Need some advice on fin rott

[Florio]

Hey guys I have a common pleco ( small kind ) with some pretty bad fin rot going on.


I would medicate it but I also have german rams in the tank which are supposed to be sensitive to meds.

What can I do instead of medicating?

45 gallon bowfront

0 ammonia
0 nitrite
? Nitrate

I do weekly 50% water changes and have a good bio load and tons of plants so that can't be the problem.

I do have a second pleco which seems to be fine so it's probably just stress from the second pleco In tank.

I don't have a second tank to isolate. So what can I do?

 

[Fishanatic]

Hello,
*Notice*If this pleco stays under 6''(4''-6''), it's not a true common pleco, or was mislabeled and you will have a giant in you're hands.**

Fin rot is sign of poor water quality, or even stress. Is this fish new? Has he been transported a lot?
From you're description, this looks advanced. If it's very advanced, the risks of survival are slim. Thankfully, finrot is usually not contagious. I would recommend adding salt, vacuuming the gravel to remove excess food, doing water changes by-weekly of 50%. If you want to assure this fish to live, you must find some way to isolate it and try to heal it off a bit, and even use medication to prevent infection and help it heal quicker before it get's any worse. In these advanced cases, medication is usually mandatory, even if I personally hate using it.

 

[Florio]

No it's a small guy but, I don't want to risk my rams over a pleco. I have pretty good water conditions. Ill do some more waterchanges and see what happens.