Bonochick

I woke up this morning to discover Herman's fin stuck in the filter. He wasn't sucking on the filter, his mouth was facing away...he was just stuck there because of his fin. I was afraid he was dead, but after I unplugged the filter, he swam off and resumed normal activity. However, I noticed that there is a small hole in his fin. It's not a tear that goes to the edge of his fin, it's just a hole. This is the best pic I could get (I circled the hole):



Should I be worried about that? Is there something I should add to the tank to help him heal?

Butterfly

He should be strong enough to stay out of the filter. Is he acting sick? what are your water test readings? Do a water change anytime theres a problem with your fish. It will make them heal faster. So go ahead and do an extra one.
Carol

Bonochick

Thanks for the quick reply, I appreciate it!

I don't have a test kit, so I don't know my readings. I already had plans of vacuuming the gravel tonight, so I'll be doing a water change. He isn't acting sick at all, he's doing all of his usual activities and looks perfect...except for the hole, of course. I was so shocked to see him caught in the filter, I would have thought he'd been strong enough as well. He is still a farily little guy though, about three inches.

It's kind of a coincidence because I noticed last night that there was a lot of algae around the filter, so I decided to clean it. My boyfriend joked that Herman was going to feel insulted, like I don't think he cleans well enough...and that he will be mad that I got rid of his yummy algae he was saving for later. Then he gets stuck in the filter!

Butterfly

What kind of pleco is Herman? He's cool looking Just feed him lots of veggies and keep his water extra clean until he heals.
Carol

Bonochick

Thanks! He's just a common pleco...of course, I don't really mean "just" though.

Butterfly

if he's a common he will get really big and beautiful
Carol

Bonochick

Well, if he does reach the really big stage, I only have a 29 gallon, so I will have to find him another good home. I'm enjoying my time with him though!

Bonochick

Well, the hole in his fin isn't the big concern right now...the rest of his fins got badly damaged after he got stuck to the filter again!!! I turned the filter down, cleaned the algae from the area, and I'm gonna look into getting some algae wafers. I thought there was plenty of algae in the tank for him to munch on, but I guess the filter stuff has just looked too yummy to pass up.

Do you think he will be okay?

Bonochick

Well, nevermind, he passed away last night.