Pleco with large bump on abdomen help please!!

[Jennys human]

My what I think is a common Pleco of 4 to 5 years has suddenly, in the past two days appeared with a semi large bump on its lower abdomen it is quite concerning
New things
3 new plants
Java furn
Stella octopus
Moneywort

food
Algae wafers & whatever bio film grows in the tank

She is in a 20gal tank
Stock list
1 dwarf three spot Grammy
2 Cory Dora catfish Julie’s
1 common Pleco?(mabey) the one we are talking about

I have had this fish for 5ish years in that time nothing close has come to this.
This is the first time she’s come out of her cave in a little bit I have not seen her actually eat anything yet but she might be doing it when I go to sleep so I’m not so sure on that front

Noticed the bump 2 to 3 days ago

bump in photo thumb for comparison

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Is the fish normally that fat?

If the fish isn't eating and has gotten fat over night, it might have an internal bacterial infection that is causing bloating and pushing part of the intestine out of the butt. There's not normally any cure for intestinal infections once the fish stops eating because major organ failure has normally occurred. However, if the fish is normally well rounded at the belly and is eating, then it could be something else.

Is there driftwood and algae in the tank?
What do you feed it and how often do you feed it?

What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH of the water?

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?
Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?

What sort of filter is on the tank?
How often and how do you clean the filter?

 

[m.j.gomez]

My what I think is a common Pleco of 4 to 5 years has suddenly, in the past two days appeared with a semi large bump on its lower abdomen it is quite concerning

New things

3 new plants

Java furn

Stella octopus

Moneywort



food

Algae wafers & whatever bio film grows in the tank



She is in a 20gal tank

Stock list

1 dwarf three spot Grammy

2 Cory Dora catfish Julie’s

1 common Pleco?(mabey) the one we are talking about



I have had this fish for 5ish years in that time nothing close has come to this.

This is the first time she’s come out of her cave in a little bit I have not seen her actually eat anything yet but she might be doing it when I go to sleep so I’m not so sure on that front



Noticed the bump 2 to 3 days ago



bump in photo thumb for comparison

Hello, have you seen it expelling waste lately. Sometimes they will rasp off a large piece of driftwood & this causes blockage. That combined w/dry food(wafers)may have caused a problem. Try feeding veggies like boiled deshelled peas smashed between fingers, 2in piece of raw cucumber split in half & weighted w/fork, boiled broccoli or par boiled zucchini.
This would be my go to before thinking about meds. Hope this helps!!!!!

 

[Jennys human]

Yes I do have drift wood but I put it in after the bump appeared
She has always bin a bit chubby but never this much
I cut down her food to every other day she eats cucumber,carrots, or pellets depends on the day what I feed her from that list
Ph 7.5
Am 0.50ppm
Ni(need to check when home)
Na
I water change every week normally on sat or Sunday
I gravel clean it
My filer is a fluvial clear for a 20g
I decloranate my water before I put it in
I clean my filter about every 3-4 weeks or as needed I take the fome &ect from the filer and put it in the dirty water from gravel vacuum and squeeze out the dirt and stuff

She has been out a lot more now and her bow movements are more resent
I think she might need to go on I diet and she was eating the other fishs food
I’m keeping a close eye on her for right now though
Normally her food is in small portions just a little bit bigger then her mouth

 

[Jennys human]

Thanks I will try that ��

 

[Colin_T]

You filter cleaning and water changes sound fine. I would monitor the fish's poop. If it's coloured then it's nothing to worry about. If the fish does a stringy white poop, it's an internal problem.

 

[m.j.gomez]

Another consideration is it may be a runt or stunted. If it is a common(personal experience bristle nosed only)at 5yrs of age it should be around 12-14in in sz. It grows rapidly at 1.5-2.5in a month. If this is case & not showing signs of distress then little can be done.

 

[Jennys human]

The bump went down!!

I’m so happy the bump went down after I put her on a diet I don’t feed her as often
Thank you guys for all the help!