Sick Common Pleco

[NEwood]

Hello, I am at a loss of what to do. I've had the guy for well over 5 years and he has always been healthy up until recently. I first noticed that he stopped eating and had some sores on his mouth along with his eyes being sunken in. That's when I moved him into an isolation tank. I proceeded to treat him with API fin and body cure along with Primafix. I did the full treatment regimen and saw a small recovery with his eyes returning to normal. However, he still won't eat and those sores have spread and are worse. Please Help! He has been in a 125-gallon tank and all my water parameters are within spec. Please see attached photos.

 

[Andy Sager]

That looks like a nasty bacterial infection on his side. I'd need specific water parameters ( Ph, Hardness, ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate) to suggest the correct medicines to use. The marks on the underside look like injuries more than disease.

 

[NEwood]

Hello, my water parameters are as follows:
GH: 75
Niltrite: 0
Nitrate: 50
Chlorine: 0
KH: 0
PH: 6.4
Temp: 79F

 

[Andy Sager]

Hello, my water parameters are as follows:
GH: 75
Niltrite: 0
Nitrate: 50
Chlorine: 0
KH: 0
PH: 6.4
Temp: 79F

For these parameters, I would isolate the fish in a hospital tank and treat the water with Nitrofurazone green ( https://www.americanaquariumproduct...rofuracin_Green-_Full_Spectrum_Treatment.html ) or if this is not available, Furan 2 ( which is a lower grade of nitrofurazone ) I would use a bare bottom tank to avoid irritating the underneath injuries. You do not need a cycled aquarium or a cycled filter for this as you will be changing water ( as directed) daily and the medication will suppress the bacteria bed. Just use an air stone for aeration.
Hope this helps.

 

[NEwood]

Thank you, I just moved him back to the hospital tank and I just ordered your recommendation, hopefully he can hold out till Tuesday when it arrives. Until then I'm using some aquarium salt and API fin and body cure as it says it's for bacteria. Hopefully that's enough to get him through till Tuesday.

 

[Andy Sager]

Thank you, I just moved him back to the hospital tank and I just ordered your recommendation, hopefully he can hold out till Tuesday when it arrives. Until then I'm using some aquarium salt and API fin and body cure as it says it's for bacteria. Hopefully that's enough to get him through till Tuesday.

What are the ingredients to the Fin & Body cure?

 

[NEwood]

It says 250 mg Doxyxyxline Hyclate per packet. It appears to be helping somewhat.

 

[Andy Sager]

It says 250 mg Doxyxyxline Hyclate per packet. It appears to be helping somewhat.

okay, Doxycycline is in the tetracycline family so should also work in your water parameters. You will need to run a carbon filter for 24 hours before switching to the new medicine as any of the Tetracyclines do not mix well with other antibiotics. That said, if you are seeing progress with the fin & body cure, I'd use it for a full treatment schedule before switching, if needed, to the other med. At this point, I wouldn't switch medicines unless the fin & body cure does not heal the wounds completely or the infections get worse.
On a side note, the Tetracycline medications become poisonous after their expiration date so you want to pay close attention for their expiration date on the package. Unlike many meds that can be used after their expiration date, tetracyclines should not be. (This is why I don't usually recommend them. ) Not that they are bad meds mind you, they just have that little possible issue.

 

[NEwood]

Thank you for all the info. The package says good till 2025 so that should be all set. Do you have any tips to get him to eat something or will that naturally happen as he starts feeling better? He has not eaten in a while and is looking quite skinny.

 

[Andy Sager]

Thank you for all the info. The package says good till 2025 so that should be all set. Do you have any tips to get him to eat something or will that naturally happen as he starts feeling better? He has not eaten in a while and is looking quite skinny.

That's good. Always better to use new meds than ones close to their expiration.
As for the eating, he should start eating when he feels better but in the meantime, you can try a piece of cucumber or zucchini or green bean but keep in mind that they are going to be messy if he eats them so you will need to be cleaning the bottom before retreating with the medicine. An alternative is to use a vitamin supplement in the water that the fish will absorb. I've used Boyd's Vita Chem for freshwater with success in the past.

 

[Colin_T]

You can try some frozen bloodworms or brineshrimp. If the fish doesn't eat it within a few minutes, remove the food and try again the following day. But it probably just needs time to feel better (as mentioned by Andy).

If you have any smooth rocks with algae on, you could put one in the tank with the fish for it to graze on the algae.