Okay, my pond has been up and running for a few months now, and there is a sudden problem with one of my plecos. I added two new plecos about a month or two ago, and today I went to check the mail and I noticed one pleco kept leaping a little out to the surface of the water, then he slowly went down to the bottom of the pond. I decided to take a closer look at him by drawing him to the surface with a pole, and he was breathing and all, but...it's like he can't swim now. He didn't even put up a fight. He keeps floating upside down now on the surface. What should I do?? I'm very limited on money and all right now too!! >.<

As far as the water goes, I don't test it too often, and I try not to put many chemicals in the pond. I haven't added anything new. I only add a bit of algaefix stuff every once a week to help control the algae.

The odd thing is, my other fish are just fine.

I did notice a small little bump on his belly too. And it looked like the tips of his fins were a little red too.

Please help me.

Plecs would only be kept indoors in a tank in the UK - so I guess you must live in part of the US that stays warm all year.

If you have added algaefix then surely you have removed the plecs food so perhaps it is dying of hunger

Well, he did die today.

Now, I do have two more Plecos. They are just fine.

The algaefix I add is only to help control it, there is algae at the bottom of the pond. I only add enough to help with the algae that gets into the waterfall, the surface, and into my filter. Which is so gross.

It does stay pretty warm all year round here in Florida.
It's the closest state to Cuba and the equator.

Poor pleco.

Do you have a UV filter?

I've had one holiday in Florida - friends live there too

Plecs shouldnt really be in ponds if there are large koi in there as they will tend to batter them a little, ive heard of people doing it but thats only with very large ones.

plecs are fine in ponds we keep them in a big pond at work

yeah until theres not enough food for them due to koi, rember its ok at an aquatic store cause they aint going to stay there but in a long term pond they shouldnt be.

well as for large plecs we sell about two at a foot long pewr yeah there so hard to shift so they will be stayig in there, with the koi.

In england however they should be moved in the winter in doors unless the pond is heated so you still need a big enough tank for it for the winter. In the US its quite different as wheather stays warm nearly all year round (depending where you live) but their is still the koi bashing them and the trouble of feeding the plecs.

....my pleco wound up dead the next day. On top of that, about a week later, ALL 11 of my koi died over night.

I had my water tested and everything was perfect. Nobody can understand why all 11 of my koi died, and my catfish and two plecos lived. It makes no sense at all. It was very hard burying all my babies.