Help with Bristlenose (ich or not)?

[Scoves]

Could use some help identifying if you think this is ich or just the way his skin is.

 

[Scoves]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10160525049918084

a short vid of him as well

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Definitely doesn’t look like ich. What kind of pleco is he?

 

[Byron]

There seem to be small white dots everywhere, all over the wood and the fish. But the video shows the fish's respiration to be very rapid and that is cause for concern. Can you post data on this tank please, so others will be able to offer advice. Tank size, fish (species and numbers), when you got this pleco, water parameters (GH, pH, temperature) and water conditions (ammonia/nitrite/nitrate).

 

[PheonixKingZ]

There seem to be small white dots everywhere, all over the wood and the fish. But the video shows the fish's respiration to be very rapid and that is cause for concern. Can you post data on this tank please, so others will be able to offer advice. Tank size, fish (species and numbers), when you got this pleco, water parameters (GH, pH, temperature) and water conditions (ammonia/nitrite/nitrate).

But ich doesn’t live on driftwood, does it?

 

[Scoves]

It is just a bristle nose pleco. Tank is a 90 gallon The water is 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, near 0 nitrates. Hardness is.. crud i am not totally sure. It is leaning just toward harder side of water. Water is at 82 degrees F right now thinking it is possibly ich so raised temps getting ready to treat for it. Been doing 25 percent water changes for a week roughly every other day. My driftwood that I have had for over a decade does have tiny white spots as you see on it too and I dont recall it there ever before.
I didnt realize i posted a pic of just driftwood but yes that would be nice to figure out too. Just so odd. ( Oh and harder side of water meaning not soft water but not really hard. I dont need water softeners where I am at. We have some of the cleanest waters around from our ground.

 

[Scoves]

Ph is around 7 to 7.2

 

[Byron]

I am still more concerned over the very rapid respiration in the video. My experience with disease is so minimal I do not like guessing so others may be able to carry this forward.

Is there a reason you have been doing water changes alternate days?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Nitrates should be at 10ppm. Preferably lower. You have no Nitrates. How is that?

 

[Scoves]

Nitrates should be at 10ppm. Preferably lower. You have no Nitrates. How is that?

I do. When I said near 0 I was meaning low as in around 10 to 12 or something like that. Sorry about that.

I been doing the water changes thinking that it could be ich so as I raised the temps up for last few days I been changing water and vacuuming bottom some just to reduce amount of ich in tank if it was ich. I just never seen ich look like that. It usually is more white to me when I have seen it. So I think I may treat this as ich and just start adding chemicals. Since salt is not good for plecos and other scaless fish.

 

[Byron]

I do. When I said near 0 I was meaning low as in around 10 to 12 or something like that. Sorry about that.

I been doing the water changes thinking that it could be ich so as I raised the temps up for last few days I been changing water and vacuuming bottom some just to reduce amount of ich in tank if it was ich. I just never seen ich look like that. It usually is more white to me when I have seen it. So I think I may treat this as ich and just start adding chemicals. Since salt is not good for plecos and other scaless fish.

NO to chemicals. Heat alone at 86F (30C) will kill ich if that is what this is, and the pleco will manage but increase surface disturbance as much as you can. If something further was needed, salt would be preferable to any concoction. But I would not go down that road until you have advice from others on this whole issue. I am not at all convinced this is ich. But that respiration does worry me. And fish under stress will always be worse with any additive/medication, which is why they must be well thought out and essential.

 

[Metalhead88]

It sure looks like ich to me.

I do find it weird that the same white spots seem to be on the driftwood....... I've never heard of ich attaching itself to wood before.

 

[Byron]

It sure looks like ich to me.

I do find it weird that the same white spots seem to be on the driftwood....... I've never heard of ich attaching itself to wood before.

Yes, that is what got me. On the fish, I though ich, but that wood... .

 

[Metalhead88]

Also, a little off topic...... but how did we end up with only 1 bristlenose pleco in a 90 gallon tank? I'd have to assume there was other fish in here at some point before. What happened to them?

 

[Scoves]

There is golden barbs, a female bristle nose and two angelicus loaches. The male bristle nose is new and shouldve quarantined longer but to late now. I just recently decidednto add more fish to tank. Havent done so in a long time. Others are near 10 years or older. The barbs are more recent.