# Rubbernose Pleco Quarantine



## Cocobid (Jan 26, 2007)

I want to Thank Everyone for helping with the goldfish Illness a while back
Happy to report that everyone is extremely well and beautiful fins have returned. Plants are still sitting in a large tube am planning to treat tonight with tetracycline just in case. They have been in isolation a long time. Mom is still with us but I spend as much time with her as I can basically all day.

Yesterday purchased 3 small Pleco and are in a 2G quarantine. How best should I treat them to disinfect for any guests!!!! They are quite small. 
I really just don't trust isolation alone way to many things can be lurking just not worth introducing any issues to my Goldie's. I have read they do not do well in salt. 
Have a host of meds on hand and am placing an order from Big Al's today. 
Best to be safe than sorry. 

Thank You, 
Karen/Cocobid


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

I have never had any luck with these fish.
They are starved when shipped in bulk and it is hard to get them feeding again.
I have never had any problems with bristlenose plecos however.

The first thing you need to worry about is getting these fish eating.
If they make it great, like I said, none of the ones I have ever gotten did.
If you can get them from a US breeder, better bet they will live.
keep in mind that you should have wood in the tank for them to graze on also.


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## evercl92 (Aug 14, 2006)

Keep the water warm. Most plec's do better in warmer tanks, in low 80's. When we get plec's in at work, I always make sure they go in a warm tank, for at least 2 weeks. Usually they end up staying there, but sometimes we move them. Feed gently but daily, cleaning up what they don't eat overnight. I usually add a dose of melafix to the water, as a preventative. 

Batches of rubberlips seem to be hit or miss with ours. About one of every four batches will simply crash on us, and they all end up dieing within a couple days of getting them. I'd say watch them for two weeks, keep water warm and aerated, feed gently. Most fish diseases don't last more than 2 weeks without a host.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

I keep all my tanks in the low 80's, still no luck with them.
I must always get from the bad batches.
I just went back to the bristlenose, I always have luck with them, but then again, I get them from friends who spawned them.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Good for to to quarantine them. 

You don't need any meds (except possibly de-worming them) unless you see a definite problem. They've had a hard enough time with all of the moving and handling, and meds will stress them out more, so as suggested, give them nice clean water at the proper temp, and hopefully they'll do very well for you.


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## KnaveTO (Jul 4, 2007)

most Chaetostoma`s prefer algea and meat in their diets. It takes quite a bit of coaxing to get them to eat sinking pellets. Try feeding them on veggies. Zuchini is usually good and taken by most, you could also try mashed peas and lettuce. As for parasites and diseases I find that a tank turned up to 30C will help (do it slowly over a couple of days). As for salt... I have never had a problem with salt and my plecos. Currently I have an L031, L066 and a L183 and all were isolated. The 31 and 66 turned out to have ick and the treatment was temp 30C, 5mL of Para-Guard a day, 50% waterchange every other day and 2tsp of aquarium salt per gallon of water. The ick is gone and just carrying out the treatment for another week and they are fine. Never went off their zuchini or anything, and these are wild caughts.

Do not medicate they unless you see that there is something there. By doing so you could permanently compromise the immune system of the fish and wekening a fish already weakend by shipping and stress. Also try changing the water fairly often during the early stages of isolation. Another question is what is your watermovement like in the tank?


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