# pleco on its back



## lee250 (Oct 18, 2015)

I woke up this morning to find my pleco in my 29 on its back. It's still alive so I flipped it back over and it took off real quick then flipped itself back over again and it's still lying there. The other fish are all fine. The tank is just finishing up cycling. Is it going to die or has anyone seen this before? It's maybe 3 inches long.


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## LinaS (Jul 14, 2015)

sometimes i see my plecos upside down on driftwood )) they are fine... its just normal behavior for them


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Bottom dwellers are a bit weird??? Totally normal, it seems. Loaches tend to lay down and look dead. Catfish hang in any number of spots or lay around in piles!


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## mr_fantastic (Nov 7, 2015)

do you have an exposed air stone?


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

Many plecos fall asleep hanging upside down on a piece of driftwood. Sometimes during their nap they let go and just fall down without waking up. So finding a pleco laying upside down is normal. However, if you turned him over and he swam away and then turned himself back upside down while awake I would find that strange.


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## lee250 (Oct 18, 2015)

No air stone. Just running the hob filter which moves the water pretty good so I didn't see a need for an air stone


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## lee250 (Oct 18, 2015)

Well it died today. Not sure what went wrong. The tank is finishing up cycling but I've been doing water changes and the 7 bleeding hearts, 3 kuhli loaches, and apistogramma viejita are all fine and happy. What could it be? There was plenty of algae there. I have to scrape it off periodically.


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## bsherwood (Nov 22, 2007)

Sorry it died. IMO NEVER BUY PLECO"S before you know it you have a giant monster that you can't do anything with.

however I did see a pretty cool Pleco only tank....never the less- NOT IN MY TANKS EVER AGAIN!


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## Clear Water (Sep 20, 2014)

It never sounded to me like normal behavior. Hanging from driftwood would be normal but upside down on the bottom not. You will never no what happen to him just watch your other fish see if they keep acting like the have been.


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