pleco fin rot?

[ZakTheRipper]

Hi, my common pleco seems to have a problem. I don't know if it's fin rot, but I am guessing that's what it is. She looks normal except that the dorsal fan of fins has these slits in them, like someone took a pair of scissors and cut the fan straight down to the body in several places. Will Pimafix be a good med? I am pretty sure my enormous oscar isn't taking bites out of her, judging from the look of the fins and the fact that the pleco is just as big and tough (and hides out under driftwood all day).

 

[TCTFish]

Fin rot looks like the fin is being eaten away, not sliced. It could have been torn while cruising the tank. Instead of a treatment type med, a little bit of stress coat should help keep out bacteria and allow electrolites from being lost. If there are red streaks or fuzz growing on the affected areas, then you can treat for baterial or fungal infection. Otherwise, just keep nitrates low and the pleco will heal up just fine. Sometimes these things may have permanent damage so if the slits don't fuse back, but don't become infected then don't worry.

 

[ZakTheRipper]

cool, thanks.

 

[ZakTheRipper]

Hmm, I've noticed his fins have gotten slowly worse. I've been dosing with pimafix, but it's hard to tell if they're still getting worse, since he hides 90% of the day. Is there anything that would be causing this problem that pimafix wouldn't work for?