# Pleco gets attacked



## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

Is it even possible for any fish to pick on plecos? I have one albino pleco thats about 6 inches and it seems to be hurt on one side (redish/bloody skin) The only fishes I added recently are bichirs and they are at least 1/5 the size of the pleco. I also have 2 kois in there but I doubt they even touch the pleco.


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

Without knowing anything else about the tank, it definitely looks like the start of a bacterial infection. Knowing that there are koi in the tank pretty much confirms that. 

Koi produce COPIOUS amounts of waste and can really degrade the water quality. Plecos are dorsally flattened because they need moving, well oxygenated water. With waste in the tank from koi (yes, it is there even with a good filter) the water is just not tolerable anymore for the pleco. I'd remove him to another tank and then either get rid of him for his own sake, or you can compensate for the koi's waste production by removing it yourself via water changes. By waste I mean nitrates and ammonia that build in the tank. They cannot be removed by adding a cleaning fish. You can add plants to suck up nutrients from fish waste, but your koi will destroy those.

Sorry for the bad news, but you caught it pretty early and can improve his tank or find him a new home pretty easily.

GL!


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

It has been there for over 1 year.. the tank is 75 with only 2 kois, bichir and the pleco... The water parameters are what they are normally is for that tank since 2 yrs ago. There are only 5-6 plants since kois keep digging them up. You prob wont' see from the picture but there is a small tear in the skin of the pleco.


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## LVKSPlantlady (Oct 4, 2009)

Google "Hole in the head" It may be that.
Oscars and other larger fish can get it from prolonged poor water quality... and it take awhile for them to die from it, my friends Oscar has had in on and off for almost a year now... it starts to get better then It starts growing agian... I found this link...

.http://www.flippersandfins.net/HITHarticle2.htm


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

There is only a small tear behind the eye and it looks bloody, hole in the head doesn't look bloody i think. The only new thing to the tank are the bichirs since over 1 yr ago.


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## LVKSPlantlady (Oct 4, 2009)

Have you read up on the bichirs? Aren't they better keep in a spicies tank cuz they are very mean... maybe check into that...how long after you put the bichirs did you see the injury?


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

Not sure how long but the bichirs are 1/5 the size of the pleco. It would be very amazing that it choose to pick on the pleco instead of the kois. I'm moving it to an tempt 10 gal quarantine for a while see if it's condition improves.


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

It doesnt matter how long they've been together. All of those fish want to get HUGE. Koi are carp and yes, you can stunt them by keeping them in a tank, but with the correct care they should grow fast and produce lots of waste. 

Anyways, regardless of how the fish got the lesion, it's infected now. Improved water conditions (ie in a QT tank) will help. If you want to throw in some antibiotics you can but they are harsh on plecos and it's really not needed if you care for the problem (the water conditions that are making the infection worse.). Fish can get lesions and not have infections, but in an aquarium with fish that are producing tons of waste that just isnt possible.

It's definitely not hole in the head disease.


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

pg 251 "Red Sore Disease" Catfish Atlas by Ingo Seidel


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

So improving water condition will gradually cure that disease? I also dont want to use antibiotics if I dont have to.


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## LVKSPlantlady (Oct 4, 2009)

The bichirs's could have very well been what injuried your pleco. Koi's move a lot and the stay in the upper levels of the tank, they dont just sit on the bottom like the pleco looking like easy prey! No matter the size diffrence.

Putting your pleco in a 10 gal tank is only going to help if you change that water a lot, your fish is still too big for a 10 gal tank... even being by himself...a 20 long would be a better hospital tank for your fish...hope he gets better. And when he does I would not put him back in with the bichirs's. They really need to be in a spiecies tank...that's all I know about them.


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

Qwertus said:


> So improving water condition will gradually cure that disease? I also dont want to use antibiotics if I dont have to.


Yes. Disease in this case is working like this:

Fish gets injured, could be any way.
Fish cannot remove itself to a new environment that may be better suited for healing because it is in an aquarium. In the wild these fish can move away from issues.
His wound is getting infected and the stress of other fish, competition, and water quality is taking its toll. The infection ("the disease") could spread or overwhelm the fish.

A healthy fish can definitely do well in tanks with koi, but when they get injured, that's when things need to change.


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

When the sore changes to brighter red is that good or bad? It changed from dark red to a bit brighter now.


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

I'd say bad. You want less red (infection) not more. Did you QT the fish?


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

The color went from dark red to lighter/brighter red. Yes i did QT the fish, 40% water change every 2-3 days. The tear looks like its healing though.


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

Update: It appears it is healing at a very fast rate. The redness is almost gone, the tear on the skin healed but leaving a milk patch sorta like a scar (no its not fungus).


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## LVKSPlantlady (Oct 4, 2009)

Good! This guy got a name?


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

Nah, I advoid getting too attached to fishes, they tend to be very fragile.


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

Now that the pleco is healed I notice the area where there was a tear in the skin sorta got pushed in. Looks kinda like the hole in the head disease if I have to describe it. Was is the cause of the sore? can it heal?


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## LVKSPlantlady (Oct 4, 2009)

I dont know if it will ever get better but keep doing your water changes, look around you might find some meds for it...maybe try some aquairum salt...


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