# Pleco illness



## msjinkzd (May 12, 2007)

that is a fungus.


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

I could be very wrong here, but that pleco looks hungry. Very hungry. What are you feeding it?


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## akagorilla (Apr 23, 2010)

It's two weeks old from Petsmart. I've been adding algae wafers every few days. How often should I add them (for the next one I buy). 

Can he be saved? How do I kill the fungus?


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## msjinkzd (May 12, 2007)

algae wafers are mainly fish meal. Try adding a brussel sprout or some blanched zucchini.
I am not even sure what kind of pleco that is. What was it labeled as? 

Antibiotics can be iffy with plecos. Are there other fish in teh tank?


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

Get thee to the grocery store and buy a zucchini stat. Cut it n half lengthwise and de-seed it, attach a 4" long chunk of it to a piece of rigid airline tubing or rubberband it to a fork, whatever, and get it in there. Some will tell you to blanch the zucchini first to help make it softer. I don't do that. In the meantime, either get yourself some Kordon "Rid Fungus" or other fungus cure. I recommend the Kordon product because it can be used in your main tank without harming animals. It will also take care of ich if you have it. Algae wafers aren't enough for plecos, especially if you have no driftwood (you need driftwood for plecos) or a tank without enough veggies and/or algae to eat. Plecos are pigs. They will eat constantly, and are poop machines.

GL


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## msjinkzd (May 12, 2007)

i am apprehensive about using some of the meds with plecos. Plecos, algae eating varieties anyhow, have extra long guts with specialized bacteria to process the veg/cellulose/etc that they graze on. Using an anti-fungal with antibiotics in it kills the beneficial bacteria which allows them to process and get nutrition from their foods.

If it were my fish, I would probably start by fattening it up, doing daily water changes, and probably pull it frmo the tank and topically treat the spot (since it is one spot).]


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## akagorilla (Apr 23, 2010)

Thank you for the help. I do have other tetras in there but I have a ton of driftwood.


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

msjinkzd,

That's why I recommended that Kordon product. It's unique in that it doesn't disrupt bacteria. It's an herbal product. If akagorilla wanted to call Kordon and talk to the Dr. there I would encourage it. Spot treating is also a good idea.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Looks like a Common.


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## msjinkzd (May 12, 2007)

yes, it idoes. And commons are more omnivorous than some other species.


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## akagorilla (Apr 23, 2010)

I bought the Kordon treatment and spot treated. The fungus is now blue. The zuchini is on the way. Do I need to treat the entire tank, even if the tetras are healthy?


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

Yes


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## msjinkzd (May 12, 2007)

In the future, a quarantine tank for new fish can save you lots of headaches. Even a rubbermaid bin can work for the duration of quarnatine. QT tanks are cheaper and easier to treat, and make it so the rest of your livestock is safe from illness, as well as plants which can be sensitive to some meds as well.


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## akagorilla (Apr 23, 2010)

Before I medicate the tank, what kind of reactions should I expect from my plants? Bacopa, Ludwiga, swords, crypts, moss.


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## msjinkzd (May 12, 2007)

i am not familiar withthe product.


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

http://www.kordon.com/kordon/rid_fungus/index.htm


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## msjinkzd (May 12, 2007)

ah, so it is probably similar to pimafix


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

I got the impression that Pimafix was a tree oil. This stuff is more complex I think.


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## akagorilla (Apr 23, 2010)

whatever it is, it's blue.


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

um...does your label say Rid Fungus? Mine is brown. Definitely brown...


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## akagorilla (Apr 23, 2010)

Rid Ich Plus. Controls Ich and other protozoan or fungal external diseases.


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

Yea, that's a totally different medicine from the one I suggested.


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## akagorilla (Apr 23, 2010)

Well that's what they had at the only store within 25 miles. Will it work?


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## m00se (Jan 8, 2011)

You are applying formalin and malachite green directly to a fish's skin. I am not optimistic that this tactic will be successful. Both ingredients are super irritants, one being formaldehyde, which is embalming fluid....

You never mentioned what else is in your tank. Inverts don't like malachite green either. In any case, treating the whole tank at this point wouldn't be a bad idea. Realize that malachite green will dye the silicone holding your glass together a nice green that doesn't clean off.

I don't know what Diana would recommend for spot treatment, but I would have chosen potassium permanganate solution or hydrogen peroxide dabbed on with a Q-Tip. My original suggestion for the other Kordon product was my choice because it has none of the undesirable side effects and is harmless to inverts. I feel your pain! When you need a med and you can't get to it in time, it really does suck.

Good luck


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Spot treat:
Remove the fish from the tank and put it in a shallow dish that has enough water to cover the gills, but exposes the injury. 
Put on ONE drop of H2O2. Be ready for the fish to react. (Cover the bowl so he cannot jump out). 

Other materials that can be used are just about any of the vaseline based medicines like Neosporin. They are OK to put on the wound, then put the fish back in the tank. 

Be careful treating any of the cats. Most have spines on the body and in the fins. In some cats the spines are actually venomous. In other cats it is not really venomous, but some slime coat and whatever bacteria are on the surface can get driven in under your skin. Wear gloves, handle with care. 

That is indeed a fungus. Usually fungi only attack at a site that is already compromised, perhaps injured, cut or already the site of a bacterial invasion. Not always, though. Sometimes the fungus just gets in there. 

Here is how to use a malachite green and formalin based medicine for Columnaris (a Gram negative bacteria)
A) Read all these instructions before you start. Especially #4 & 5.
1) Read the label. 
2) Prepare a container that will hold 1 quart (1 liter) of water. (if that is big enough to hold the fish)
3) Put into that 1 quart of water enough medicine for 1 gallon of tank water. This is 4x the labeled dose. (So if you need to use 1/2 gallon of water, then use enough medicine for 2 gallons of tank water)
4) Catch the fish. Difficult with a cat, but for other species I would say keep him in the net. For a cat, find something more rigid that will still allow water to pass through. 
5) Put the fish in the concentrated solution, while still in the net. With a cat, this is going to be tricky. They will twist and turn in the net, and will stick out their spines and get tangled in the net. It can get so bad you have to cut the net off the fish. 
6) Hold the fish in the solution for only a few minutes, then remove him. 
Remove him if: 
He quits struggling
He turns upside down (difficult to see if he is so tangled in a net that he cannot move)
7) Put him back in the tank. If you have set up a quarantine tank, use it. 

Yes, that fish is starving. 
Offer a rotation of vegetables. 
You can serve them raw, or you can blanch the tender ones, and cook the harder ones until barely tender. 
If they are too soft they will fall apart in the tank. 
Here are some things my fish like:
Yam, Pumpkin, hard squashes like Butternut (cook pretty well)
Softer vegetables like the stems of broccoli, zucchini. (Blanch)
Cucumber, most fruits like melon or strawberry (raw)
Leaf vegies like Kale and other firmer ones (Blanch)
Leaf vegies like spinach, lettuce and other tender ones (raw). 

As hungry as that poor guy looks, I would offer a couple of vegies at a time so there is at least SOMETHING he will eat. 
Many Plecos are like cattle or horses. They will graze all day long, a little nibble here and there, then move to the next spot and nibble some more. Their digestive tract is set up to handle food best that way. A sudden influx of food then nothing for the rest of the day is not to their advantage. 
Yes, most like a little wood now and then, some seem to eat almost exclusively wood.


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## msjinkzd (May 12, 2007)

only specific species, panaques, require wood in their diet. Most just use it as a delivery method for their preferred herbivorous diet.


I use panalog to spot treat, but it is only available through a vet.

Peroxide *should*work.

I have never used the above method for malachite green/formalin, but it is similar to that which i do with extreme salt baths for external parasites.

I dont know that this particular case is that severe, as it is one spot. As the above poster mentioned, generally fungus is opportunistic.


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