Hurt plecos?

[mjhoffarth]

Are my plecos hurt? I can see things with my plecos that look unusual but I'm not sure if it's ok or not.
Here is a close-up of a red spot on the first pleco
This one shows that the other side is not red. I'm not sure what this part of the fish is called, but the right one kinda moves like a flap and it seems the flap is missing from the other side
Here's my other pleco. The spot I'm concerned with on this one is near his 'rear end' (for lack of a better term)
And the close-up of the spot. I know the lower one is where he poops from, but what is the weird spot above it?
Here's one last picture of the two next to each other to show they are very close in size
They are housed in what I believe around a 65 gallon bowfront tank with guppies and three goldfish. The plecos have grown up together always in the same tank for many years with no problems. Can anybody help me figure out if something is wrong? If there is something wrong what caused it and what should I do about it?


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[Istrom]

Yup. They've been attacked by something, maybe they even fought eachother, because guppies and goldfish tend to not fight. There's certain medication to keep injuries from becoming infected as well as to heal them quicker, but what always works for me is just turning up the temperature a degree or two and adding a pinch of brackish salt. (Brackish salt is NOT the same as table salt, table salt will kill your fish)

 

[anteatergoanna]

Sure looks like something's had a go at him, don't know about the spot above the anus of the other one though, could be a wound that's healed. Do you have anything that has sharp edges in your tank?


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[mjhoffarth]

Do you think I should worry about what did it? I don't think it was decor... but I don't know for sure what it really was. Is it possible they've been fighting? They've lived in the same tank for years since they were very small (now about 6 inches each) without problems. If they are fighting what can I do about that?


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[mjhoffarth]

Also, back to the first injury, is that like part of a gill cover that is gone? Will he be able to heal/regrow that?


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[Istrom]

I don't think so. But, on the bright side, I've seen many fish survive gill injuries like that. Since plecos are hardy I bet they will both be okay.

 

[mjhoffarth]

My main concern is whether or not they would continue to hurt each other, if that's what's going on.


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[Age-of-Aquariot]

Plecos are territorial, especially as they age so it is possible they could have gotten into scuffle.

Is there anything heavy the pleco could have tried to hide or shove into? Anything he could have gotten stuck on? I have also seen operculum ripped off of bottom dwellers that try to get into places they don't fit into.

You will have to watch for infection, gill covers won't grow back.

 

[dandries]

You mentioned that your plecos are the same size. I had two plecos that I got young. They were fine together, but 1 was about 3x larger than the other at 1 year of age. I'm not an expert, but I understand that means they were different sexes. Since yours are the same size, the are the same sex and that might make them more territorial and prone to fighting.

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