Those white cuttings were able to live independent of the green parts? Wow. I am really surprised that it can be that white and grow/survive. I would expect it would need to be more green to be able to do enough photosynthesis

Hiya Purp, SI or CC had no fragrance that I recall (tho' I can't say I recall sticking my nose in a pot of them). But they had 'em hanging in the neighborhood bar & my SO was tall, so he would have mentioned it if he had smelled them (he was an undercover plant guy who wintered over Caladium bulbs in a dry pot of mix in his closet). He also grew Setcreseas indoors very nicely (first I'd ever seen), hanging in a heavy jute hanger he'd made.

Blakekr: Late so maybe I am misreading. What size tank. Pleco is pretty large (or gets to be) That said, what is the ph of the tank... most not all tetras prefer lower ph... below 7... (what was in the bag your brought them home in) I do many hours slow dribble to move the ph from store (5) to mine 7.6. Now note I said tetres like lower ph. The ones I got and put into already cycled tank.. are pristella tetras and from my research are hardier and can handle higher ph and even brakish water then most tetras. Should be no ammonia which means all is off in tank ie not best water. Tetras tend to be very sensitive to water conditions in my experience and research (again prestellas are often used to cycle - something I think no fish should be used strictly for) much hardier. That said, not fish will do well with not best water conditions. I would not put any pleco large or otherwise with any small fish. In spite of what you may or may not have read, mine (gone now gave away) would eat my smaller fish including cat fish (pregnant and really upset me, one of pair I was going to breed) you say large, so again what size tank... they could be getting stressed. They also get stressed when not in proper sized school. Please write again or email me sherryazure@yaoo.com (not getting emails anymore and can't seem to correct) for info on tank size. Are you over zeolous in cleaning vacumming thereby causing ammonia (bacteria has to start recylce all over again)... Please mentions size of tank so one can determine amount of water changes.... don't do all of gravel all at once. Unless you have live plants you don't need deep gravel.. I would wait to add anything until this is figured out. Need tank size. Temperature PH Type of filtrations and actualy size of pleco for tank size.. they grow up to 12 inches and you need a huge tank eventually. Live plants, any plants, wood for pleco... algae waefers fed to pleco... The more informatin the better. Any symptoms with re to fish prior to dying? Again, though you mention ammonia. zero. Fish have gills that have delicate little arches. This is the area where oxygen transportation occurs. when this is damages (ie fish jumps, they collaspe) or ammnoia or other neg water (ammonia burns this area like acid to them) they then can't breathe and blood gets damaged so on.. breathing hard and lying on side is an indication of this. Please post more info. Best Sherry

If your fish have TB, it was probably present when you bought them as visable signs like the sunken belly as you described are the advanced stages of the disease. It is a bacterial infection that will not respond well to treatment. I would not buy any more fish for your aquarium. My suggestion would be to pamper the fish you have left, if they show any visable signs, they should be moved to a hospital tank untill they pass, because if they die in your tank and the other fish consume them the disease will be passed on. It can also be passed by other fish consuming deseased poop. (which im sure your cory's were doing) I am not sure if your tetras are infected, but tetra's are susceptible to the disease. If you loose all of your fish, I think the best thing to do is strip your tank, clean it really well (filter too!) and start over. Oh and don't buy any new fish from the dealer you used previously. They are probably selling a lot of infected fish and not even knowing it, because you can't tell if the fish are infected untill its too late. One thing you cold do with the fish you have left is feed them a varied diet. Switch things up a bit and see if you can tempt them to eat something different. If your bottom feeders aren't getting any food, try buying black worms, suck a few up in a turkey baster, then squirt them out at the bottom of the tank near the cory's. This would give them first dibs on the food. I had to do this with my little frogs, because the fish always ate all the food before it got to the bottom. Good luck, im sorry to hear that you are having all these problems with your tank. -Jessica