Growth on my tetra?!

Hello fellow fish lovers,
Unfortunately I have run into yet again another issue with my community tank. I’m just going to fill out the emergency template to give everyone all the info but I will sum it up, yesterday was water change day and when I tested the water the nitrates had spiked from 20ppm to 40ppm and I had .50ppm ammonia. I have added a few new fish and I didn’t change my water change % so I believe that the extra waste from the new fish had created the ammonia, so I did a larger water change, 50%-60%. Today when I fed them I noticed that my oldest fish (which has been through some rough patches of my fish keeping) had a growth on their face. I believe she’s about 6 maybe 7 yrs old but probably 6. She is still eating normal and just as active, her breathing also seems fine. No other fish are like this. The new fish I got however did come from Petsmart, which I don’t like to but from them but the LFS is almost an hour away and I couldn’t get a ride there anyways, the new fish I got were in a tank with a very very dead fish so I’m not sure if that could have brought bacteria into my tank and maybe starburst’s immune system isn’t the greatest because of her age and she could have got this from that, I’m not sure. Here is a video of her breathing, she was a bit stressed as I just caught her

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!
Tank
What is the water volume of the tank?
29 gallons
How long has the tank been running?
I believe it’s been up since may of this year
Does it have a filter?
Yes, two
Does it have a heater?
Yes
What is the water temperature?
It stays around78°-80°F
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) one opaline Gourami, 6 black skirt tetras, 4 white skirt tetras, a bushynose Pleco, and of course starburst the Glofish tetra

Maintenance
How often do you change the water?
Weekly
How much of the water do you change?
Normally 25-30% but im changing it to 50%
What do you use to treat your water?
API water conditioner
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water?
Yes, I vacuum the substrate

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish?
yes
What do you use to test the water?
API Master test kit
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: still at 40ppm (trying to figure out why)
pH: 8.0

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish?
1-2 times a day
How much do you feed your fish?
Depends what I’m feeding them but for flakes a small pinch or two
What brand of food do you feed your fish?
TetraMin (Tropical flakes) & Omega One (Frozen)
Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods?
Yes, I feed them frozen brine shrimp and will start feeding bloodworms soon.

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish?
About 5 or 6 years
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms?
Just now
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms?
Just a large lump on her face
Have you started any treatment for the illness?
No
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase?
No
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all?
No behavior change so far

 

The pleco is probably the reason for the nitrate don’t keep the tetra in the cup though its Probably ok if no behavior change

 

The pleco is probably the reason for the nitrate don’t keep the tetra in the cup though its Probably ok if no behavior change

Huh, didn’t know Pleco’s could cause high nitrates, should I try putting something in my filter to lower that? I only had the tetra in the cup to get some pictures as she wouldn’t Cooperate in the tank lol but she is back in the tank with her friends.

 

My guess is the new fish caused a nitrate spike. Should resolve with water changes. The growth is most likely a genetic issue or some sort of old age related issue. I don’t think it’ll be an issue as long as she behaves the same and keeps eating. While plecos can cause excess nitrates your tank is at a good stocking level and I really don’t think adding anything to the filter is necessary.

 

I would just return the pleco if you can, more plants (live) can help

 

I would just return the pleco if you can, more plants (live) can help

I wouldn't return a pleco for such a trivial reason... water changes are easy

 

I would just return the pleco if you can, more plants (live) can help

Why?? New fish can cause nitrate spikes and I see no need to return the pleco. The tank is at a good stocking level and the plecos bioload should not overwhelm the bacteria once it’s recovered from the new fish.

 

To me, Plecos are poop machines

 

To me, Plecos are poop machines

Yup they are. Doesn’t mean that they’re an issue though. I have had many plecos and as long as you don’t overstock they are fine.

 

My guess is the new fish caused a nitrate spike. Should resolve with water changes. The growth is most likely a genetic issue or some sort of old age related issue. I don’t think it’ll be an issue as long as she behaves the same and keeps eating. While plecos can cause excess nitrates your tank is at a good stocking level and I really don’t think adding anything to the filter is necessary.

Okay, thank you! Just didn’t want anything bad to happen to my oldest fish so I will definitely be keeping a very close eye on her.

I would just return the pleco if you can, more plants (live) can help

I’ve been considering finding a new home for the Pleco as she is still extremely shy and I’m luck if I see her for 5 minutes an entire week, not to mention that it looks like I haven’t cleaned my tank in a week already even though it’s only been a day!! I’ll have to really consider this option but I’m not typically one to just toss out an animal when it’s too much work so I’ll have to really think about this, thank you for your help!!
Edit: the tank is fully live planted, I’m not sure I could even fit more plants if I wanted to lol

 

To me, Plecos are poop machines

One wonders, are all poop the same? I mean the poop from a mostly herbivorous animal compared to the poop from a carnivore in terms of Ni products. An analogy would be cow vs cat, one is a good fertilizer the other isn't (their poop that is).

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