[Pics] Ever see a Pleco like this

[ronz06]

I've had my current Pleco for about a month and I just started to
notice that both front fins on my Pleco have started to form some sort
of "bubbles" at the front. Both front fins look the same and the fish
seems fine otherwise.

Here are some pictures with red arrows pointing to the "bubbles".

http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_1.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_2.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_3.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_4.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_5.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_6.jpg

Has anyone seen anything like this before?

 

[Loopyness]

maybe its some kind of fungus type stuff??

 

[Olive]

I've had my current Pleco for about a month and I just started to
notice that both front fins on my Pleco have started to form some sort
of "bubbles" at the front. Both front fins look the same and the fish
seems fine otherwise.

Here are some pictures with red arrows pointing to the "bubbles".

http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_1.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_2.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_3.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_4.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_5.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_6.jpg

Has anyone seen anything like this before?

wow i haven't seen that before........maybe some sort of fungus like mentioned before.........you say the other fish are fine?

 

[cutechic]

It looks like what happens when one fills their tank up with water too quickly. Something about CO2 in the bloodstream? Maybe someone else could jump in here...

 

[Alien_spawn]

It looks simliar (but not 100%)to what my bristlenose pleco had once, when it happened all water levels etc were fine but I water changed more frequently this seemed to help clear it.

 

[ronz06]

All other fish are fine. I am at a loss on this one. I have some salt in the tank and I did a few doses of MelaFix.

 

[keith]

can you use salt with coreys? in combination with rid-ich?

 

[srikantmarakani]

I am a newb so take everything with a pinch of salt. I do remember reading somewhere that this happens when heavily aerated water is added to the tank. Water which looks milky when it is just out of the top is heavily aerated water - just put it in a bucket for some time and watch all the bubbles inside . Another good reason to use aged water. It is apparently something like the bends for divers - in the case of fish it is caused by water aerated under pressure.

 

[Loveless]

All other fish are fine. I am at a loss on this one. I have some salt in the tank and I did a few doses of MelaFix.

no more salt for your tank as long as you have that pelco

 

[ronz06]

Some more pics:

http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_7.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_8.jpg
http/www.rbartick.com/cf/pleco_9.jpg

 

[Eelzor]

Plecos take absolutely no salt at all! Not even a grain! Weell, maybe that, but they are really sensitive to it so I second Loveless's suggestion.

 

[Adrinal]

He looks sad.
GL with him.

 

[chumley71]

Hi, I am new and haven't done an intro yet but I was lurking and read this post. I am by all means a newbie to the aquarium world. I read your post and remembered reading about this as I was searching for any bit of info on my new hobby. This is what I found...


what your pleco has is "gas bubble disease" this very uncommon problem results when there is too much oxygen in the water.

Symptoms:
Clearly visible bubbles (like tiny blisters) beneath the skin. They may also present in the eyes or on fins.

The oxygen gets "pulled" inside the fish as the water tries to stabilize. The fish exhibits bubbles just under the skin and in eyes, thus the name. If bubbles form in the blood stream death may occur rapidly.

Cure:
Do a water change in an effort to restore the balance of oxygen. Remove as much algae as possible and reduce live plants. Reduce the amount of time the aquarium light is on.

Here is another bit I found on this...

Gas Bubble Disease is caused by a sudden dramatic change in gas pressure in the aquarium. This can happen by changing too much water at one time or by adding cold water to the fish tank. Gas bubbles form in the fins and skin of the fish. The bubbles look like blisters and are very easy to see. The skin will crackle if you run your finger across it. If not treated in time, gas bubbles in the bloodstream will kill the fish. The treatment is to add alot of aeration to the aquarium. Lights should be left off to minimize stress. If you see alot of bubbles that have already popped, consider adding a general antibiotic to guard against secondary infection.

I hope this helps you.
Tracy

 

[Loveless]

great info

 

[JoKeR]

Very helpful