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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Injury or infection? on pleco
Hi
I have a 10inch pleco and as you will be bale to see from the photos i put a plink to on hear, that he has i think injured him self on something. It looks as though he cut a little bit of his skin right where his gills are and so a little of his gill is now showing though the cut. However i guess it could also be an infection or sore of some sort but i find that hard to believe as he was fine one hour then this the next. over a 12 hours it dose not seem to have gotten any morse but he does seem a little shy.
Cheers
Lee
Last edited by canned-heat; January 26th, 2009 at 10:33 AM.
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| we dont have permission to see the pics | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Sorry about that. hope u can see them now | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| yep we can  and welcome to fishlore!!
im not any help tho as I think it is something other than a bump or scratch..lucy had a great link with diseases let me see if i can find it for you | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| Hi Lee, welcome to Fish Lore
Some info would be helpful.
Tank size? Is it cycled? Readings for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?
Any tank mates? How many and what kind?
Good luck, I'm sure the members will be able to help. | 
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| thanks, im not sure how it could be a disease though cos it was fine one hour then it was there the next. It looks like a bit of muscle or something just wondering if it would be worth taking him out the water and have a closer look. Dont facny my chances of catching him like lol | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| will all ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are bearly none existant. tank is 160liter, its cycled as its been running for nearly 2 years. he shares his home with malawi's but they dont bother him at all not even a nibble at his fins.
The only thing is the pH is 7.8 i know its a little high for plecos' but i dont think that would cause this problem within just an hour or 2 would it? | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| ty lucy!! check out that link ....and if its a some kind of disease, an hour is possible as it could have been festering...im not really sure what to recommend except prestine water and some stress coat..what size tank is he in and does he have roomates that could have bitten him?
edit: didnt see your previous post...could you have had a mini cycle cause it could be an ammonia burn? is there any ammonia reading even if a small one? or nitrites? they always should be 0 ....and you should have some nitrate readings under 20 unless heavily planted ...then the plants eat up alot of nitrates
Last edited by Shawnie; January 26th, 2009 at 10:45 AM.
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| thanks for the link just had a look at them all and its not there, not even close. what ever it is showing looks the same as the one on the other side but the one on the other side is covered with skin and is not sticking out as far or red 
if any of that makes any sence lol
i will do a complete test tonight and pot the results. but last time i did them they where fine.
my tank is just full of ocean rock and the likes so i was wondering if he might have scratched him self on them?
Last edited by canned-heat; January 26th, 2009 at 10:53 AM.
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| I'd go with Shawnie's orginal suggestion of an injury and now is possibly getting infected. | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| ok so any ideas how to go about treating it? | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| do you have a quarantine tank you could put him in? i'd do that with really, really pristine water. depends what kind of infection, bacterial has certain medications, fungal has certain medications, and parasitic also has certain meds, could you hazard a guess as to which one? | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| At this point, Pristine water and some extra Stress Coat. I'd hate to recommend a med not knowing exactly what it is. An anti bacterial med might help, but also kill the cycle. Do you have a quarantine tank you can move him to?
Post your test results when you do them.
The members have a wide range of knowledge and others will be able to help you further. | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| well if any i would go with bacterial but im not sure really. I dont have another tank i could put him in but i could ask my local shop if they would look after him till he was better. would cost me but might be better way.
yeh thanks Lucy i understand. I forgot to say (which might be important) i only got him at the weekend and it was his 2nd day in the tank when he got this problem. was fine in the bag and then the tank after release. He wasnt skitish or anythying. now after this problem he is very skitish as in cant get near the tank without him giong back in to hiding.
All 3 photos where taken within 5 mins just different lighting
Last edited by canned-heat; January 26th, 2009 at 11:14 AM.
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| Quote:
Originally Posted by canned-heat  well if any i would go with bacterial but im not sure really. I dont have another tank i could put him in but i could ask my local shop if they would look after him till he was better. would cost me but might be better way. | you wouldn't necessarily need a tank if you're willing to do 50% water changes daily with prime and if you have an extra heater, i know of a few people who set up QTs in rubbermaid containers and things like that, quick and dirty but i don't think it would be a problem temporarily. | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| A Q tank doesn't have to be real elaborate. It can be a clean (never seen soap) plastic storage container, of course, you would need a filter and heater. | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Ok then guys im going to have a hunt about and see what i can find to put him in. might try malafix on him that will help it heal and let new skin grow if its a cut what u think? | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| i'm not sure about melafix because i don't use it, i keep mostly labyrinth fish (bettas) and it can't be used on them....hopefully someone who does will come along! | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| If you choose to medicate, it's worth a try. Melafix is all natural so it should be less harsh than some of the other anti bacterial meds. | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Master
| if its not a disease, id just go with prestine water and the stress coat...it makes a huge difference in healing believe it or not..it just takes time...one thing , he is an amazing looking plec...id love to see a pic of his entire body...maybe the rocks did scratch him im not sure...I hope he heals fast! | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| well that to me seems like a good option because if it is a cut letting through a little bit of muscle, then that will help it heal and if its an infection it will help that to or atleast stop it from getting worse. I will put on my results tomorrow though of the water tests. | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| ok i got home and had a look tonight and it seems i been going down the wrong road. i have managed to have a really good look and there is no wound or scrape, It is actually one gill that is inflamed and reddened. | |
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January 26th, 2009
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| | Moderator
| I'm glad there's no wound. It would be a good idea to test the ammonia.
In the mean time a nice water change won't hurt. | |
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