Coryd55

The male bristlenose has TWO splits in his dorsal fin. They go all the way down to his body. I don't know what the cause is. The water parameters are stable for 2 days now, the nitrite spike went down. I don't know what to do. Please help, any advice or anything would be helpful. I don't think its fin rot because its a clean split and not deterioration of the fin. I will get a photo asap and post it.

susitna-flower

What are your water tests? I always try to keep my tanks at 0 for ammonia and nitrite, and between 5-10 for nitrates. This is the best for keeping down stress, and healing any problems....

When I moved my sailfin pleco over from my 55 gal, he raced around the new tank, hid for a couple of days and when he came out his fins had a couple of splits like you describe.

Within a couple of weeks they had healed, with just normal feeding, and no medications. I feed a variety, which includes shrimp pellets, bloodworms, brine shrimp, algae wafers, and tropical crisps.

He is of course on the cleaning crew so eats anything he wants of the above as well as algae from the tank. Nothing special, but like I said, all fins are now whole..... Good Luck

Coryd55

The ammonia and nitrite are at 0 and nitrate are at 5.

I couldn't get the photo straight into the post but if you look in my gallery I put a picture in there.

Dino

How are you operating the lights?
Are you turning the tank light on before the room lights?

They may be panicing and damaging themselves with that or some other thing that startles them.

Chief_waterchanger

Cory,

Stress could be the indirect cause. I noticed when Dino and I were helping you set up the tank that you leave your TV on even when not watching it, and it is at a pretty good volume... you may want to watch the volume of the TV being that it is like 3-5 feet from the tank? A sudden loud moment on the television programs could cause the pleco to spaz momentarily, which could cause them to rip their fins accidentally.

Coryd55

Yea thats true. I almost always have my TV on as well. I leave it on when I go to sleep to (I put it on a sleep shut off though). I will turn it down and turn it off when I sleep. In the morning I turn my room light on then the tank light and at night I turn the tank off then the room light.

Dino

Way to go on the lights.

Are the cats getting into your room while you are not at home?

They could be playing spook the fishies.

Coryd55

Well I found the skinny one(Thunder) on top of the tank one day.....and I scolded him thoroughly so he won't do that again. I didn't hit him or anything I just yelled at him. The fat black one(Midnight) always sits on my bed and watches them but he never puts his paws on the glass or tries to get at them.