What are these Dots?

[justsomedude89]

Ok so 2 days ago my BN Pleco had a balloned stomach and strange yellow dots on him now today i find him dead upside down in a corner...

i checked out all my other fish and they seem ok except for my red tail pleco who now also has these dots but his stomach is not balloned like the BN...What is going on is this ich or what?

 

[rich311k]

It is not ich but it does not look good. I would remove the other infected fish to QT, even a bucket if that is all you got. You don't want to lose the whole tank.

 

[justsomedude89]

so any ideas if the other fish will be infected??? im at a loss... what do i do to treat it?

 

[rich311k]

One fish dead another according to you has the spots already. That makes me say contagious. I do not know what it is. I would try external parasite meds first but I do not know for sure. That is my best guess. Hopefully some will come along who knows more.

 

[justsomedude89]

yea i pulled him out i just have no idea to treat the poor guy...it only seems to b affecting the plecos...

 

[Zagz]

Ok a few more questions to help me help you. Is the fish flashing or scratching at all? Is the fish breathing rapidly?

 

[Zagz]

Ok I all I can find is a parasitic infection called yellow grub. Similar to black spot. I would try a parasitic treatment. Prazi pro is a good one, you could try Jungle's parasite clear. Keep fish in QT and watch very carefully for reactions to medication. If the condition improves you may very well have to treat the main tank as it will be in there as well.

 

[rich311k]

You are the "Fish Doc", Anne.

 

[justsomedude89]

the BN pleco that died last nite was showing those symptoms this 1 however is acting fairly normal as far as i can tell... can i pick that treatment up at a petsmart?

 

[Zagz]

Rich I just know how to research. This disease is uncommon in aquariums but quite common in lakes. People have caught it from eating infected fish. It can affect any tropical fish. It is a fluke.

Do you feed live or frozen foods at all? It is most often caused by bird droppings carrying the parasite. Which makes it very difficult to believe it is what is in your tank.
On the other hand all the symptoms your fish are exhibiting suggest yellow grub. It has been found in freshwater snails. Do you have any snails from a lake?

Treating for parasite in QT is the best option I can think of.

 

[justsomedude89]

my other fish are fine as well...my remain BN pleco is fine no spots or strange behavior

 

[justsomedude89]

i only feed tetra tropical flakes, algea wavers and freezedried blood worms

 

[Zagz]

Ok I may not be able to find out what caused it but it is almost certainly parasitic in nature. Try a parasite treatment, not sure if petsmart would carry prazi pro but they should carry jungle. Good luck. Keep us updated. If the rest of the fish start flashing or getting spots, treat the main tank asap.

 

[justsomedude89]

thanks i appreciate it

 

[justsomedude89]

Ok so i QT the Red Tail last nite with an air stone, this mornin i treated him with Jungle parasite treatment. his behavior still seems pretty normal hes swimming around and sucking on the sides of the 5 gallon bucket hes in so hopefully he will make it. i went ahead and began treatment on the rest of the tank just to be safe. thnx again for all the help.

 

[Zagz]

I hope it works, it was all I could find that resembled your problem. I'll be crossing my fingers for your fish!

 

[justsomedude89]

im super anxious here at work...waiting to get home even though i know i wont really be able to do much... i just want to get there and see that its ok lol!

 

[Zagz]

I know exactly what you mean. It's hard when you are wondering how they are doing but can't check on them.

 

[justsomedude89]

well just got home and hes lookin good! still has the dots but hes swimmin and eating

 

[Innovator]

I know a bit late, but just a little background addition if warranted: What you are seeing are the larvae of Digenean flukes (Metacercarie), which can be yellow, black, or white. Adults usually gather within the G.I Tract; gut. To reiterate, the parasite has a direct relation with snails and reproduction as well so not to say that the entire tank must be treated, but after treatment if reappearances occur then that is a possibility. I agree with the Praziquantel approach in quarantine for now.