Help. Need Advice For Extremely Ill Pleco..

[Jackiee]

100 gal tank, went chaotic a week ago after simply cleaning my Fluval canister filter (some are saying too much bacteria was destroyed) even though I had 2 other filters untouched hanging off the back of the tank.. Fish came down with HITH disease and secondary fungus infections..

Water parameters went nuts.. .50 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 80-160ppm nitrate..

Unable to do water changes because the city is working on the water lines on ny street, back and forth issues with the water to my house being shut off temporarily and then put onto boil order afterwards..

Still on boil order.


Pleco became ill.. Started off with a shrinking tummy even though he was being fed and was eating, gulping air from the surface, now his belly is very sunken in, eyes have begun to sink in.. A few days after he fell ill, he got his sunken belly stuck on the canister filter intake which resulted in a bad suction wound on his stomach..




I don't know what to do for him anymore..

He is out of the main tank and in a 10 gallon by himself.. Did a 100% water change (during the short time my tap water was okay to use) before I put him in there, to make sure the nitrates were down in the tank.. Added him into the tank and dosed the tank with "Para Guard" by seachem..

I am going to the store today to buy metronidazole to treat my main tank for HITH/hex as well as buying a bunch of gallons of purified water since this is the only ridiculous way I can do a water change right now..

He is no longer eating. I need advice..

 

[Fluval-1200]

What was you feeding him?
 
I wouldn't know were to start as you have a lot of problems by the sounds of it.
 
Id try not to add treatments for all the problems at once as it will most likely create a lethal concoction, 50% water changes a day in a that small tank though.

 

[Jackiee]

What was you feeding him?
 
I wouldn't know were to start as you have a lot of problems by the sounds of it.
 
Id try not to add treatments for all the problems at once as it will most likely create a lethal concoction, 50% water changes a day in a that small tank though.

I was feeding him his normal algae wafers.. Tetra extreme veggie wafers, wardley algae discs.. I tried carrot and spinach when he first started showing signs of a sunken stomach but was still eating, but he never wanted that stuff. Just wanted his wafers. Now he isn't eating at all for the past few days.

I believe his immune system was weakened by my tank crash and then he was possibly infected with an internal parasite.. He's been treated for external parasites along with all my other fish and never got any better.

I don't know of any medicated food for plecos to try though..

Guess I'm just gonna have to wait and see how he responds to the purified water change..

 

[Fluval-1200]

Is the purified water ro water by any chance? if so make sure its been re-mineralised.
 
Try feeding him some cucumber + black out the tank for a day as he will feel more comfortable when its dark.
 
Only treatment id go for is an external bacteria/fungus one, keeping that wound from getting infected would be the most important thing to treat first.
 
The pleco could be saved, has he got anywere to hide in that tank?
Also have the tank bare bottomed.

 

[Jackiee]

Is the purified water ro water by any chance? if so make sure its been re-mineralised.
 
Try feeding him some cucumber + black out the tank for a day as he will feel more comfortable when its dark.
 
Only treatment id go for is an external bacteria/fungus one, keeping that wound from getting infected would be the most important thing to treat first.
 
The pleco could be saved, has he got anywere to hide in that tank?Also have the tank bare bottomed.

I did a 50% water change with distilled water.. Not purified drinking water, but distilled.. I read on another source that between tap water, purified, and distilled water, distilled was best.. Because even purified drinking water has higher additives in it for taste, TDS's, total dissolved solids.. So that's what I got.

I changed 50% of his water with distilled water, and added metronidazole for infection/parasites..

The tank is not bare bottomed. Why does it need to be? Just curious. There is nothing in there to hide in right now, just an empty tank with gravel in it and a small chunk of driftwood for him to chew on if needed.. I will try cucumber but I've never tried feeding it to him before. I tried carrot and spinach and he didn't touch it. He won't eat his wafers at all right now either.

Is the purified water ro water by any chance? if so make sure its been re-mineralised.
 
Try feeding him some cucumber + black out the tank for a day as he will feel more comfortable when its dark.
 
Only treatment id go for is an external bacteria/fungus one, keeping that wound from getting infected would be the most important thing to treat first.
 
The pleco could be saved, has he got anywere to hide in that tank?Also have the tank bare bottomed.

Also, how would you remineralize the water? And can I somehow soak his wafers/cucumber in the metronidazole so that he ingests it to better treat him? I've read this but idk how to do it.. Many people seem to believe my Pleco had internal parasites.. By the way I noticed you have a sailfin pleco. That's what my guy is too.. His name is Old Man River. I've had him for years, I hope he makes it.. I'm attached to the guy.

 

[Jackiee]

Hard to tell, but his eyes are sunken. I just can't get a good picture.. His tummy is extremely sunken.

 

[Fluval-1200]

Bare bottom is cleaner and easier for you to see its poo, the poo also falls between the gravel and just creates nasties lol.
 
Don't soak his food in any treatment, just keep up the water changes and give it a place to hide. These are nocturnal and rest through the day - hence the cucumber + darkness should do the trick.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Metro is most effective when fed. I would consider one of the Prazipro meds. These are made by a few manufacturers. Ideally look for one which contains more than just praziquatel. Some will also have metro and even lavamisole. Jungle used to make a product like this but I think its discontinued. The Prazi and Levamisole will work in the water, they do not need to be fed.
 
I keep all of the above on hand. You can find both Levamisole HCL and Flubendazole (two good anti parasite/anit-worm meds) here as well http/www.inkmkr.com/Fish/

 

[looking-glass]

Poor guy  

 

[Jackiee]

Unfortunately I think it's too late for him. His eyes are sunken even further in.. He still hasn't eaten. I tried but I can't get him to.

Bare bottom is cleaner and easier for you to see its poo, the poo also falls between the gravel and just creates nasties lol.
 
Don't soak his food in any treatment, just keep up the water changes and give it a place to hide. These are nocturnal and rest through the day - hence the cucumber + darkness should do the trick.

  

Metro is most effective when fed. I would consider one of the Prazipro meds. These are made by a few manufacturers. Ideally look for one which contains more than just praziquatel. Some will also have metro and even lavamisole. Jungle used to make a product like this but I think its discontinued. The Prazi and Levamisole will work in the water, they do not need to be fed.
 
I keep all of the above on hand. You can find both Levamisole HCL and Flubendazole (two good anti parasite/anit-worm meds) here as well http/www.inkmkr.com/Fish/

  

Poor guy

Unfortunately I think it's too late for him. His eyes are sunken even further in.. He still hasn't eaten. I tried but I can't get him to.

 

[Fluval-1200]

Did you try putting in some food + darkness for a day?

 

[looking-glass]

how is he today?

 

[Jackiee]

Did you try putting in some food + darkness for a day?

  

how is he today?

The tank has been blacked out for 3 days straight now, and I keep trying to feed him but he won't eat.. I put a wafer in.. Leave it overnight.. Remove it when it starts disintegrating so it doesn't dirty the water.. Put a fresh one in..

His eyes are more sunken in than ever now. He is still breathing. The tank has a heater in it, set at 82 degrees. Covered up with a dark towel, no light. Dosed with metronidazole.

 

[Jackiee]

Bare bottom is cleaner and easier for you to see its poo, the poo also falls between the gravel and just creates nasties lol.
 
Don't soak his food in any treatment, just keep up the water changes and give it a place to hide. These are nocturnal and rest through the day - hence the cucumber + darkness should do the trick.

  

Metro is most effective when fed. I would consider one of the Prazipro meds. These are made by a few manufacturers. Ideally look for one which contains more than just praziquatel. Some will also have metro and even lavamisole. Jungle used to make a product like this but I think its discontinued. The Prazi and Levamisole will work in the water, they do not need to be fed.
 
I keep all of the above on hand. You can find both Levamisole HCL and Flubendazole (two good anti parasite/anit-worm meds) here as well http/www.inkmkr.com/Fish/

  

Poor guy

  

how is he today?

Well... I had been dosing his tank with prime and it kept giving me false ammonia readings.. So I didn't dose it so that I could test it once to see what the water was really registering at.. For whatever reason my ammonia jumped sky high to 2.0-4.0ppm and the Pleco has been sitting in this for the day... Probably just did him in.. Great. I'm so mad. Idk what's wrong with his tank.. Why his parameters are that screwed up. I just did a %50 water change day before yesterday.. And with the prime the ammonia was reading 0.25-0.50ppm.. Now sky high to 2.0-4.0?! What the hell is going on here.. No wonder his eyes sunk in further today. The ammonia was probably killing him.. Won't be surprised if I wake up to him dead in the morning.... *sigh*

 

[Fluval-1200]

Ammonia that high for that long in this state id be surprised if he lasts, plec's are hardy but not that hardy. It seems whatever you are doing to your tanks is causing these spikes, have you tested the water your adding for ammonia and nitrate? 
 
Do you siphon the gravel etc on water changes?