Struggling With Clown Pleco

Ok guys. Need some real help here. On Saturday, we picked up what we thought was a bristlenose pleco. However, when I got him home and got a closer look, I knew it wasn't a bn pleco. I posted pics here, and consensus was it's a clown pleco.

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/need-pleco-id-please.404865/

Well, I was not ready for a clown pleco. Wrong driftwood, so I had to order some online, which will be here tomorrow. We barely see the guy, that is until today. My wife was able to take a pic of him as he hung from the side of the glass, and suffice it to say I was horrified with what I saw. His fins are tattered all to heck. One is now very red, almost as if from injury. Even though the consensus above was clown pleco, the coloration is not there at all. DoubleDutch stated in the above thread that he hoped the little guy made it, as he looked emaciated from lack of driftwood.

So, what do you think. Looking at the fins, is there anything I can do for this guy? Last 40% water change was Friday. Doing another 50% change tonight. But does this look too far gone? Is there anything else I can do for him at this point other than clean water?

0 Ammonia
0 Nitrite
20 Nitrate

 

Ok guys. Need some real help here. On Saturday, we picked up what we thought was a bristlenose pleco. However, when I got him home and got a closer look, I knew it wasn't a bn pleco. I posted pics here, and consensus was it's a clown pleco.

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/need-pleco-id-please.404865/

Well, I was not ready for a clown pleco. Wrong driftwood, so I had to order some online, which will be here tomorrow. We barely see the guy, that is until today. My wife was able to take a pic of him as he hung from the side of the glass, and suffice it to say I was horrified with what I saw. His fins are tattered all to heck. One is now very red, almost as if from injury. Even though the consensus above was clown pleco, the coloration is not there at all. DoubleDutch stated in the above thread that he hoped the little guy made it, as he looked emaciated from lack of driftwood.

So, what do you think. Looking at the fins, is there anything I can do for this guy? Last 40% water change was Friday. Doing another 50% change tonight. But does this look too far gone? Is there anything else I can do for him at this point other than clean water?

0 Ammonia
0 Nitrite
20 Nitrate

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I am sooooo sorry. Have you seen it eat anything else?

 

No. He does not come out during the day. We put extra food in right before my wife goes to bed at around 10:00pm after the lights have been off for two hours. She puts it right where he has been hanging out. It's gone in the morning, but that doesn't mean he ate it, as I have 6 corys in there as well. I have tried leaving him shrimp pellets, carvivore pellets, and algae pellets. All pre-soaked. I have hung blanched sweet potato and blanched zucchinI in there for 36 hours, and they showed no signs of rasping on them when I finally removed them.

I feel absolutely terrible for the little guy.

 

How long is it,?? Will it just plain not eat? Or does it not eat specific food? I may have missed it above, but how many gallons is it in? You could try to go get some algae wafers, and see if he eats those. If not, you could try to blanch some vegetables, and see if he eats those! Are you shure it is a clown pleco? It doesn’t look like it from the picture. Will you please try to get a different picture of him? Maybe form the top and the side? Thank you!

 

How long is it,?? Will it just plain not eat? Or does it not eat specific food? I may have missed it above, but how many gallons is it in? You could try to go get some algae wafers, and see if he eats those. If not, you could try to blanch some vegetables, and see if he eats those! Are you shure it is a clown pleco? It doesn’t look like it from the picture. Will you please try to get a different picture of him? Maybe form the top and the side? Thank you!

The link in my above post has the pictures where it was identified on here as a clown pleco. As I said above, I have tried blanching yams and zucchini, no luck. I have tried feeding algae pellets, HikarI Carnivore pellets, and Omega One shrimp pellets. I am not sure if he eats or not. He does not come out during the day, so we feed at night, 2 hours after lights out, and about 3 hours after the other fish have eate. The food is gone in the morning, but as I said there are 6 corys in there,so I can't say who is eating it.

But as you can see from the pictures in the link I provided above, he is going down hill extremely fast. I don't even know how he moves with his fins like that.

It's a 75 gallon tank.

5 dwarf gourami
6 platys
6 Redfin Long Minor Tetra
6 Corys (Peppered)
9 Pencilfish (1"-1-1/2" size)

The pleco is no more than 2".

 

Sorry to say, but think its intestial bacteriaflora is destroyed cause of the wrong diet / lack of wood before you got it.

 

Sorry to say, but think its intestial bacteriaflora is destroyed cause of the wrong diet / lack of wood before you got it.

Dang it. So what is next? Do I euthanize the poor guy? I will do everything I can for him, but I don't want him to suffer if there is no hope.

 

Dang it. So what is next? Do I euthanize the poor guy? I will do everything I can for him, but I don't want him to suffer if there is no hope.

I'd wait and see what happens as the wood arrives. Hoping I am wrong and a wonder will happen. If things get worse indeed euthanise it.

 

Thank you. I will wait and see. I am just shocked how much worse he looks in just the last 3-4 days. The picture my wife sent me mortified me.

 

Poor guy....I don’t know what to say. Wait until you get the wood, as DoubleDutch said. I hope he gets better!

 

Thank you. I will wait and see. I am just shocked how much worse he looks in just the last 3-4 days. The picture my wife sent me mortified me.

yeah terrible sight for such a beautiful fish.

 

Thanks everyone for your help. I got home tonight and had to make the tough decision to euthanize him. He was missing most of his tail, and could not move in the tank. I am heartbroken.

Thanks DoubleDutch . I really appreciate everything you tried to do to help.

 

So sorry for your loss