Help Please! Common Pleco with bloated belly!

Hello all!
I have had this Common Pleco for a few months now. I got her when she was maybe 2.5" and she is now over 6". A few days ago (two or three) I noticed that she had a bloated, swollen belly and she has been very inactive.
I immediately did a water change (maybe sixty percent?) and siphoned up all the gunk on the gravel so that she wouldn't overeat as much. I stopped dropping algae pellets for her and have been keeping an eye on her.
I have been keeping an eye on pond snails so that another infestation does not occur and I pull them out whenever I see them. Would ingesting a shell cause this issue?
Please help if you can. I have read other posts like this and many times the Pleco doesn't make it. I did put a small slice of zucchini in as I read that too much protein can sometimes cause digestive issues like this.
Thank you and I'm more that willing to give more info if needed.

 

Do you see her poop? Does she have driftwood to munch on?
I have a slice of zucchini in the tank at all times, and it definitely gets things moving.

 

That was my thought as well. Welcome to fishlore

 

Do you see her poop? Does she have driftwood to munch on?
I have a slice of zucchini in the tank at all times, and it definitely gets things moving.

I haven't seen her poo in a while (that's part of the reason that I am keeping an eye on her) and she has plenty of driftwood that I replace fairly frequently. I also don't do real veggies very often because she is slow to notice food and I didn't want there to be mold in the tank, but good to know!

 

I haven't seen her poo in a while (that's part of the reason that I am keeping an eye on her) and she has plenty of driftwood that I replace fairly frequently. I also don't do real veggies very often because she is slow to notice food and I didn't want there to be mold in the tank, but good to know!

If you do give her vegetables. Replace it or remove it every 24 hours. That way you're tank won't get slimy. If you keep offering it to her she will see it as food. It will also help in her digestive system.

 

That was my thought as well. Welcome to fishlore

Thank you

If you do give her vegetables. Replace it or remove it every 24 hours. That way you're tank won't get slimy. If you keep offering it to her she will see it as food. It will also help in her digestive system.

Okay thank you! I will try to do so

Thank you

Okay thank you! I will try to do so

Also, it won't hurt other fish if they nibble the veggies will it?

 

Also, it won't hurt other fish if they nibble the veggies will it?

No not at all. Most common fish are omnivore. If you see your other fish pooping to much, then you may want to adjust your schedule.

 

Also, it won't hurt other fish if they nibble the veggies will it?

My other fish try, but they are not very successful.
I blanch a thick slice of zucchimi and leave it in the tank 48hours. It seems to have the right consistency after 24 hours because the second morning the slice is gone.

 

My other fish try, but they are not very successful.
I blanch a thick slice of zucchimi and leave it in the tank 48hours. It seems to have the right consistency after 24 hours because the second morning the slice is gone.

Do you happen to know if celery is okay? I know it's basically just water but sometimes things work in weird ways. I would google but experience tends to be better than hearsay.

 

I never tried

Do you happen to know if celery is okay? I know it's basically just water but sometimes things work in weird ways. I would google but experience tends to be better than hearsay.

I am not sure if Celery could work, my pleco does not take anything but zucchini. Cucumber may work, some cooked carrots, depending on what he likes.

 

Okay so here's a picture of her. She's never been this swollen and now her little papilla thing is enlarged. Ill take an overhead pic too if it helps. She hasn't been eating or pooping and she couldn't have cared less about the zucchini. I tried a shelled blanched pea as well bc I read that it acts as a laxative, but she didn't touch it. I'm getting kind of worried now.

 

After all she went through I may suggest euthanizing her as not to prolong her suffering. That is a very personal decision, though. But love also means to let go.
I am sure other members may chime in

 

Hello all, good news!
Namira finally defecated a couple days ago for the first time since the bloating. It wasn't the healthiest looking, but as each day passes it looks more solid and as normal as it can for someone who hasn't eaten anything in a long time. Obviously she needs good nutrition, as fasting definitely affects the body, but yesterday she swam around quite a bit and was eating algae from the glass. She's definitely skinny (her head looks very bony and the skin is taut) but neither her stomach not papilla are bloated.
Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

 

Hello all, good news!
Namira finally defecated a couple days ago for the first time since the bloating. It wasn't the healthiest looking, but as each day passes it looks more solid and as normal as it can for someone who hasn't eaten anything in a long time. Obviously she needs good nutrition, as fasting definitely affects the body, but yesterday she swam around quite a bit and was eating algae from the glass. She's definitely skinny (her head looks very bony and the skin is taut) but neither her stomach not papilla are bloated.
Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

Fantastic, so what did you do to help her?

 

Fantastic, so what did you do to help her?

Well...nothing for the most part. I let nature run its course, apart from a couple epsom salt baths, and kept an eye on her. I did treat the tank for ich for about two weeks, as there was a small breakout, so perhaps that helped her?

 

Well...nothing for the most part. I let nature run its course, apart from a couple epsom salt baths, and kept an eye on her. I did treat the tank for ich for about two weeks, as there was a small breakout, so perhaps that helped her?

Hard to say, but cool that she made it. What do you feed her now to prevent this from re-occurring.

 

Hard to say, but cool that she made it. What do you feed her now to prevent this from re-occurring.

I'm going to try to supplement her diet with sweet potatoes and zucchini/cucumber since I know other fish will also pick at them. She's very stubborn tho and rarely pays attention to anything like that. I also have one decoration that I don't clean as often, so that I know if she's eating or not and can try to judge how receptive she will be.
I was thinking about getting that seaweed with garlic infused (to raise her appetite). Do you think that might work? I don't know any ways to get her to eat

 

I never tried to feed seaweed, but it sounds like a good idea to me. Did you try to spike the veggie with a shrimp pellet? May want to get some driftwood?

 

I never tried to feed seaweed, but it sounds like a good idea to me. Did you try to spike the veggie with a shrimp pellet? May want to get some driftwood?

I have never thought of doing a shrimp pellet. I have assumed that she was having too much protein and not enough fiber, though she has plenty of driftwood to rasp on. I read that garlic brings out a fish's appetite though
Thank you for all of your help by the way