Sick Pleco - Please Help

[Pleco Mom]

Here's the info about our Pleco:

We adopted him about six years ago and he's around 10 inches tall. He's in a 40 gallon tank and there are only two other fish (both are Buenos Aires tetras).

Here's our dilema:

Our Pleco has been ill lately and his stomach looks like a balloon. He has lost his appetite for his regular fresh veggies (mostly zucchini) and he has only been feeding on the algae wafers. He seems agitated and he doesn't poop like he used to. If anyone knows of a solution, please let us know. We greatly appreciate it

 

[thing fish]

what type of pleco is it? is there any wood in the tank? for many plecos wood is a source of fiber and helps keep their teeth worn down.

not sure, but your pleco may be constipated. you could try fasting him for a few days and then see if it will eat the veggies...and depending on the species, consider adding wood if you dont have any already.

 

[Pleco Mom]

Sick Pleco

Thank you for the quick reply. I'm not sure our type of Pleco, so I've attached a pic of him. We do not have wood in the tank. What type of wood should we feed him? Is it something we can get from the pet store?

 

[Pleco Mom]

Pleco

Sorry, here's the pic...

 

[thing fish]

i am not very good at identifying plecos. maybe somebody else can jump in. if it is a common it will get very large and outgrow that tank.

that said, most if not all plecos will appreciate some wood; it helps with their digestion. i would avoid mopani wood as it is hard. bogwood is good. they also sell algae wafers with wood in them but i would definitely add a piece as well. it will help soften the water and they love it.

please update your fish's condition over the next few days.

 

[cgthebeast]

It's a common, I don't really know what's wrong with it but it's way to small a tank an there super messy.


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[thing fish]

any updates on your fish?

 

[Autumnsky]

What about the tank parameters, Ammonia, NitrIte and NitrAte, do you know the pH and hardness?

Green peas blanched and dropped in help with constipation. But it could be water conditions as well. He could be suffering some ill effects from stunting. Messed up internal organs. Common Pleco 8-10 years can be 18 inches long if living in correct size tank ( which would probably be a 125G+ due to the length and depth of 24"+.

You should know there are more likely to be problems when a fish hasn't been in the right tank and can die prematurely and have more medical issues. You will need to make accomodations for him, preferrably a larger tank, lots of extra pwc.

 

[Pleco Mom]

Thank you for the advice. I bought the bogwood and I'm hoping he likes it. I see some comments about the tank size, but I can't afford a bigger tank for him. I took him on from a co-worker that was leaving the state and I'm doing my best to accommodate the fish in the tank with frequent water changes and better treats (including bloodworms and veggies). I'm hoping that he can get over this and will give another update about his condition. Thank you.

 

[Autumnsky]

The microwaved or blanched peas ( I use frozen and will cook them for a few days worth), the inside parts not the outer round shell part are great for treating constipation and he should really like them.

Nice of you to do the best you can for him.

People give away larger tanks like 55G all the time (on CL) when it doesn't sell and they gotta move it out.

Good luck with the treatments. Clean fresh (treated) water also does wonders.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

How long have the BA tetras been in the tank?
(Really you want more than 2)

Count number of rays in dorsal fin, more than 10 it is pterygoplicthys sp.
Less than that it could be hypostomus or liposarcus sp.

The fish NEEDS caves! made from wood or rock! every single plec I've kept likes to hide at some point throughout the day. This could be causing stress which could be leading to ill health.

Look at water quality? The fish would be having a significant impact here, make sure it is up to scratch. (It might be already, I'm just saying!)

If the tetra are a new addition, look at that, they may have brought some unwelcome guests along!

Most likely an internal parasite or bacteria treatment should do the trick.
Feed a variety of foods including algae wafers and catfish pellets.

Without a positive id on the fish there is no way to speculate on what size it should be, they can get to be anything from 8-18+ inches depending on species.

Most rivers in South America have an abundance of plec species, the most prevalent of which would become the "common" species associated with that river system. So the common plec is 100+ fish.

 

[Jessy2363]

If I were you I'd be thinking either internal bacterial infection or internal parasite. Worm with Levamisole and flubendazole for 9 days, leaving 3 days between each dosage. Then if that doesn't help I'd start with a broad spectrum antibiotic to treat an internal infection. I think most internal bacterial infections that are not parasite related are generally gram negative but don't quote me on that! I'd try kanaplex which has kanamycin in it. Either way move fast as it could escalate and kill him if it's not a simple constipation issue. Even constipation can cause internal infections if the fish ends up getting too blocked up putting pressure on its organs. If you need dosages for the flubendazole and levamisole just ask me. I hope you can get those meds. Often bird wormer has levamisole in it and flubendazole is available from the vet and it should also be cheap.

 

[missie86]

http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/ItemsForSale.html

This guy helped me when I had a camallanus infestation. I was able to purchase the meds directly from him and he emails back pretty quick and can help.

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[Jessy2363]

Levamisole, Flubendazole & other chemicals for the aquarium

This guy helped me when I had a camallanus infestation. I was able to purchase the meds directly from him and he emails back pretty quick and can help.

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Excellent. You're spoilt for choice by the sounds of it. I always have flubendazole and levamisole on hand. Also Metronidazole is good in case of internal parasites also. I guess you'll need to start an elimination process. Start by worming, if no change move onto antibiotics. There's so many antibiotics to choose from. Go with seachem products if possible. If you want to purchase a fish product that battles internal parasites go for tetra parasite guard. It has some decent meds in it. If that doesn't work get a gram negative antibiotic like kanamycin (seachem Kanaplex)

 

[Pleco Mom]

Thank you all for your great advice. I also bought the general cure powder and it seems to be working. There is some white discharge when he poops and his belly is getting better

 

[Autumnsky]

If there is white looking stringy poop he might also have internal parasites. Personally not sure what a big plecos poop looks like when normal.

 

[Jessy2363]

Yeah API general cure is decent stuff for parasites


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