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White Spots On Pleco!!!

Posted: 03 Aug 2004, 12:39
by FreaKaMaNia
White spots appeared on my pleco about 3 days ago, just 1 day after i brought him home from the LFS. When I woke up in the morning, found the white spots on his body on some on his tail. I've since shifted him into an empty tank and used some "Anti White Spot Plus" medical treatment from Interpret. This was 3 days ago and the spots have not disappeared! This is worrying me! However, he/she is still eating well. What else can I do for him/her to get the white spots off as soon as possible?

And also, I added some tiny shrimps into the same tank. This is with the intention of them picking the white fungus (?) off my pleco so that he can be cured faster. I've seen them at the job, picking at the white spots, but i'm not sure if that will help. Is this method workable? Or will the shrimps harm my pleco??

Advice needed please!!!

Edit

On the day I brought him/her home, I put him/her into a tank with another pleco of a slightly bigger size. They fought a few times and each time I had to hit on the glass to separate them. I then added a piece of dritwood to provide them with cover and to hopefully prevent them from fighting again. On the next morning, white spots appeared. Could the white spots be due to the fight?

Posted: 04 Aug 2004, 01:07
by sodapopdima
Sounds like ick to me. If it is you need to treat with medicine 3x.
Raising water temperature to ~82deg would be good, I pushed as far as 84 but NO higher.

Dunno about the shrimp idea but it sounds original, I personally think it will have no effect one way or the other.
Also, use good medication against ick, not something called white spot remover.

I had much success with Super Ick Cure in the past.
I also like liquid medicine more than tablets because it works instantly, no waiting for tablets to dissolve.

Can you take a picture of the Pleco to see if maybe someon can confirm or identify the white spots?

Posted: 04 Aug 2004, 16:15
by FreaKaMaNia
Thanks for replying. I'll certainly try my best to take a photo of it and post it here. Anyway, after i changed its water today, it kept moving and shifting about the tank, as if it cannot find a comfortable position. And it's breathing rather quickly... its mouth isn't pressed onto the bottom of the tank and instead curved at one side, which I think it's to take in more oxygen... Why is this? Is my pleco's condition worsening???

Posted: 05 Aug 2004, 13:11
by 2cats
Hi there FreaKaMaNia

Just out of curiosity, do a search back to about July 20 in this forum under my user name (2cats) and look at the photo of my pl*co. Do the spots look something like what mine had???

Posted: 05 Aug 2004, 16:19
by FreaKaMaNia
Nope, they are much smaller.

Posted: 05 Aug 2004, 16:55
by 2cats
Mine started out small as well. Barely noticable. Then it just started getting huge. Then 2 more popped up. I was getting quite worried but everything I read about and spoke to said the same thing... viral infection and just wait and see.

I am glad to say that after 3 weeks, he doesn't have a spot on him. I just made sure he was well fed and he seemed to settle in nicely to his new home and then suddenly they just deflated and vanished. I think it is just like the sores people get around their mouth when under alot of stress, it just pops up and then goes away after awhile.

Fish herpes perhaps??? :lol:

Posted: 05 Aug 2004, 17:10
by Barbie
Good water quality can cure MANY ills. Try doing daily 30% water changes. It can't hurt, and may make a drastic difference in his happiness.

Barbie

Posted: 06 Aug 2004, 04:23
by FreaKaMaNia
I'm currently changing the water everyday.. but his condition seems to be getting worse.. now he has stopped eating already!i think there are less spots as before, though. When does plecos flare? as in their fins stand out straight? other than when fighting? i'm worried as his fins are always at attention.. the last time i saw my other pleco did this , he died shortly after... does the standing of fins mean that my pleco is uncomfortable?