Bristlenose pleco with white spots?

[Katy Griffiths]

Hi,
I have a 64 l tropical tank that I've had set up for almost 2 months. I had a pretty rocky start with cycling the tank but everything has settled down.
I have a bristlenose pleco, male guppies, cherry barbs, phantom tetras, a Thai glass catfish and two amano shrimp in the tank.
A few days ago I noticed that my bristlenose has some white spots on him, to be honest I have no clue as to what this could be, I've heard of white spot and ick, but I've never seen it.
Honestly any advice is appreciated, I've also read that treatments for this kind of thing can be life threatening to shrimp.

 

[Katy Griffiths]

 

[Colin_T]

It's not white spot (aka Ichthyophthirius). White spot looks like tiny grains of salt sprinkled randomly over the body and fins.

It is either physical damage or fungus but I can't really tell much more from the image.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate each day for a week and see how it goes.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

If it gets worse post another pic asap and we can discuss medications. But try water changes first because most issues will heal up without the need for medications, assuming the water is clean.

 

[Katy Griffiths]

If it is damage could this be due to him hiding behind the heater a lot of the day, and getting burnt?

 

[FishGuest5123]

It actually looks more like a fungus than an injury to me. Do the daily water changes and let’s see how it goes.

 

[Katy Griffiths]

It actually looks more like a fungus than an injury to me. Do the daily water changes and let’s see how it goes.

Like 25 % water change?

 

[FishGuest5123]

I’d do as Colin says and do a 75% daily. Colin knows his stuff. Does the area look fuzzy? Hard to tell in pick.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I’d do as Colin says and do a 75% daily. Colin knows his stuff. Does the area look fuzzy? Hard to tell in pick.

. What is your water temp at?

 

[Katy Griffiths]

I’d do as Colin says and do a 75% daily. Colin knows his stuff. Does the area look fuzzy? Hard to tell in pick.

Not quite sure to be honest he's only maybe an incg, so it's hard to tell face to tank ...

 

[FishGuest5123]

Do you live in the US?

 

[FishGuest5123]

Do you live in the US?

If you do, you can also treat with API Fungus Cure.

 

[Colin_T]

If it is damage could this be due to him hiding behind the heater a lot of the day, and getting burnt?

yes it is possible the fish has been burnt but they normally get off the heater when it gets too hot.

------------------------
A 75% water change and gravel clean will dilute harmful substances and disease organisms in the water much more effectively than a smaller water change. If you change 25% of the water you leave 75% of the nasties behind with the fish. If you change 75% of the water you only leave 25% of them behind with the fish.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

------------------------
If you do use a medication, make sure it is suitable for scaleless fish (catfish, loaches, eels). If there are no instructions for use on scaleless fish, then use it at half strength.

To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating or it will absorb the medication and stop it working.

Wipe the inside of the glass down, do a 75% water change and complete gravel clean. And clean the filter before treating. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration when using medications because they reduce the dissolved oxygen in the water.

 

[sazure]

It looks more like Comnaris (which I used to treat rescue bettas for - not easy) There are meds now for this. (I did massive research on another topic and am pooped). Here are some links however. As others note - catfish have their own specific needs.

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/Diseases.htm

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/catfish/bristlenose.php

Remember anything you add to your tank can bring disease to your tank. Not only other fish but plants, substrate, and decorations can harbor bacteria. Take great care and make sure to properly clean or quaranteen anything that you add to an established tank to keep from introducing pathogens.

Because they are a scaleless fish, catfish can be treated with pimafix or melafix but should not be treated with potassium permanganate or copper based medications. Malachite green or formalin can be used at one half to one fourth the recommended dosage. All medications should be used with caution.

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/columnaris-symptoms-and-treatment.263058/

https://www.thesprucepets.com/columnaris-disease-in-aquarium-fish-1378480

 

[Colin_T]

It is not columnaris.