# Help! Bristlenose Pleco has Growth near gills/eyes



## Termato (Feb 21, 2012)

I just checked my tank (as I was gone for a couple of days) and I saw this on my little albino bristlenose pleco. I'm not sure what it is or if it's just an injury. The skin underneath of it is white and you can see some areas that resemble blood Here is the image:









And a close up:









Any ideas or thoughts on what this is and how to treat it are greatly appreciated. Thank you!


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## superswimmer (Apr 7, 2015)

Is it an open wound? It almost looks like some sort of tumor if it isn't. What are your water test results and how often do you change your water?


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## Termato (Feb 21, 2012)

superswimmer said:


> Is it an open wound? It almost looks like some sort of tumor if it isn't. What are your water test results and how often do you change your water?


Yeah, I always forget to post my parameters *facepalm* ahhaha

29 Gallon freshwater tank
0ppm Ammonia
0ppm Nitrite
~5-10ppm of Nitrate (hard to tell but it's very close to what comes out of the tap)
7.6-7.8 ph
6-8 dgH
Tank Temperature: 76-77F
Substrate: Seachem Flourite
Moderately planted tank with driftwood.

This tank gets two 25% water changes a week right now. Sometimes I do a 50% water change once a week. It's a fairly new tank and has only been set up for a couple of months (not including the cycle which took 2 weeks because I cloned the tank).

The fish weren't added until the tank was cycled. After talking with some people here at the office, we concluded that the injury came from him wedging himself against the heater. My co-workers saw him hanging out the heater for an extended period of time. That injury now has a bacterial infection and then it grew fungus on top of it. I've been doing daily water changes and dosing with Melafix since I've posted this. The fungus is already gone and the cut is looking better. I don't see that red area anymore, although I can see he is clearly still affected by it. He's being lethargic and has secluded himself in a little hide away corner for now. I've been able to drop food back there for just him.

I'm going to switch back to bi-weekly water changes next week but do 50% instead of 25%. I'm also going to keep treating with Melafix until it is healed.

Someone suggested using Kanamycin if it doesn't heal and someone else suggested pulling the fish out to do a single treatment of 3% hydrogen peroxide (very light dab on injured area). So far, the melafix is working so I'm going to wait the weekend out and see how he he handles it. If the progress changes and he stops getting better, I may switch to one of these alternative methods. 

Thoughts?


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## superswimmer (Apr 7, 2015)

Yeah definitely switch to the 50% once per week while treating because you are supposed to treat it for seven days then do a water change after the seven days are up, but I am assuming that is why you suggested that. The Melafix should treat it well.


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