Pleco jumped out of tank?

Just got a new albino sailfin, he is a beautiful fish, but he decided he liked the floor outside the tank rather than the water, he jumped out of the net when i was putting him in the tank and landed quite heavily on the floor, i got him in the tank really quick but i want to make sure, will he be OK?

I have a friend whose foot long common jumped out of her tank and was on the floor for about 2-5 mins because she didn't know, plecos are quite hardy but i want to make sure that mine will be OK, how long can they be out of water?


Thanks for any help

James

Your sailfin should be OK but keep an eye on it anyway, with it only being moments then he will not have become to stressed with his near death experience.

There are many reports of some plecos surviving out of water for long periods of time.

Pterygoplichthys are known for being kept out of water and sold alive in fish markets.

Thanks Jim, he should be OK, he is moving around more in the tank...

Thanks for the help

James

jim is spot on, i might just add some melafix and pimafix to the water just to ward off any nasties he may have picked up on the floor

ah, i don't know if i will be able to get any of that stuff, never even seen it before, but heard of it plenty of times, what does it do exactly? just kill any bacteria or fungi that may be in the tank?

Thanks anyway

they are your first line of defence against bacterial and fungal infections. They are both natural-ish products that help fish fight off infections. They are very common and any fish shop worth anything should have them. They are not strong to fight an established infection but will help prevent an infection taking hold.

oh OK, so could these be used to introduce new fish and things like that?

Thanks

James

Try and find a local LFS that sells them, knowing where there is a good shop is important if you need an item quickly.

If you don't have any LFS that sell them then you can always get them off ebay.

OK Jim, thanks for all of your help

James

We get the pond strength melafix as it works out a lot cheaper in the long run ..... comes in handy in the fish room, and always put some in a tank when we get new fish to quarantine or put fish into another tank.

Thanks Angi, ill keep an eye out for that wheen im next in the LFS