# ill pleco, growth in mouth, not eating



## hurricane21 (Jun 28, 2010)

hi all,
i have an ill pterygoplichthys gibbicep, A little while ago i noticed that my gibbicep had a growth in the mouth, which is both inside and down a little towards the gills, he's a bit paler than usual and i haven't seen him eat and there has been a build up of algae implying he hasn't been eating that either, i have had him for about a year.There are no obvious symptoms other than the growths, i have been to about 4 different aquatic shops, none had any idea what was wrong, and had never seen anything like it before. Unfortunately i cannot post up a picture, but if you think you can help me, send me a message and i'll gladly email you a picture of him. also, they are not cotton like growths, more like whit/yellow cylindrical protrusions and there have been nothing out of the normal done to the tank, no new fish or plants, i haven't treated the water because i dont know what im treating. 
thanks in advance,
James

extra info:
its at least a 400l tank probably nearer 500
all readings come back as normal
i have had the fish since the tank was setup
i also have; 2 pearl/lace gourami
2 angelfish
15 cardinals
1 juli cory
2 peppered corys
4 clown loaches
5 black phantom tetras
5 rummy nose tetra
10 rosy tetra
10 harlequins
and a pterygoplichthys gibbicep
temp is at 24/25 degrees c 
i only have live plants and quite a wide variety
its a large eheim filter
the tank gets natural sunlight from midday to afternoon
and i feeds them hikari products


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

maybe it's ulsers or mouth fungus try treating with _ Maracyn Plus
_


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## hurricane21 (Jun 28, 2010)

kitten_penang said:


> maybe it's ulsers or mouth fungus try treating with _Maracyn Plus_


I have dosed the tank with myxazin, since then i have seen him eat although not very much, but i haven't seen him on the front of the tank, so i have been unable to get a good look do you have any suggestions other than maracyn plus, just incase, various people have reccommended medicated food, except nowhere i know of stocks it any more. the only other option they said they could think of would be an injection, which is clearly not an option as firstly, he has been eating very little, so it could finish him off, the exo-skeleton limits the places in which he can be injected and there is no way im going to put a fish through that much stress. and also how do i dose the tank with maracyn plus? im assuming its a chemical, and are there any possible side effects?
thanks
James


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

here is a post i found on the usage of different antibiotics to treat the mouth fungus.
Mouth Fungus is so called because it looks like a fungus attack of the mouth. It is actually caused from the bacterium Chondrococcus columnaris. It shows up first as a gray or white line around the lips and later as short tufts sprouting from the mouth like fungus. The toxins produced and the inability to eat will be fatal unless treated at an early stage. This bacteria is often accompanied by a second infection of an Aeromonas bacteria.
Penicillin at 10,000 units per liter is a very effective treatment. Treat with a second dose in two days. Or use chloromycetin, 10 to 20 mg per liter, with a second dose in two days. Other antibiotics can also be effective. Kanacyn (kanamycin) will treat both bacteria at once. Maracyn (erythromycin) is effective against C. columnaris, and using Maracyn 2 (minocycline) in conjuntion with it will treat the Aeromonas bacteria as well.


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

Maracyn 2 contains Minocycline, Maracyn plus contains Sulfadimidine and Trimethoprim. you can use them both together at the same time.please remove the carbon filters in your tank before adding medication. the maracyn plus comes in a different dosages one is the 32oz and the other is 8 oz.
usage is as follows :


Shake well before using.
Add 2 capfuls (10 ml) per 10 gallons of water.
Treat on days 1, 3 and 5.
Use as soon as the first signs of disease are noted.
Treated water may appear cloudy at first due to the presence of the microscopic spheres; 30 minutes to 1 hour after treatment all cloudiness is gone.
Maintain normal filtration and air.


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