vegetable based food in their diet, they require some meaty foods, but if thats all they get, then their overall health will start to deterierate.
i also feed hikari algae wafers every night, and spirulina based algae tablets every other night.

[gotticgs]

+1

yeah.

were his eyes sunken in?
this is a sure sign of not getting enough nutrition.
the green phanton you gave me had his eyes slightly sunken in, but i have been feeding romain lettuce, zuchini, cucumber, and mango slices, every week, and he is like lime green, fat as hell, and very very active, he spends all day out and about, the L200 aka green phantom, needs mostly vegetable based food in their diet, they require some meaty foods, but if thats all they get, then their overall health will start to deterierate.
i also feed hikari algae wafers every night, and spirulina based algae tablets every other night.

[wesleydnunder]

Rex, did you test your water with a reliable test kit to see if there may have been a quality issue? A few years ago I had a CAE that died after 22 years. He'd stopped eating a couple months before he died and was obviously emaciated when he passed. Normally a full-grown fish will give you some indications prior to it's death, but, as you said, it was already adult when you got it and there's really no way to tell how old an adult fish is when you buy them. Sorry to hear about your pleco.

Mark