bandardune

I have a 55 gallon tank with a single 12" pleco. I have had the pleco for 2 years, and he has been in his new tank since july. He has been active and his usual piggy self until 2 days ago. The only thing that I have changed is his filter componants. I have a Fluval 205 filter and until 2 days ago I had biomax and charcol in it. I then changed to biomax, charcol and clearmax. Now my pleco looks like he is shedding. There is a very fine layer of something hanging off what looks like his back, about 2 1/2 inches long and about 1 1/2 inches wide. Very fine. And he is not eating. Is this because of the filter material change? I did not change any of the water at the time because I do not change water and filter material at the same time. Can someone tell me what is going on?

whisper

I've always had plecos but have never seen that. Sorry maybe one of the other members can help.

mommybaby295

Could you post a pic?

bandardune

Sorry, I am new to this. I have posted pics but they came up on Aquarium Fish Pictures under bandardune. If you look, you can see the wispy stuff coming off him. Looks a little like a ghost in the pictures but that was the best I could get. It is very wispy. Have you seen this before?

gremlin

What is the ammonia reading in your tank? Sometimes if a pleco is "shedding", it is a symptom of high ammonia.

peacemaker92

WELCOME TO FISHLORE!

I noticed according to your aquarium info, you are not aware of the nitrogen cycle. Kindly please see this article link and read it as it can help your pleco in a way possible if the tank is not cycled.

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Best of luck.

aquarist48

Hello Bandardune and Welcome to Fish Lore. Sorry to hear that your fish isn't feeling up to par. Great suggestions above about the nitrogen cycle. It's crucial to fish keeping.
I think the best thing to do at this point is to do a 50% water change and add some Prime or Amquel + to detox ammonia that may be in your tank. A water change is always a good place to start. The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

Do you have a test kit? What is most recommended is the API (liquid) Master Test Kit. It contains all of the chemicals necessary to test for everything mentioned in the nitrogen cycle. Note: Paper test strips can be very unreliable and inaccurate.

Once you're able to test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and can post your readings, it will be a great help in determining what is wrong with your fish. Your readings should be: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 5 to 20 nitrates.

Best of luck
Ken

I have moved your thread to the "Pleco" section of the forum for more respones.
Ken