BN Plec has become blotchy.

[Cleo87]

Hello! I wonder if anyone can help. I have seen other posts on here, one which was similar but wondered whether I could post my pic and hope that the blotches aren’t an illness for my plec!

My BN plec has become blotchy, but I have noticed that some Other fish are pecking at her blotchy areas. Feeding etc as usual. Noticed the blotches on head about a month ago but we’re faded and someone else on line said it may be camouflaging. but suddenly is very white and now has one on base of tail. Not fuzzy, or like spots.

I wonder whether this is being caused by the other fish pecking at the plec. But she doesn’t move away from them or hide, just twitches and carry’s on eating!

Water changes are done weekly at roughly 50%.
NTa labs test kit:
Ammonia 0
No2 0
No3 5 but this has only happened this week
PH 7.5

This is my first post and I am struggling a bit to navigate the site to see if there’s any post basics I need to include so apologies if I haven’t posted correctly.

Fingers crossed someone can help

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

The grey patches look like excess mucous produced by the fish to help cover irritated or damaged tissue. The fish might have grazed its head and produced excess mucous to cover it. Now the other fish are picking at it and that will cause the catfish to produce more of it.

Make sure the water quality is good (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, less than 20ppm nitrate).

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week. This will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and give the fish the best chance of healing.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Post more pictures if it gets worse.

 

[Cleo87]

Hi and welcome to the forum

The grey patches look like excess mucous produced by the fish to help cover irritated or damaged tissue. The fish might have grazed its head and produced excess mucous to cover it. Now the other fish are picking at it and that will cause the catfish to produce more of it.

Make sure the water quality is good (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, less than 20ppm nitrate).

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week. This will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and give the fish the best chance of healing.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Post more pictures if it gets worse.

Thank you so much for this