I got the FUNGUS!!

[sgtbirch]

OK! My pleco (grow star pleco) has been hangin out next to the filter intake for the second day now. Today I notice a big cotton ball over his nostril. I think this is a fungal infection from what I have learned. My water parameters are good except Ph is between 7.5 and 8.0. So it probably is a little high. Also is this contagous and if so what may be the approxamate incubation time. I my plecos and he wasnt cheap $24 U.S. dollars. Also I have read he is a strct meat eater. So I feed him sinking disks. Ive been having trouble getting him to eat for a week now But I didnt think much of it since he had the same problem when I got him from the LFS about 4 months ago. His belly is sunken just like it was then too. What treatment will be good. and do I raise the water temp. What about salt Ive ben reading. What kinda salt is it. Certainly not table salt. Please give me some ideas. This tank has been stable till about 3 months ago when my fish started to perish so I am a little frustrated. By the way my last water change was Fri. before you mention that!!

 

[Jimthefish]

OK! My pleco (grow star pleco) has been hangin out next to the filter intake for the second day now. Today I notice a big cotton ball over his nostril. I think this is a fungal infection from what I have learned. My water parameters are good except Ph is between 7.5 and 8.0. So it probably is a little high. Also is this contagous and if so what may be the approxamate incubation time. I my plecos and he wasnt cheap $24 U.S. dollars. Also I have read he is a strct meat eater. So I feed him sinking disks. Ive been having trouble getting him to eat for a week now But I didnt think much of it since he had the same problem when I got him from the LFS about 4 months ago. His belly is sunken just like it was then too. What treatment will be good. and do I raise the water temp. What about salt Ive ben reading. What kinda salt is it. Certainly not table salt. Please give me some ideas. This tank has been stable till about 3 months ago when my fish started to perish so I am a little frustrated. By the way my last water change was Fri. before you mention that!!

Your pH is high for plecs. Fungus attacks dead or dying tissue so your plec may have a wound, even just a scratch on its nose. Get some meds from your LFS. It's not very infectious unless other fish have wounds too.
I've never come across a carniverous plec before. The whole idea of the sucker mouth is so they can rasp algae from surfaces like wood and stones. They do eat any shrimps or other little critters living in the algae so they're not true vegetarians either. Plecs need Lignin. This is a dietary trace element they get from bogwood. You need some in the tank for them to browse on. Bogwood may also help reduce your pH. Try feeding some 'Nori', japanese seaweed. You can get lettuce clips to hold it down in the tank so the fish can get it. Lettuce isn't actually that good, the fibres are too tough.
Don't use salt - plecos don't tolerate this at all!!!!!

 

[sgtbirch]

I've done alot research on this fish. this is the web site I use.

Its is the angekicus cat or L005. It states that vegatables are hardly taken and suggested foods are all meat product. But the guys at the fish store told me he didnt believe me either and told me not to believe what I read on the internet. Yes the Ph. is high what would you recommend I treat with??
P.S. Before the research I put cucmbers and blanched zucchini in the tank and he vnever even touched it. And I only feed him right befor e lights out.does anyone else have problem with high ph tap water. i just tested mine the other day and it was 9.5

 

[sgtbirch]

I added a pic in the members aquarium. I just want a positive ID that its a fungal!!

 

[semper fi]

you cannot add salt to tanks that have scaleless fish in them as it will burn the fish. it is not regular table salt unless you are growing out a gourmet meal! you do need to add aquarium salt.

if you do try to lower the ph do it slowly. you could send the fish into shock from a drastic change. even if it is high for them. you can use baking soda to lower the ph. you would want to lower it .5 every week at water change time. not sure of the exact measurements to add for your tank though. think somewhere gl made a post regarding this. will look to see if i can find the formula for you.

maggie

 

[sgtbirch]

whats the best way to bring the ph down in my tap water. Its between 9 and 10 straight outta the tap. Actually the ph in my tank goes down by itself last night it was 7.5. So this is my guess as to what has been happening.I do a 30% water change adding straight tap water it spikes the ph then gradually brings it back down to 7.5. I am using an alkaline buffer to keep it at 7.5 as this fits the parameters of all my fish. So obviously I am not very smart and I need to do something to my tap water BEFORE I kill all my fish. Do you have city water Maggie cause supposedly Lansing gets its water from detroit and what does yours read??

 

[sgtbirch]

Dont bother posting hes gone

 

[semper fi]

my ph is at 7.5 out of the tap. never had a problem with it though. i have never had a problem with high ph though. i wouldn't mess with the water though. maybe do smaller water changes two or three times a week to not shock the fish so much.

sorry to hear about your loss.

maggie