I think my pleck has a fungal infection
10 February 2009, 06:43 PM
#1
I think my pleck has a fungal infection
He has weird brownish .. flakes all over his body, I threw a planet out yesterday that had gone black .. I'm wondering if this could be the cause ?
the other pleck and fish seem fine .. any ideas ?
the other pleck and fish seem fine .. any ideas ?
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10 February 2009, 09:01 PM
#8
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Plecs are quite spiney,could it be just covered in bits of algae/dead plant?A pic would be helpful.
Be careful when using White Spot/Fungus treatments,some are harsh enough to kill plecs.
Be careful when using White Spot/Fungus treatments,some are harsh enough to kill plecs.
10 February 2009, 09:37 PM
#11
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A pleck is a plecostomus, they keep the fish tank clean, they're the ones you see sucking on the glass, ours was a bit of a character that and our clown loach.
Last edited by hux309; 11 February 2009 at 03:42 PM.
10 February 2009, 10:50 PM
#15
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A common plec is about the most hardy fish you can have in a tropical tank, they are as tough as old boots. That looks a sick fish and is unlikely to be like that due to anything you have done if the rest of the tank is fine.
Your best bet to save it is get those pics, clearer ones if possible down to your local fish shop tomorrow for expert advice.
Your best bet to save it is get those pics, clearer ones if possible down to your local fish shop tomorrow for expert advice.
10 February 2009, 10:51 PM
#16
A common plec is about the most hardy fish you can have in a tropical tank, they are as tough as old boots. That looks a sick fish and is unlikely to be like that due to anything you have done if the rest of the tank is fine.
Your best bet to save it is get those pics, clearer ones if possible down to your local fish shop tomorrow for expert advice.
Your best bet to save it is get those pics, clearer ones if possible down to your local fish shop tomorrow for expert advice.
10 February 2009, 11:00 PM
#17
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Exactly that fish is sick for reasons other than water quality or anything in your control as the other fish would also be affected.
It could well have got ill due to being a weak fish because of genetic issues and it is now on its way out.
Edited to add it looks like severe skin burn. One of my clown loaches had a patch of skin burn off and it was due to water temperature and quality even though the rest of the tank including 3 other clown loaches were all fine. Get the kh and ph values checked, do a water change and up the temperature.
Plecs will change colour but not like that, they will fluctuate between light sandy brown and a dark brown. My sailfin does this regularly but has never had any signs yours is showing.
It could well have got ill due to being a weak fish because of genetic issues and it is now on its way out.
Edited to add it looks like severe skin burn. One of my clown loaches had a patch of skin burn off and it was due to water temperature and quality even though the rest of the tank including 3 other clown loaches were all fine. Get the kh and ph values checked, do a water change and up the temperature.
Plecs will change colour but not like that, they will fluctuate between light sandy brown and a dark brown. My sailfin does this regularly but has never had any signs yours is showing.
Last edited by Bravo2zero_sps; 10 February 2009 at 11:05 PM.
10 February 2009, 11:14 PM
#19
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3 months?! And you think the plec will also keep the ph and kh stable? Before you do anything else go to the fish shop with a water sample and get the kh and ph checked, that fish is suffering a serious skin burn more than likely caused by the kh/ph values crashing if the water hasn't been changed for that long.
Mine is a 190 litre tank and if I leave it 4 weeks the water kh/ph crashes big time. The smaller the amount of water in a tank the more volatile it is and you have to do water changes regardless of what combination of fish you have. The fish cleaning the tank does not mean you don't have to do water changes
Mine is a 190 litre tank and if I leave it 4 weeks the water kh/ph crashes big time. The smaller the amount of water in a tank the more volatile it is and you have to do water changes regardless of what combination of fish you have. The fish cleaning the tank does not mean you don't have to do water changes
Last edited by Bravo2zero_sps; 10 February 2009 at 11:16 PM.
10 February 2009, 11:43 PM
#20
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I would guess that he has been stuck on your heater and that has burnt his skin,I have known a lot of plecs to do this.Is it only his belly that has the marks on?
10 February 2009, 11:55 PM
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Not being funny fella as im no massive expert but do a Nitrate and ammo test asap, thats a fair while if there is a build up.
Last edited by scoobynewbie72; 10 February 2009 at 11:56 PM.
11 February 2009, 01:48 AM
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11 February 2009, 08:35 AM
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good point, one of mine sticks to the filter, and the other one sticks to a log (wooden), luckily the thermometer in my tank will be too small for them to stick to
11 February 2009, 11:24 AM
#29
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Pimmo yes plecs are a strong fish but that doesn't mean you can't get ones that get weak through genetic faults etc so are not as tough as they should be. For example i've bought a shoal of 10 fish before, 8 of them survived fine but 2 died within a couple of days. Nothing wrong with the water etc just those 2 fish were duds pretty much. A lot of is it to do with inbreeding and fish farming now where as lot of the fish used to be taken from the wild and didn't suffer with the genetic issues farmed fish have.
It may be as others have pointed out that it has clung onto the heater and burnt itself. Really until you can get clearer pics or get down your local fish shop the only thing you can do is get a 20% water change done to reduce any issues with kh/ph levels and turn the temp up to 78 or 80 degrees as the warmer temps aid recovery.
And Steph yes that is my fish and for a Sailfin it is tiny. Stunted from too small a tank to be honest and shouldn't be sold for home kept fish unless its to someone with a huge tank. These in an aquarium grow huge, the ones at Bournemouth aquarium are absolutely massive.
It may be as others have pointed out that it has clung onto the heater and burnt itself. Really until you can get clearer pics or get down your local fish shop the only thing you can do is get a 20% water change done to reduce any issues with kh/ph levels and turn the temp up to 78 or 80 degrees as the warmer temps aid recovery.
And Steph yes that is my fish and for a Sailfin it is tiny. Stunted from too small a tank to be honest and shouldn't be sold for home kept fish unless its to someone with a huge tank. These in an aquarium grow huge, the ones at Bournemouth aquarium are absolutely massive.
11 February 2009, 02:07 PM
#30
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And Steph yes that is my fish and for a Sailfin it is tiny. Stunted from too small a tank to be honest and shouldn't be sold for home kept fish unless its to someone with a huge tank. These in an aquarium grow huge, the ones at Bournemouth aquarium are absolutely massive.
Steph xx