Sultan pleco and prawn prep.

[BigBen]

Hey guys.

For a little while my sultan pleco has been loosing weight. He looks terrible at the moment and I fear he won't live much longer. I've always put food in his hidey hole, but quite often remove it as he's not eaten in. I'm going to put him in one of my 55l on his own temporarily, to monitor his feeding a little easier and worm him.

The main question I have, is how to prepare a cooked prawn for him. Can I just chuck it in straight away without doing anything other than defrost and soak in some tank water? Is there anything a little different I can use other than prawns, like cockles or muscles?

If he gains weight successfully, but looses it again when I return him to the main tank, I will consider rehoming him. I'm a little worried he is stressed among the cichlids. I've never seen any aggression towards him, but if he doesn't have worms, there must be another reason he isn't eating. Any other ideas?

Cheers!

[black ghost]

Just drop defrosted prawns in as they are. Will it eat frozen bloodworms? Does it also get plenty of veg?

What are the water parameters?

[BigBen]

Doesn't seem to be eating a lot. Messaged the shop and they said he is most likely wild caught. Doesn't eat a lot but maybe struggling to work out what food is if he is wild. I did remember earlier that the keyholes mess around in his caves so they might be stressing him out.

Parameters are:
PH 7 (drops slightly through the week to 6.8/9)
KH/GH 1&2
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10

[BigBen]

I found my lemon dead today, and it's stomach was wiggling from the inside, so I'll be worming the entire tank now. Possibly the most disgusting thing I've seen in fishkeeping. I've not added anything to this tank since Christmas, so not sure what has caused the worms to become an issue all of a sudden.

[plankton]

Sorry to hear.

[Gingerlove05]

Sorry for your loss Ben

[BigBen]

I've managed to get him feeding Turns out stuffed courgette is the way to go. I'm hoping it he gains weight his fins might recover a little, noticed they're a bit raggedy. I wonder if he has had a running with the keyholes at some point as they enter his dens. He hangs out on the filter inlet a bit which seems unnatural. I might look at getting different shaped caves that make it a little more difficult for them to go in.

[BigBen]

On the last point, what sized cave should I go for? I want a semi circle cave.

There doesn't seem to be a specialist stockist in the UK that I can ask. Does anybody know of one?

[black ghost]

The important thing surely is the needs of the fish. It wants a cave that the keyholes can’t get into when he’s in it, and that you can’t see into. They sleep in them so it needs to be dark and undisturbed. A narrow crevice between rocks would be it’s usual kind of “cave”.

Sounds like you haven’t been giving it enough veg?

[BigBen]

The important thing surely is the needs of the fish. It wants a cave that the keyholes can’t get into when he’s in it, and that you can’t see into. They sleep in them so it needs to be dark and undisturbed. A narrow crevice between rocks would be it’s usual kind of “cave”.

Sounds like you haven’t been giving it enough veg?

I've always had veg in there, but he's never taken it. I guess I've not put it in the right places. I've been putting it right by him this week and he hasn't touched it until I put the bugbites in it. The bristlenoses have always taken the veg.