# Could someone please tell me whats wrong with my Plec?



## Rhi01 (Oct 23, 2009)

I've only had Sookie for about a week but today I've noticed he has gone all blotchy and has a string type thing attached to his fin and I'm quite worried about him. 

Here are some pictures:








 










And the string thing. I'm probably being really stupid and its poo or something but I want to double check:









If anyone has any helpful advice on what it is and how to make it better I would appreciate it.


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## storm22 (Jan 11, 2009)

i hope you're aware your little plec will grow huuuuge!!! and yes the stringy bit looks like poop, but for anyone to be able to help properly can you tell us a little more about the tank, how long you've had it water paramiters etc etc


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## Rhi01 (Oct 23, 2009)

Really? I specifically asked the man at the aquarium shop how big he would grow and the man said only a couple of inches!!! I think I'll have to get a bigger tank.
Its one of these tanks and I've had it for over 5 months.
Aqua One Aqua Start 500 Aquarium, Online Aquarium Store
I bought Sookie last week and at that time he was all normal coloured.
I don't have any ideas about the parameters what should they be and how would I achieve this?


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## storm22 (Jan 11, 2009)

do you know what your ammonia, nitrate nitrite etc levels are? as these are going to be the most important things for anyone to know, i'm not the best to ask for diagnosis wait for one of the others to reply for you, 
but i'm fairly sure you have a gibbiceps plec there
Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps • Loricariidae • Cat-eLog • PlanetCatfish

lots of info there about them, again i could be wrong, how much did he cost? if it was a few quid it's deffinately one of the larger species


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## Rhi01 (Oct 23, 2009)

Thanks storm22.
I bought Sookie for £6 so he's probably going to massive. Damn that aquarium man!


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## storm22 (Jan 11, 2009)

if i were you i'd make a point of telling the manager of the shop, so hopefully it doesnt happen again


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

Theres one in our local LFS that is nearly 2ft long.

It loks like poop as got stick on the fin. Blotchy might be shedding.

Marina


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## Rhi01 (Oct 23, 2009)

He was the manager. 
Its my own fault for not researching but I just thought the man would have been honest.


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

Yeah when it comes to people making money DON'T TRUST THEM.

Marina


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## Rhi01 (Oct 23, 2009)

For some reason your post only came up afterwards, Marinam2.
Yes I will bear that in mind next time.

I'm so glad there's nothing wrong with him I didn't know they shed. I think I'll do some research.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Rhi01 said:


> He was the manager.
> Its my own fault for not researching but I just thought the man would have been honest.


 Perhaps you can name and shame the shop so that other inexperienced people can avoid it?
Some of those plecs grow to 12 inches and more.


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

Rhi01 said:


> I'm so glad there's nothing wrong with him I didn't know they shed. I think I'll do some research.


AFAIK plecs don't shed...:hmm:...but the blotchy thing is quite normal with plecs IME and I think it's a camouflage thing, more than anything. 

Btw, you'll soon find that just because someone is running an aquarium shop, doesn't necessarily mean they actually _know_ anything about fish...a lot of them just make it up as they go along. :devil:


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## storm22 (Jan 11, 2009)

agreed, if you really want a plec for your tank there are many species to choose from, something like a clown iirc (this was some time ago) were fairly inexpensive and don't frow big at all www.plecofanatics.com is a good site for plecs


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## Rhi01 (Oct 23, 2009)

Is it possible that like fish Sookie will stay the size of the tank or will he just keep growing regardless?
He does stay by the plant and the gravel under the filter so maybe it is camouflage as its all that sort of colour.
Thank you for the link to the forum.


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

Growing to the size of the tank is a myth. Your looking at an eventual size of about 2ft and will need a 400 litre tank or more to house it properly. 

There are many smaller species. A very common one is the bristlenose. They only reach 5"


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## storm22 (Jan 11, 2009)

totally forgot about the bristlenose, good call, the way i see the myth of fish staying to the size of a tank, 

put a 3 yr old child into a pair of nicely fitting shoes, make child wear those shoes for the next 5 yrs, feet havent stopped growing but became stunted through lack of space...


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## Rhi01 (Oct 23, 2009)

Thanks for being understanding and not getting angry.

What should I do with Sookie now? I don't want to take him back to the aquatic shop as he will only be sold to somone else in the wrong tank.


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## _simon_ (Nov 27, 2007)

To be honest that's probably the best option or plan for a bigger tank. They're so common that you'd never sell it privately. Some places have a policy where they won't even stock those plecs these days.


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## BexyBabes (Nov 23, 2008)

thats 100% poop and the blotchy thing thats going on is pretty normal,, what are your water parameters??


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## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

I think we need to find out what temperature the water is and how high or low the PH levels are to start with.
Most Plecs are pretty hardy but dont respond well to high or low temperatures.

The tank looks spotless so are you sure the plec has enough to eat.

You can buy vegetarian flake or pleco wafers or even put a small amount of shredded greens in the aquarium. I use a small cube of Cucumber once in a while.

A new customer of mine bought me a 12" plec the other day that had outgrown a 2ft Aquarium. You could keep the Gibbi and when he gets too big rehome him or take him to a nice aquatic shop.

Talking of size I have one at home thats 18" and still growing. I know there are hundreds of different species of Plec and some do and some dont grow to enormous sizes.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Have we been given the name of the shop yet? Iyt should be a 'heads up' to others to avoid the place as the owner is obviously more interested in profit than making sure the living creatures he sells will have a good life.


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## Dragon84 (Sep 20, 2009)

storm22 said:


> put a 3 yr old child into a pair of nicely fitting shoes, make child wear those shoes for the next 5 yrs, feet havent stopped growing but became stunted through lack of space...


 Quite true, it might only grow to the size of its tank, on the outside, but its organs will continue to grow. Deffinatley irresponsible on the part of the lfs. Although as you admited you should have research it first. We sell plecs but we do make sure the customer knows how big they can get. The best thing i can suggest for you is not to use that shop again, they'll soon realise that they can either be honest with you and get a customer who will return to the shop time and time again, or they can make a quick buck and never get any money off you that you might have spent being a return customer. If everyone who gets lied to in shops stopped going then they'd lose all their custom and maybe think about being honest with you. If i were you i would take the plec back for a full refund as you have been sold it with false information. Politly tell the manager that this will not grow to only a few inch, you'll be looking at a couple of foot more like. As mentioned it's quite true you can run a pet shop without decent knowledge of the animals you sell. When applying for you license no one asks if you know about what you want to sell, only if you have the minimum required space to keep it. A final note though, don't think we're all like that they're some good shops out there.:2thumb:


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## Ray1965 (Jan 4, 2010)

Dragon84 is right ,i bought 2 bearded dragons from his shop and a viv and a ship load of free advice and ive been back ,you cant buy good advice and service like that. there is'nt a price for it.Be honest in the first place and it works wounders.
cheers btw ben, drags are doing fine ,one has done its first skin shed !


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## lionfish (Jul 15, 2009)

Congratulations ! You've just purchased a Gibbiceps ! AKA Sailfin Plec - probably the biggest pleco there is - I used to have 2 of these your little man is capable of growing to 2 foot or more given the right enviroment and diet - 2" :gasp: My Arse ! as Jim Royal would say


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## tokay (Mar 13, 2007)

At the shop where i work we sale sailfin plecs too , but we have a large one (he about 12" atmand still growing) in the show tank for people to see first hand what there cute little plec will eventually grow into. 
i would name and shame this shop as there giving out crap advice to make a quick buck and also they dont give a damn about animal welfare :censor:


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Since the OP has steadfastly refused to tell anyone the name of the shop, this suggests to me that the shop owner did not actually give bad advice, but the OP chose the fish without doing any research and simply wants to blame someone else.:bash:

Anyone who had really been told that a sailfin plec would only grow to a few inches, by a shop owner, would be most indignant and upset and tell everyone to avoid XXX shop because the seller told lies and sold a fish which will end up suffering badly because of being kept in bad conditions.

Since the OP has, despite being asked several times to mention the shop, has refused to do so, I can only assume this is because the shop keeper is entirely innocent in the matter.


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

fenwoman said:


> Since the OP has steadfastly refused to tell anyone the name of the shop, this suggests to me that the shop owner did not actually give bad advice, but the OP chose the fish without doing any research and simply wants to blame someone else.:bash:
> 
> Anyone who had really been told that a sailfin plec would only grow to a few inches, by a shop owner, would be most indignant and upset and tell everyone to avoid XXX shop because the seller told lies and sold a fish which will end up suffering badly because of being kept in bad conditions.
> 
> Since the OP has, despite being asked several times to mention the shop, has refused to do so, I can only assume this is because the shop keeper is entirely innocent in the matter.


 i thought we weren't allowed to name and shame? slander or something along those lines?


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## ChloEllie (Jul 18, 2009)

hey hun, iv got pics somewhere on here of my 26" com.
great fish but mahoosive
x


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

daftlassieEmma said:


> i thought we weren't allowed to name and shame? slander or something along those lines?


 Slander is when someone tells a lie about a company or person. If the person tells the truth and states facts, that is not and cannot be called slander, nor libel (which is the written form).
If I said Tesco sold me a factory farmed chicken and it was labelled free range, when in fact they had not done so, that would be slanderous or libellous. However, if I was able to prove that they had actually sold me a factory farmed bird and passed it off as free range, then that would be neither slanderous nor libellous.
Besides which, even bad slander or libel often goes unpunished because it's a private case and the slandered person will have to pay thousands to bring a case which could be difficult to prove. And even if it was proved, since it isn't a criminal matter, damages would not over the cost of the case and at best the litigant could expect nothing more than a retraction of the slanderous or libellous statement. Sadly, the reason I know this is because someonme badly libelled me on a forum some years ago and even though I could prove that their allegations were nothing short of maliciousness, I could not afford the cost of litigation.
There are plenty of threads on here where people mention getting an animal or something from a named member which was in bad condition or not as described.


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## Rhi01 (Oct 23, 2009)

fenwoman said:


> Slander is when someone tells a lie about a company or person. If the person tells the truth and states facts, that is not and cannot be called slander, nor libel (which is the written form).
> If I said Tesco sold me a factory farmed chicken and it was labelled free range, when in fact they had not done so, that would be slanderous or libellous. However, if I was able to prove that they had actually sold me a factory farmed bird and passed it off as free range, then that would be neither slanderous nor libellous.
> Besides which, even bad slander or libel often goes unpunished because it's a private case and the slandered person will have to pay thousands to bring a case which could be difficult to prove. And even if it was proved, since it isn't a criminal matter, damages would not over the cost of the case and at best the litigant could expect nothing more than a retraction of the slanderous or libellous statement. Sadly, the reason I know this is because someonme badly libelled me on a forum some years ago and even though I could prove that their allegations were nothing short of maliciousness, I could not afford the cost of litigation.
> There are plenty of threads on here where people mention getting an animal or something from a named member which was in bad condition or not as described.


Sorry I've been away a while which is why I havn't been back.
I will not 'name and shame' the shop as you suggest I do Fenwoman as I think its immature and will achieve nothing. However although I choose to act this way it does not mean that I am lying or that I was not told that Sookie would only grow a couple of inches. As I have said before in this thread I should have done my research but I thought I was able to trust the shopkeeper a mistake I won't do again.
If some people choose to 'name and shame' then that is up to them but I on the other hand won't. 
Fenwoman you can interpret my post however you choose but your petty accusations achieve nothing.

To the others that have been helpful:
I havn't decided what I am going to do with Sookie. Realistically I know the best thing would be is to take Sookie back to the shop but I couldn't bring myself to do it especially as he will only be sold to another person in the wrong tank. For now I am going to keep him and when he grows too big for the tank I'll get a bigger one.
Since I started this thread I have found an amazing aquatic shop who have been helpful and seem quite knowledgeable.

I'm also going to this shop on the weekend to ask them how I measure the water PH and everything.
I've been feeding him algae wafers and from another site have found that Sookie is able to eat veg so I'm going to try him on that too.

I think the colouring must be a camouflage thing as I've seen him normal coloured since but in a different spot.

Thank you to everyone who has given advice and helped.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Rhi01 said:


> Sorry I've been away a while which is why I havn't been back.
> I will not 'name and shame' the shop as you suggest I do Fenwoman as I think its immature and will achieve nothing.


 How is it immature to mention a company which has given you not only bad service but sold you something fraudulently?
It will achieve something. It'll help other people to avoid the place and not get conned like you were.
I'm just amazed that you are not interested in helping someone else get caught out in future. What a selfish attitude.



> However although I choose to act this way it does not mean that I am lying or that I was not told that Sookie would only grow a couple of inches.


I'm afraid I simply don't believe you.



> As I have said before in this thread I should have done my research but I thought I was able to trust the shopkeeper a mistake I won't do again.


 It's pretty naive to trust someone who wants money from you.



> If some people choose to 'name and shame' then that is up to them but I on the other hand won't.


 and it's that "stuff everyone else" attitude I just find hard to understand.



> Fenwoman you can interpret my post however you choose but your petty accusations achieve nothing.


I'm not the only one to think you are lying though. Other people feel the same as I do about your refusal to mention a shop which conned you.


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

> *We dont allow threads that name and shame shops or other reptile related business, often people's personal opinions can be unfounded and very damaging to the business when they are posted on such an active site. The business also usually finds out quite quickly and subsequently RFUK could be open to threats of legal action.*
> 
> *The best course of action is usually to firstly talk to the shop, voice your concerns and see if any problems can be sorted out directly. *
> 
> *If you feel you need to name the shop in question we ask that you do not post the business name, instead confirm something like "A reptile shop in [city/county]".*


this was what i was on about earlier ^^


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

daftlassieEmma said:


> this was what i was on about earlier ^^


Fish aren't reptiles though.


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

fenwoman said:


> Fish aren't reptiles though.


 i realise this...

i was just sure i'd seen it mentioned in a few threads that we weren't supposed to directly metion a shop's name - hence why _asked_ if we were allowed to name and shame

just figured the same rules would probably apply to all sections - would ask a mod to check but i'm wondering if it's really worth bothering them for :blush:


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

daftlassieEmma said:


> i was just sure i'd seen it mentioned in a few threads that we weren't supposed to directly mention a shop's name


This is a common enough practice on most forums...legal issues and all that. :whistling2:


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## Redsquire (Mar 22, 2009)

Naming and shaming IS pretty childish. Every store has a newbie worker or a worker not specializing in a particular species at _some_ time, and each one is going to screw up at some point during the opening of said shop.

'Naming and shaming' achieves nothing, unless its a particularly bad shop. There are also legal issues involved in there also, I believe, and simply because there may be a loop hole of "not allowing the naming and shaming of reptile shops", or whatever, does not constitute it as correct practise.

One can argue until their blue in the mouth about the stores (or clerks/managers) way of business, and one can also argue of the fact of how the pleco was bought, with or without research beforehand. The point remains that there is a symptom, and this isnt a particularly productive to the subject at hands problem, if at all a problem exists. Again; naming and shaming the store does not change a single, damned thing. If _your_ doing your research,_ and you_ know what your doing, you shouldnt _have_ to ask advice from the shop, or even _care_ how well versed its staff are. I certainly am not.

Nor is this conversation even on the same subject, for that matter, in any case.




Anyway.

The pleco has poop that has wrapped around its tail, by the looks of it, but its heckuva long. Thats commonplace sometimes though. I'd say try raising the temp a smidgeon to bring its bodily activities into stronger movements, and I'd also ask what its general diet is. Something too fibrous, for instance, may result in a large fecal deposit. 

The blotches, I have honestly no idea. I hear they change colour in any case though, a camouflage thing. Plecs, far as I've kept them, are pretty durned tough fish. I personally dont find them as a good community fish though, unless its with other very large aquarium fish. Little fish gets between a big plec and the glass.... see what I'm saying here? ; ) Its gone.


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## Gemificus (Jan 26, 2007)

i admit i skimmed

your plec looks like my Gibby having a poo we got Gibby from pets at home almost a year ago at just almost 2" in size he suicide dived onto the shop floor and wouldn't be caught after about 5 mins of chasing him we got him for 2 pounds instead of 3 for fear he may die he is now about 4" i told the other half after him he was the last 1 as we now have 3, there is a type of pleco you can get i have 2 of them that only grow too about 6" at the moment they are 2cm, if I'm 100% honest when it comes to keeping my tank clean plecs are useless and i find that sucking loaches are awesome i put 3 tiny sucking loches is my biggest tank with 2 very large plecs and within a week my tank was 80% cleaner the loaches now are fully grown at about 3" and still keep my tank very very clean


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## lionfish (Jul 15, 2009)

i put 3 tiny sucking loches is my biggest tank with 2 very large plecs and within a week my tank was 80% cleaner the loaches now are fully grown at about 3" and still keep my tank very very clean[/QUOTE]</p> 
Sucking loaches are no way fully grown at 3" ! I had a golden sucking loach at least 6" and they are supposed to max out at around 10" .


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