# Pleco injuring himself



## crystaldc (Jun 7, 2011)

My pleco, who is 25 yrs old, has been thrashing around his tank recently. He has cut the top of his nose when he hit the edge of the filter. I am concerned about his behavior and also that he might get an infection from the cuts. He is by himself in a 40 gal tank. I am on a regular schedule with cleaning and feeding. The tank is about 10 yrs old and I have never had a problem with it. Nothing has changed recently. I did a water test this morning.

freshwater PH = 7.8
high range PH = 7.8
ammonia = 0 ppm
nitrite = 0 ppm
carbonate hardness = 89.5 ppm
general hardness = over 600 ppm

GH seems excessively high, but I'm not sure that this is not normal for this tank. I haven't done water tests in a long time. I'm scheduled to clean the tank this weekend and I'll test it again.

Does anyone have any ideas or advice for me?

Thanks, Crystal


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

Keep the water clean and the pleco should heal up alright on its own. If the fish is 25 years old it's probably getting close to the end of it's life span.


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## crystaldc (Jun 7, 2011)

Thanks for your response. Because of his age I'm worried about stressing him more. Also, he is a considered a member of the family.

> Crystal


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