I would definitely rescue him, but you need to find out and I am not the person or that. I reccomend using AqAdvisor.

 

AqAdvisor says i am already overstocked, but i always think their recommendations are overly cautious, and don't account for plants.

 

While one is tempted to "rescue" this pleco, the fact is that you would be acquiring some very real risk for your existing fish. And you would likely live to seriously regret it.

A fish that is so obviously not well cared for, in such a small environment, is almost guaranteed to have health problems. The immune system has been severely weakened by the stress, and such fish are often overly aggressive. Aggression is a fish's only way of lashing out when it is under such stress. In the current tank, it is basically just sitting there as it has no other recourse. But move it into more spacious surroundings, and it might well display aggression, especially toward the loaches which it will view as invaders to its territory. Pleco are very territorial fish, and beyond this during the night could well eat anything smaller.

To avoid possibly destroying (literally) your existing community, I would not add such a fish.

Byron.

 

While one is tempted to "rescue" this pleco, the fact is that you would be acquiring some very real risk for your existing fish. And you would likely live to seriously regret it.

A fish that is so obviously not well cared for, in such a small environment, is almost guaranteed to have health problems. The immune system has been severely weakened by the stress, and such fish are often overly aggressive. Aggression is a fish's only way of lashing out when it is under such stress. In the current tank, it is basically just sitting there as it has no other recourse. But move it into more spacious surroundings, and it might well display aggression, especially toward the loaches which it will view as invaders to its territory. Pleco are very territorial fish, and beyond this during the night could well eat anything smaller.

To avoid possibly destroying (literally) your existing community, I would not add such a fish.

Byron.

Are you an Ickthyologist?

 

Personally, I think you should get it. You can later try to rehome him and take the time to find a person with a huge tank etc, if you chose not to keep him, but the poor thing may end up going to someone else who will put him in a 30 gal or smaller.

Gwen

 

I'm not going to get it. As much as my soft heart wants to do it, I will not jeopardize the fish I've already got by risking the scenario Byron described. 39 little fish are worth more to me than saving one large fish, no matter how mistreated the poor thing is.

I might, however, speak to a fish keeping co-worker tomorrow... Before I do, though, i can describe his tank to see if I should bother talking to him...

55g, aquaclear 70 (i think), rena canister filter... I don't know the size but I know it is rated for a larger tank than 55g. Inhabitants are 4-5 jack dempseys, maybe 7 convicts, a pictus catfish, and he also has a couple algae eaters... I want to say one is a siamese algae eater and some sort of pleco... But I'm not sure. there is a large piece of driftwood, a y-shaped piece of PVC pipe, and some large shells, some of which are leaned up against the tank walls to provide hiding spots.

If i were to hazard a guess based on what Byron posted in this thread, and what I read in the profile for plecos, I'm thinking this tank also would not be suitable due to the presence of the other two algae eaters? Any thoughts?

 

Byron does have good points on this, and playing it safe would be best. To bad you don't have a way to keep him in a seperate tank, until you know he's healthy. Asking another person you know, will just be putting their tank at risk, unless he/she has a QT. You may just have to hope that the person trying to place it, knows it is too large for their tank, and will be finding it a suitable home. If they didn't care at all, they'd do nothing, and wait till it died. That's the upside

Gwen

 

in all likelihood, the poor fish is already doomed. that long in that small of a tank will have done more than enough damage to severely shorten its lifespan and the lack of care this indicates would have shortened it more. i feel bad for it, but there is probably nothing anyone can really do at this point.

 

The issues I raised previously would apply whatever the tank, if other fish are included. This is the problem; we don't know what permanent effect may have been done, if any. If there was a 4-foot tank with no substrate fish and upper fish that could handle themselves, it might be worth the gamble. But the risk is always there.