Freshwater Emergency! Bloated Pleco Won't Eat

[charonchariot]

Hi--

This is a freshwater emergency for my common Pleco. He (or she) stopped eating his favorite, zucchinni, about 5 days ago. I thought it might have been because the last piece was a little old, so I didn't think anything of it, but then I noticed he wasn't eating at all. His belly seems bloated I think, though and it seems as if he is having trouble swimming--I noticed he had trouble righting himself when he turned over behind a rock, and also, he jerks around when he moves, as if spooked, like a visible stutter.

I think the water is fine; I have several platys, a couple of neons, a couple of barbs and a hatchet fish--and two ther hatchet-like fish, not to mention numerous platy fry, and nobody is hanging at the surface and all bodies--including the Pleco's look pristine.

I think it might be an internal parasite, and as I type, my s.o. is picking up marcyn 2, but then i think it might be constipation. I am guessing! I am leery of using medicine as I have found in the past that a pound of cure often kills the disease along with the patient. Please help!

There are the teeniest little protruberances near the underside of his upper fins, but i think they have been there all along, just little rows of unaggravated teeny tiny bubbles, almost look like sensors....

He seems to be a little cramped in his posture, but that might be where he's sitting. His fins are clamped, his belly definitely looks bloated, and again, the no eating thing.

Please help!!! Thank everyone--Karen

 

[WILDER]

Need water stats so take a sample of your water to the lfs and tell them to write the readings down.
What do you feed the fish?
How many gallons is the tank.
Maracyn no good for internal parasites its a bacterial med.
Signs of internal parasites are.
Long stringy white poo, or clear mucas poo.
Being thin or bloated.
Worms hanging from the anus.
Red inflamed anus to enlarged.

If he's not eating not sounding good as you cant feed him some peas.
I would try the bacterial med on the plec if you can issolate him.

 

[Juice]

Obviously if it is bloated it is full and does not want any more food.

Boil some sweet peas and pop them out of the shell and mush them, feed it to the pleco (try to get the pea to sink so the pleco can get to it)

The pea will help constipation since he is bloated.

 

[Tolak]

What size tank, (gallons or liters), and what are the numbers for any water tests you have done? Any abnormal fecies, whitish or stringy, before or while the fish has been on its hunger strike?

 

[charonchariot]

Need water stats so take a sample of your water to the lfs and tell them to write the readings down.
What do you feed the fish?
How many gallons is the tank.
Maracyn no good for internal parasites its a bacterial med.
Signs of internal parasites are.
Long stringy white poo, or clear mucas poo.
Being thin or bloated.
Worms hanging from the anus.
Red inflamed anus to enlarged.

If he's not eating not sounding good as you cant feed him some peas.
I would try the bacterial med on the plec if you can issolate him.

Hi--it's a 30 gall tank, and usually nuked zucchinni exclusively since she was a baby. I didn't use the Marycyn, I am trying peas and I tried a little epson salt, which was NOT a good thing, so I did a 30 % water change. Mully (my pleco) doesn't have any of the symptoms you described. It's early, 6 in the morning so I don't want to turn the light on yet, but she did put her body over the peas last night, although i did not see her eat any. Today, I am going to try putting them in in a tupperware top--I have big rocks instead of gravel--so they don't scatter and foul the tank, and also to keep an eye on how much or little is eaten. I work a double today, so I won't be able to check the water quality till tomorrow, but as per my first post, the other fishies seem fine....actually Mully does have the bloating symptom you list...and i haven't seen any poo anywhere...thank you for your help i will check back tonight, or maybe right before work...Karen

 

[charonchariot]

What size tank, (gallons or liters), and what are the numbers for any water tests you have done? Any abnormal fecies, whitish or stringy, before or while the fish has been on its hunger strike?

30 gallons. No weird poop. I am going to take the water to the pet store tomorrow for a test but i work a double today. I figured water is okay, because my other fish--fry included--are ok. I changed out 30 % water and added mashed peas...it's too early to turn on the light in the tank yet but i will post an update on his condition tonight....actually i just turned on the light, and added some peas....Mully swam over to me and looked at me, i think her swimming looks a little less erratic, but i don't see any poop anywhere, and tummy still looks a little bloated...i will post again tonight...thank you...Karen

 

[charonchariot]

What size tank, (gallons or liters), and what are the numbers for any water tests you have done? Any abnormal fecies, whitish or stringy, before or while the fish has been on its hunger strike?

30 gallons. No weird poop. I am going to take the water to the pet store tomorrow for a test but i work a double today. I figured water is okay, because my other fish--fry included--are ok. I changed out 30 % water and added mashed peas...it's too early to turn on the light in the tank yet but i will post an update on his condition tonight....actually i just turned on the light, and added some peas....Mully swam over to me and looked at me, i think her swimming looks a little less erratic, but i don't see any poop anywhere, and tummy still looks a little bloated...i will post again tonight...thank you...Karen

This is an FYI for all the people who were kind enough to post advice. Mully, my pleco is 100 % again! Yay! I don't know what it was that helped, the peas, or her min exposure to epsom salts, but she's eating to beat the band and I am just so pleased. Thanks to everyone. Hope all is well in your fishy worlds!! Sorry to be late posting the good news, but isn't that always the way...

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like it was a case of contipation.
Feed peas twice a week to keep them going to the toilet.
My plec would lay on a pea whats that all about lol.