Pleco escaped - now healing, or dying?

[Lotocus]

A couple days ago I awoke to find my 6" Pleco on the floor outside the tank. Sometime during the night he escaped, but was still alive when I found him. I scooped him back into the tank and he seemed to recover by over the last day or so his fins have started to fall apart (specifically his dorsal and tail fins) and he has large sections of skin that seem to be flaking off.

Need opinions on whether this is the healing process or a slow and painful death for the guy... I'd hate to lose him, but also hate for him to suffer.

Thoughts?

 

[Lotocus]

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[Brookster123]

If he completely dried off than the slime coat would have been lost. Can you post a pic? May be time to put him down

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[Lotocus]

He certainly dried out some. I just posted a pic that shows a couple of the discolored spots where the skin if coming off.


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[Brookster123]

Ouch, keep the water pristine and maybe add some stress coat, keep a close eye and feed him lots of great food

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[Bloodroot]

How is he doing?

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[Lotocus]

He's still hanging in there. Looks like most of the "furry" skin has sluffed off. Now he has a lot of chalky white on his skin. I'm hoping that's part of the healing process. He lost the tips of his dorsal fin and tail fin too, but that seems to have stopped as well. I'm hopeful he is on the mend, but still keeping a close eye. Fortunately I was in a spot where I had a tank already set up that is acting as his hospital tank for a while until he looks "normal" again.

 

[Lotocus]

So I'm convinced this pleco is suicidal. He was doing pretty well, looking better each day. This morning I find him under the stand... He looked more wet than last time and flipped around a little more when I picked him up. There was only a couple small holes next to the filter and air lines for him to get through in this tank.

Crazy fish.

 

[Bloodroot]

Could he be trying to escape from another fish? Or could he need more food?

There is generally a reason for them jumping out... generally... maybe you should get him a good shrink to talk too?

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[MICEY]

check your water peramiders , most cat fish hate high ammonia

and cover up all possible openings , I cut a grove in a plastic flower pot to go over my openings for the filter tubes

 

[Lotocus]

He's in a hospital tank right now all alone and had left s full algae wafer in the tank when he jumped. This is a different tank than he jumped from the first time. I'll check the water, but the tank has been established for a year now and I had just done a 50% wc two days before.

Maybe I need to stream some Dr. Phil to my iPad and set it next to the tank. Or that pet whisperer guy - does he do fish?


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[Bloodroot]

Maybe I need to stream some Dr. Phil to my iPad and set it next to the tank. Or that pet whisperer guy - does he do fish?

+1 bawhahaha

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