Unknown pleco problem...

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Wolf3101

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 26, 2007
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Arizona
These two pictures are of one of our plecos. I just transfured him to one of the hospital tanks until we can figure out whats wrong. He's been living in a 100 gal tank with my RTC and a pair of Oscars.

PH 7.5
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
Temp. 80

My wife and I picked him/her up as part of a used tank deal quite a while ago and it's been healthy and active the entire time. Kerby (the pleco in question) has a hiding place behind a large rock so we only see him occasionally however he was out swiming around two nights ago and looked perfectly normal. This morning we found him like this... bloated and with red spots. Whatever happened...happened really fast. He still moves as well as ever and was difficult to get into the hospital tank.

If anyone has run into this before or knows what it might be then let us know. Kerby is about a foot long or so if it maters...

MVC-002F.JPG

MVC-003F.JPG
 
pics corrected...
 
Swallowed something bad, or internal infection.
 
Other than a few snails theres really nothing in the 100g it could have eaten. The hospital tank is setting at 86 with a medicinal amount of salt. Baring any other advice between now and then we'll pick up some anti biotics in the morning and add it to the water. The utility tanks are all filtered by air driven sponge filters (hydro 5's) so it shouldn't be a problem.
 
yes... looks like a football with fins. I've run into a lot of things over the last 30 years with fish but this is a new one on me.
 
could be a result of too much protein in his diet - all those yummy oscar leftovers. see if he will eat some shelled peas, leafy greens, or other green veggies. the fiber will help him pass the blockage if it is a digestive problem.
 
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