# The case of the disappearing Pleco



## meyerhaus (Feb 27, 2006)

So, I bought a new Pleco from the LFS last week. I just needed another eater for my 38. Point being, I know that I saw him swimming around in there that night, but I cannot find him in my tank. Since that night, he is MIA. I have taken out all of the ornaments in my tank and he is not in there. If he would have died, would tetras, corys and my loach eaten him? :rip:


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

could the pleco fit in any of the other fishes mouths? maybe the pleco died and they scooped him up

i lost a mickey mouse platy a few months ago and never found her, and i only had a few ornaments in the tank.


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## meyerhaus (Feb 27, 2006)

Nope...the biggest fish is the loach...he would have to have a REALLY stretchy mouth!


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

do you have any ornaments that are hollow?


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## meyerhaus (Feb 27, 2006)

Nope...I have a hollow driftwood (which I extracted and looked at VERY carefully) and a little cave that I have moved regularly.


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## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

I thought mine was MIA once, but he was up in the very top of an ornament, someplace it didn't look like he'd even fit. You may want to inspect the ornaments again. I don't know how else he could of disappeared.


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## meyerhaus (Feb 27, 2006)

I'm going to be doing a 50% change this weekend, so that will be as good a time as any.


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## Alin10123 (May 22, 2005)

Maybe's he's stuck behind the water heater or behind the filter inlet? Mine's gotten lost there before and i thought he dissappeared.


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## Maria* (Apr 14, 2006)

This happens all the time. Pleco's have an uncanny ability to disappear and reappear at will. Do you watch your tank regularly? Do you have live plants? Your pleco could be all nestled in your plants somewhere, getting all the food he needs/maybe coming out at night when you aren't around? I lost sight of a pleco for about two months once...he he he


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

If you can't find him anywhere else, check the floor. About him dieing and your fish eating him, it's possible but it would probably take them a while to eat him up.


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## toadstoool (Apr 29, 2006)

He might be in the driftwood turn it over and see if he comes out . do you have a cat . I had a YOYO Loach that jumped out of the tank and my wife got it before the cat it was a close one but three more jumps ended his life but it wasn't the cat he just hit the floor to many times. I didn't think it would keep doin it.


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## Guest (May 13, 2006)

Yes, plecos are very good at hide and seek. I have a big piece of DW in my 55g that's not hollow. My bristlenose spends his days on the back of it. I took it out once to attach some moss and totally forgot that he usually hangs out on it. I did shake it though. When I took it out of the water my BN dropped to the floor. Scared the crap out of me. I scooped him up real quick and put him back in the tank. He was fine!

I've also had a yoyo loach hide inside of a pirate ship aeration ornament thing. I shook it, took it out of the tank and put it into a box. I looked down about 10 mins later and a yoyo loach was laying in the box. I screamed. It was ok too though.

Do the water change. Look inside the hollow DW again, really carefully. Check in and around all your ornaments. And also check the floor around the tank. He's in there somewhere, if he's not on the floor.

Also, check your ammonia level. That should tell you if you have a dead fish in the tank. Even if he had been dead for a little while, ammonia would still register.


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## meyerhaus (Feb 27, 2006)

Thanks for the good thoughts Kristin. I had a platy die two days ago, so my ammonia is already a little off. I am guessing that he has nestled himself into a nice crevis in the DW. The problem is, I have some common algae that he needs to start eating! I brought the Pleco from my Angel tank up and he started to eat, but he become full pretty quickly. Maybe I'll borrow my neighbors 1' long albino to clean it up; what a feast!


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## meyerhaus (Feb 27, 2006)

He was, indeed, clinging to the inside top of a small cave that I have. His color blended perfectly, so I did not even see him until I had it out of the water. He is now hanging out on the underside of one of my big-leaved plants.


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## Scy64 (Apr 23, 2006)

Good to hear he's doing ok!


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## meyerhaus (Feb 27, 2006)

He has grown from 2.5" to 4" in two weeks...I swear. That fish must be eating all night long.


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## Guest (May 15, 2006)

I'm glad you found him. I knew he was in there somewhere. They are great at hide and seek!


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## Guest (May 15, 2006)

I was thinking it would be cool if they could turn invisible! Which they can't of course... So, you took it out of the water and he/she didn't even fall out? Wow!
Sweet! I'm glad he/she is alive! x']

-Tess


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