Help, My Pleco has a disease!!!

[jellymonster]

Hi,

I have an L091 Pleco that I have had for 2 years. Last week he developed a white patch on it's head. It wasn't raised or flakey, so I just kept an eye on it.

Today he has gone very patchy! Nearly all white!
http://i.imgur.com/LV96E.jpg

What can I do to help him! When I got home it looked like my shrimp were bothering him, so I have moved them to a small 30l tank. I don't know if I would be better to put the pleco in there instead?

Please help.

[tagamasid1023]

Nasty patch . Never experienced anything like that with my L091s. It looks like a fungal infection. Isthe L091 still able to eat? How is it behaving lately? Was there any new addition to your tank? I believe it is best to isolate this L091 and treat it in a separate tank.

[Jay1]

Hi. Have a look at this thread...

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... =5&t=35868

Have a look at the pictures and see if it's similar. Hopefully nothing to worry about.

[tagamasid1023]

IMO this is different situation from the case above. The L091 is in pretty bad shape - thin with dilapidated/decaying fins. Seems like it could use more meat in its diet. Furthermore, the eyes have started to blur which is not the case with the L007 which maintained its eye colouration. Then again I am not the expert. I hope the big shots would kindly share their perspective.

[Jay1]

Apologies, I didn't see the link to the picture first time round. I agree with you Tagamasid, not the same condition as my L007. Your L91 really doesn't look well. As per Tagamasid asked, what's it's diet/tank mates etc? I think you need to take rapid action as the fish looks extremely ill.

The shrimp are more than likely eating the decaying skin.

It's important you diagnose what caused it. My first thoughts are diet. Keep us updated.

[çaykaralı]

For most bacterial infections, I prefer to try dosing the tank with tetracycline before moving on to more exotic medications. It's a good broad spectrum that is often overlooked for more modern medications.

You mention the head, so I think I have an idea of what you're going through. I fought a similar bacteria this summer due to heat, and tetracycline did clear it up. It is important to treat for a full ten days, and no water changes for at least a week after the treatment to allow it to work. After that, I do a 75% water change to dilute the color from the water and allow the rest to dissipate on its own. Do not change/clean filters during treatment till at least one week after the water change. The bacterial balance is effected by this medication and it may cause an ammonia spike if you do.

[pleco_breeder]

çaykaralı, if you're going to quote me, please let it be known where the info came from. This is literally word for word.

Larry

[tagamasid1023]

Is this L091 still alive?