# EMERGENCY - Pleco with Holes in Fins - Not Swimming Well



## Twitch (Jan 17, 2008)

We noticed last night that the pleco (3inch) was not swimming well. He was allowing himself to be pushed around by the water coming out of the filter and was trying really hard to swim by himself. Later that night we saw him floating against the filter intake and thought he was dead. We didn't remove him and found him swimming around this morning. We took a better look at him and found his fins have little holes all over them. What could this be and is there any way to help him? I'd really like to save him. My husband loves this fish. I can try to get a picture but I don't think I can get one that you could see the holes. There are no signs of ich (no white powdery spots)

We did add 2 rams to the tank recently. One ram has died. He had been resting on the bottom of the tank for several days, his gills working overtime and looking like he was going to die any second. He died this morning.


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

Did you happen to quarantine the rams before you added them to the tank? Did the rams show any outward symptoms of disease?

Was the pleco ok before the addition of the rams?

What size tank, how long has it been established? Do you test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph?


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## Twitch (Jan 17, 2008)

No, we did not QT them. My mother in law put them straight into the tank. The pleco was doing wonderful before the new additions. She said the male ram had something on him, and I asked her why she would get them if she knew they were sick and she said they "looked okay despite the stuff on one of them." The pleco just died. 

The tank is a 10g and I test 1-2x a week for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I also test for pH. The last test was done last night. I did not test for nitrate because I ran out of time. 

Ammonia: 1.0
Nitrite: 2.0

Yes, I am well aware the fish should not be in the tank while it is cycling and yes I know a 10g is too small for a pleco. Now I just need to know what he had so I can treat the tank for the last remaining ram so she doesn't die too.


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

Geesh..... that's a tank full of trouble. Get your ammonia down - i would do 50% water changes until you can get it under control and use a double dose of Seachem Prime in the new water. Prime renders ammonia harmless to your fish but not forever... (sorry I forget the timeframe).

I guess you need to figure out whether the "something" on the ram was fungal or bacterial so you have a starting point for treatment options.


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