Pleco Gender/ich Help

Can someone sex this Pleco? Clown Pleco. Relatively new so pretty young still. Don’t know how to tell the difference

 

If it is smaller than two inches you normally can't sex them, however it is covered in ich which needs to be dealt with if you haven't already started that.
Males will have odontels on the pectoral fins that make it look fuzzy, and the tail body will have longer spikes along it.

 

Was wondering what that was. Assumed it was just sand since he spends most of his time on the sand of the tank. Never had Ich on a fish b4. How do I treat it?

 

Was wondering what that was. Assumed it was just sand since he spends most of his time on the sand of the tank. Never had Ich on a fish b4. How do I treat it?

Heat treatment is likely going to be best, he will handle it, get the water temperature up to 86 degrees for two weeks (at least) while doing daily or every other day gravel vacs to get the ich parasites in the gravel out.
If you do not have an adjustable heater medicine is going to be your go to. Some of them cannot be used with scaleless fish (or they have to be underdosed to be used with them, herbtania works with scaleless fish, smells like citronella but normally works in 9-10 days without hurting cycle or fish).

 

I have an adjustable heater. Can gravel vac. I have other fish in there and no spare tanks tho. Can I do it still? The other fish are below

7x BoesemanI Rainbowfish
2x Apistogramma AgassizI white seam
1x Gold Ram
1x Clown Pleco
1x Powder Blue Gourami
2x Smokey Leopard Angelfish

 

Those fish should be able to handle the heat as well, if one fish has it is best to treat the whole tank to make sure you have knocked it out completely.
Edit: up the degree one per hour/two hours that way the fish can adjust with it, cranking the heat up at once can shock them.

 

Awesome. We’re in progress. Thank you so much

 

Was wondering what that was. Assumed it was just sand since he spends most of his time on the sand of the tank. Never had Ich on a fish b4. How do I treat it?

Do any of your other fish have spots? My clowns get sand stuck to them all the time and it will look like ich.

 

Do any of your other fish have spots? My clowns get sand stuck to them all the time and it will look like ich.

The sand and the ich on the fish are two different colors as well as the sand being more uniform than the ich on the pleco.

 

Ya it looks like Ich to me. His/ Her fins are clamped too

Mcasella how long should I have it at 86? 10 days- 2 weeks? Till I don’t see spots?

 

Mcasella how long should I have it at 86? 10 days- 2 weeks? Till I don’t see spots?

2 weeks at the least with heat treatment, this ensure the life cycle of ich is sped up so its cysts burst in an environment that kills it (they cannot stand the heat unless they are a heat resistant strain), vacuuming gets all of the parasite that is in the gravel dead or alive out of the water. Once you are through with the treatment I would suggest bleaching dipping your syphon, hose, and if you use buckets those to, to make sure it is completely wiped out and cannot get back into your tank that way.

 

2 weeks at the least with heat treatment, this ensure the life cycle of ich is sped up so its cysts burst in an environment that kills it (they cannot stand the heat unless they are a heat resistant strain), vacuuming gets all of the parasite that is in the gravel dead or alive out of the water. Once you are through with the treatment I would suggest bleaching dipping your syphon, hose, and if you use buckets those to, to make sure it is completely wiped out and cannot get back into your tank that way.

Thanks a million. Might PM you questions as I go if that’s ok?

 

Thanks a million. Might PM you questions as I go if that’s ok?

I'm subscribed to this thread so any posts you make on it I should see.

 

Mcasella I actually noticed 2 spots on my golf tan after this post but those are already gone. And no spots on back of Clown Pleco anymore. Haven’t seen his/ her belly yet but thank you thank you! Thinking I might invest in a quarantine tank for the future. Keeping it at 86 w daily WC until the 2 weeks are complete. Just wanted to say thanks

 

I'm glad they look better, make sure to go through the full two weeks otherwise you may have to do it again.
Hopefully you won't have to deal with ich again.

 

I'm glad they look better, make sure to go through the full two weeks otherwise you may have to do it again.
Hopefully you won't have to deal with ich again.

I will. Been keeping track. Today is day 7/14 halfway done. Hopefully