Why Do Zebra Plecos Die? Top 3 Reasons! Hey everyone, in this video we will look at some of the main reasons why our zebra Plecos as well as many other Loricariads and Pleco species can die so easily if they are so hardy fish! Watch the video till the end and comment below and let me know of any other reasons that can be added to this list. If you are new here I recommend you subscribe to the channel and hit that notification icon for similar updates on these fish as well as many others I currently keep and breed! As always I thank you for your continued support to this channel! Have a wonderful day! God Bless!

@chicanoaquatics143

4 жыл бұрын

I noticed my pleco have refuses to eat, so be careful when switching up diet

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

Chicano Aquatics yes switching diets is not smart imo

Your channel is so informative, love it! You deserve more subs man. My go to channel for info. Thanks!

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

thanks Nolas, means a lot mate! thank you. cheers

Thank you so much for your effort in informing us about these beautiful fish. You are a wealth of knowledge and much appreciated. Have wonderful day.

Great Video Malik. I am watching your videos over n over again. Great learning experience. I am your subscriber n fan from India. God bless us all

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

thanks Prasad, God Bless you!

Enjoying your channel! Nice work.

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks mate! Glad! More to come! Cheers! 🍻

They're beautiful ❤️ I love them. The colors are so vivid and bright. I have a regular pleco. I watch him all the time. He seems pretty happy and healthy. I feed him pleco wafers.

Hi. About 1 month ago I was able to get my hands on 3 Juvenile Zebras (4.5cm). I would have bought more if they had more but they are very very rare here in Costa Rica. They spend all day hiding and I suppose they only come out at night to feed. I never really see them unless I am cleaning out the tank and move stuff around. Your videos have helped me a lot. Thanks

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear I can be of help mate! Get some dither fish in to the tank and feed your zebras a bit extra in the evenings they will grow up and come out .. shrimp also seems to help to get them more comfortable.. give them time and lots of water changes .. you got this .. cheers mate

Another great video! Thank you! Can’t wait to see a more in depth video on breeding those L046!

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

will do and thank you so much! just waiting to get some fry to show in the video .. just doesn't fell right without b reel of babies lol plecos need to cooperate soon lol

I see that you're a very successful zebra pleco breeder. One of the things I was wondering is. Have you tried your hand at the L018 golden nugget pleco?

Thank you for the info big help as I've just got 3 L173

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

congratulations mate! Glad I could help! keep me updated on your progress with them! cheers!

@mitojo60

3 жыл бұрын

Malik's Water Garden will do , your the go to man on these zebra fish will keep watching your content 👍

Nice video! Very well explained! I am thinking of getting some zebra plecos in my 55 gallon tank, so do you think like maybe 3 of them will fit? I do have some cichlids like 1 sevron, 1 macaw cichlid, a ram, and I krib cichlids. I also have 2 angelfish and I have 3 small britslenose plecos and a ton of corydoras Catfish. Thanks!

@AquaMalik

2 жыл бұрын

you can put 20 zebra plecos in your 55 gallon without any issues but I don't think it's a good idea to have all those other fish that might out-compete your zebras for food.. unfortunately they will not be able to feed too well with so many other fish !!!

@roccosfish1484

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your feedback! I might get these guys in the future or when I have a available tank to put them in!

Hi malik! Have you done a video on how to breed them? I've heard and read so much. Turning the temp right up was high on the list, but I'm now unsure if this is good for them!? I'm still growing my 4 young on and hope to get 2 more females! I've 3 L134 in the 160L tank also! Their more robust and I'm thinking they'd be better in with bristlenose? That's my 4 foot tank! I've no room for any more aquariums! Great vid as always!!

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

Hey Terry, if the 134 are big and can hold their own they will do well in a larger tank and will be able to hold their own .. my new 134’s are now in with fish twice or three times their own size and they hold their own and some.. as for temp the idea of raising the temp to attempt a spawn is basenji on the theory that it speeds up the fish’s metabolic functions . In my opinion and with all my experience with many other species as well as Plecos higher temp always seems to be detrimental over longer periods . So I would stay away from that and let the fish spawn on their own time .. keeping the nitrates low and stable seems to be much better trigger in my experience with spawning as oppose to temperature. I’ll try and cover that in the spawning video! Hope that helps mate! Cheers!

@terrystratford1235

4 жыл бұрын

@@AquaMalik I now keep them (L134 L46 and guppy) at 26c! No2 no3 minimal, GH Really high ,so ec will be high ( apparently they may lay eggs but may not be firtile?) may need to use ro!? Ph 6.5 ka is low! I've a gd Led which mimics lightning! And an oxygen pump! High saturated o2 a must! Maybe trying too hard? All my other cats just breed, so maybe taking a step back and just let them get on with it! Life will find a way!!!!! But yes I'm very interested in how you do it!

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

Terry Stratford person I think your trying too hard lol remember nature made the great at this already and we don’t need to do much except keep the water clean .. don’t worry too much about ph and hardness - mine breed in tap water with no help from me what so ever - I find the more I leave a fish alone the better they breed... hopefully they will spawn for you soon . 3 years I think is how old they need to be to spawn! That’s the time it takes them to reach sexual maturity. Hope that helps! Cheers mate

Love your zebras...maybe one day I can afford a group...🤷‍♂️

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

Yes you can 💯

Thanks man this helped Ik this probably sounds crazy but I’m looking for a unique exotic pleco for my exotic turtle and flower horn

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

probably won’t work unless u want to feed the pleco to the flower horn or turtle ..

Also malik, what would you say about having fish in the water column, I thought about putting chili/mosquito rasboras or amano shrimp possibly neocaradinas...If I get chili rasboras do you think the zebras will feel safe with smaller fish above them

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

Totally Chicano, smaller fish and shrimp will make your Plecos feel safer and let them know there’s no predators around and it’s safe to come out.. that’s why mine are always out cause they feel safe. Hope that helps! Cheers mate!

Jbl novo tab, Tropical Carnivore and algea waffer, i use as basefood. 2 to 3 times a week, i add frozen mosquitolarva(red) as well as some mix of flakefood(mostly for the fish swimming) however the zebra eat it too.

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

That’s a great diet mate ! And totally they eat everything I throw in there as well.. cheers

Hello. How do you think can I keep zebra con l201 in the same tank?

ENJOY YOUR VIDEOS, HOW OFTEN DO YOU FEED ZEBRA AND WHAT TIME, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INFO

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

Usually once a day and right when the lights come on cause mine are very active. One day off once a week usually on Sundays followed by spirulina or sera wels chips on Monday! Cheers

I have kept and bred them for years. 1. Ammonia; they are very sensitive to any ammonia. 2. Poor oxygen; they require high oxygen. But also high temperatures. This is inversely related [high temps = lower oxygen]. Hence you need to maintain water changes and keep DOC low; which competes for oxygen. Increase surface agitation and flow. 3. Unstable water parameters. Usually related to water changes. [ie. aquarium is 84F, fresh water for WC is 75F] They need to be fed a high protein diet; Hypancistrus sp. prefer a carnivorous diet. So brine shrimp, cyclops, daphnia, pellets, etc. Also they are nocturnal - so feed at night. Also they need to be kept in a species-only aquarium. They do not compete for food well and are timid. They love darkness - they live 10-20m in rock crevices with fast-flowing water.

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

literally just repeated everything I said in my video! thanks for the summery! cheers!

@wyliecoyote1696

3 жыл бұрын

@@AquaMalik I was just adding my experience. I've kept and bred them for years; they are sensitive about water quality and can die very rapidly if something is off. Again no disrespect; just add my my 2 cents as people [especially me] made a lot of mistakes in the beginning with this fish. Don't want others to make the same.

@wyliecoyote1696

3 жыл бұрын

@@AquaMalik People think they're easy to keep like "other plecos" which is not true at all.

@wyliecoyote1696

2 жыл бұрын

@Live Feeding ASMR Dissolved organic compounds

What temperature do you keep your zebra/crystal red shrimp tank at? and if at higher temperature. how is the crystal red doing? thank you!

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

The zebra tank stays between 82F and 86F (28 to 30C) crystals don’t do well . These are just food for my zebs

Hey Malik, what would you say will be the best tank mates other than Cory's for a l46 community tank.

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

hi Donovan, any type of small Tetra/rasbora, danios should work well also guppies and other liveberares as well as shrimp work well for me personally! hope that helps.. I’ll cover that in more detail in upcoming videos . cheers mate 🍻

@forcefins

4 жыл бұрын

@@AquaMalik Aight! Thank you so much. Went ahead and added 10 cardinal tetras into the tank.

Wow! That one is Corydora fish

bought mine a week ago its hiding behind the filter it moves but never see him eat

I bought 8 l46 pleco.they are 1.5 inches in size. All my 8 plecos are always hiding below the sponge filter. I rarely can see them or enjoy there beauiful colours. They don't feed during daytime always hiding. Hope they move around at night and eat. It is 7 days since I bought them.Mr Malik kindly guide.Thanks for your awesome videos 👍👍👍

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

be patient! put food near the sponge filter area! try ebo aquaristik hypancistrus grow if u can get that stuff or other gel food that u can stick to areas on the tank the fish will be sitting by! hope this helps! Ill try and cover this more in upcoming videos ! watch the pleco playlist - everything I talk about other hypancistrus applies for these as well! just be patient!

@prasadkushe8446

3 жыл бұрын

@@AquaMalik Thanks Malik

Are there any medications that you straight up can’t use on Plecos? I know that they‘don’t have typical scales.

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

that's a hard one ! I try to stay away from any meds with formaline or formaldahyde, copper and other similar stuff. metronidazole, levamisole, and cannaplex are like the only meds I use for pleco related issues ! hope that helps ! cheers!

Hey Malik I have a l144 recently go pale and pass away, my tank is OVERLOADED with algae until the walls are so full u can barely see the into the tank, is there a reason he passed so suddenly? My l183 is doing OK

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

an excess of algae usally reflects a very high phosphate and nitrate levels! check your water quality and also your test ph a sap.. could be a ph crash!!!

could you list the foods the zebras like that you mentioned in your video?

@AquaMalik

2 жыл бұрын

yes there are several videos on my zebra pleco playlist detailing all the foods I feed as well as several other detailed videos about general pleco and fish nutrition and foods I use!!! look up "food" "feeding" and "feed" on my channel

What are those blocks in your Tank and where can I find them ?

@AquaMalik

2 жыл бұрын

It’s called a pleco hotel I think u can find it on eBay

I lost 3 Zeebs in my life. 1. Completely vanished out of sight 2. New Tank Syndrome 3. Fin Rot (Sharp slate stones) and Airpump malfunction.... 😢😢😢

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

Awe that sucks mate .. it’s never fun to lose fish especially when they are rare and pricy! 😑

im looking for a colony of them if you have some can you let me know or if anyone knows please let me know

Hey Malik, do you ever use a preventative medication with fry?? Or is that something that is generally of no help? Thanks for the info.👍👍👍

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

Hey Mark, Personally I only medicate when there’s something wrong . Unless I just do a thorough quarantine! I don’t believe in medication unless something is wrong. Hope that helps. Cheers bud! 🍻

Best Food that we can find in india fr L46,and others brother

Wait, did you said zebra pleco died in one year or each year on West?

Some people are going to naturally overfeed this species of fish unintentionally... they want the fish to do well, they feed and they feed often, they see videos on KZread with zucchini’s on forks for other species of Pleco and that’s an occasional thing, and invariably there’s some confusion about how quickly to remove excess food from the tank and there goes your water quality, and then you get more fish poop and there goes your water quality. That’s just my opinion anyway, lots of things can go wrong with a zebra Pleco... (I am curious if they stay healthy without a strong water current though) (and how much current is so strong that you stress your fish?).

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

This is why I stick to commercial food like dr Basleers and EBO NorthFin etc. Less issues and I never have to guess when to remove something that is rotting in my tank .. I totally understand the overfeeding tho lol try to give them a day or two of no food fasting once a week to help reduce risk of bloat.. also zebras don’t really eat zucchini they can’t really digest fibres .. so it’s bad for them to eat it As for the flow question it’s not necessarily a matter of flow as much as dissolved oxygen in the water.. at the temperature they live at oxygen saturation is already quite low and these fish are used to really high oxygen saturation so that’s why the flow is mostly important.. so a moderate flow is ideal I think nothing crazy strong like a 40 Breeder with a powerhead which can turn the water over 4 to 5 times so 160 gallons to 200 gallons per hour powerhead

@spyrit35

4 жыл бұрын

@@AquaMalik Thanks for the quick answer Malik, how you phrased it gave me some extra info... my climate is alot more warm (and consistently warm) than yours, sounds like I would need more flow than you since my water won't hold as much oxygen... thanks Man, keep up the good work.

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

@@spyrit35 totally Sean.. even tho your climate is warmer I'm sure we keep out tanks around the same temperatures! my zebra tank is at 83F right now and usally that temperature all year round!

Looks like they need soft water I see cardina shrimp in there. So not hard water species?

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

definitely not hard water species!

I got l333 plecos since a year. I notice that they stop eating and I think they are scratching. It is any mes I can give them?

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

It’s hard to determine what is wrong with ur fish without seeing them so I can’t recommend medication.. did u add something new in to the tank recently to bring in and disease?

Thank you for the info! I wish i would have found this sooner😑

@AquaMalik

3 жыл бұрын

anytime!

I don’t have a Vervet idea or Columbus idea?

Transperictation for a time into a Early viewpoint

What is the average lifespan for a zebra pleco?

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

I would say 15 years in a decent good lifespan but in the right care they can live even longer! Cheers

Did I see u on tv or vice or something like that ?

While, here have fishes,shrimps,pleco fishes and more everybody!

Do you get your zebras from gehan??

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

I haven’t yet but am suppose to pick up a couple of his babies this summer ..

@dannyelpetachen

4 жыл бұрын

Malik's Water Garden picked some up 3 weeks ago. My first group of zebras. They’re doing amazing. Any suggestions for feeding?

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

@@dannyelpetachen that’s awesome mate. Congratulations... watch my video on how to feed Hypancistrus. I laid out all their favourite foods . Cheers mate

mmm k!

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

Cheers !

Have they been spawning for you?

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

nope no action yet .. just eating expensive food and living the dream loll hopefully soon tho! I really haven't been focusing on them to be completely honest just letting them do their own thing!

@tomfasano9082

4 жыл бұрын

Malik's Water Garden try smaller diameter caves. Like 1” wide. Ive offered mine many caves and they always choose the smallest. Had to make my own to meet their liking. The downside if there is one is that it is impossible to get anything out of the cave so I made them with removable tops

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

@@tomfasano9082 nice I need to get more smaller caves .. all my smaller caves got salvaged for the 471 tank so yeah amazon and ebay is gonna get some business soon I think . also how did ya make your caves?

@tomfasano9082

4 жыл бұрын

Malik's Water Garden I just used slate tiles. I will try to send you some pics on fb.

Enormous carnivorous fish?

More Zebras! Lol

@AquaMalik

4 жыл бұрын

Yes sir .. I might get some more from Gehan next month lol 🤦‍♂️ birthday is coming up lolll

Two points. If your outlook is. If at first you don’t succeed try again. Probably sky diving is not for you. Also if you are the type of person so lazy that you kill pet rocks. If you are not dedicated to putting the needs of your live stock first at all times. Putting in the constant quality of care and workload. Then zero animal never mind a beautiful and endangered zebra pleco. Should not be allowed anywhere near you. With the combination of dams, mining, and other environmental threats. The wild population of zebra pleco. Are under extreme risk of becoming extinct. Making every single fish important in the remaining gene pool.

Ph ? GH ? KH ?