Plec With Wound & Possible Fungus...

[lotsabob]

Hello,

I have a small plec in a community tank with guppies and one corydora sterbai. I had noticed the plec was coming out more - usually of course he'd be hiding n the day. Today after work I noticed he had kicked up a lot of mess in the tank and was visible, and not hiding when I opened the lid to feed the fish, or made any noise or movement. I have noticed this evening that one one side of his face - just above his sucker, I guess - a fluffy pink lump (size of 5p piece perhaps?), quite raised. I'm assuming a wound, with fungus, but am panicking because I don't have a hospital tank, or a LFS in my town, or a car...I can't get to a fish shop until saturday to get what I need for a hospital tank.

I feel terrible; that I shouldn't have fish without a hospital tank. I took the tank on when a colleague didn't want it anymore and have so far been preoccupied with removing the female guppies as they're big enough for the store to take, as of course they were breeding like crazy.

Perameters:

10 Gallon tank
PH 7.5
Ammonia 0.3
Nitrite 0.3
Nitrate 0.7

This is from Nutrafin essential mini master test kit (I don't think the 0.3 readings are really as high as 0.3, but that's the second reading up from zero with these kits, and I do think they are a little over a zero reading at the moment due to too many young guppies waiting to be 2cm and big enough for the LFS...My ammonia is generally 0, but hard to tell as just the colour of the water without the tester isn't pure white like the zero reading on the chart...).

The water is a bit cloudy, I think an algae problem is developing. I've been doing a 20%-ish water change weekly, using King British Safe Guard each time.

I have some aquarium salt in the house, have never used it - I can't determine whether this will work now, or be out of the question with my guppies and cory. I have no other medications in the house.

I've had the tank since mid-February. The substrate is coarse gravel (inherited with the tank), and I'm not happy with it, but have had so many guppies, my plan is to change it once all the females are gone and I'm down to just a few males. So injury could have been caused on the gravel.

Any advice based on my rather restricted situation until Saturday would be greatly appreciated. Will try and post a pic if I can, though with murky water and the plec at the back of the tank (he's been trying to hide in a small flower pot instead of any of his usual safe hiding places)...

thank you!

 

[lotsabob]

Hello - attached is a pic. Very bad one, but I read someone said "a bad pic is better than no pic" He is the black area at the back middle. Above him is the bottom of the tank heater, to the right of him a little plant pot. He is facing the way of the plant pot - the pink fuzzy spot to the bottom of him is the bit I'm talking about (there's a more orangey-red bit to the left of that, but that's a bit of gravel), and above that a bit is his right eye. This could be his gill area?... The white spots you can see (one at the top of him) aren't really there on the fish.

I will try the pet shop and another shop in town for general fungus treatment tomorrow...even if this is just a wound without fungus, I expect I will need to be prepared for fungus if he's run down and hurt...

 

[WILDER]

The lump is it hard or soft liked filled with fluids.
The fluffy pink stuff is columnaris.
You can't use salt with the plec.
How many fish and which type are in the 10 gallon tank.
Your water stats are terrible.
I would do an immediate water change.
How often do you do a gravel vac and water change.

 

[lotsabob]

Hello, thank you for your reply. I have someone collecting some Pimafix for me today on the advice this morning of the LFS (not so local!). To your questions:

The lump is it hard or soft liked filled with fluids. - just fluffy. There may be no lump under the fluff.

The fluffy pink stuff is columnaris. - Yes, could be, but there is only one isolated spot on this fish, and fairly large. I read that the Pimafix could be successful if this is the case.

You can't use salt with the plec. - okay

How many fish and which type are in the 10 gallon tank. - only the guppies mentioned, and the single corydora sterbai. Too many guppies. Five adult males, but about 20 young guppies (beyond fry, 1.5cm-ish). In my opinion definitely overstocked, due to some large births before I could re-house some females. Have taken one batch to LFS, another batch going on Saturday. I inherited the tank; haven't added any fish to it.

Your water stats are terrible. - I don't think they're as bad as those numbers suggest...I have erred on the side of caution in quoting the higher end, but I see people have a lot more detailed readings than the ones on my kit. Either zero of 0.3 being the next! I think its probably not zero, but certainly somewhere in between.

I would do an immediate water change - I have done one...my perameters have been pretty consistent throughout water changes. Too many fish making waste, I think.

How often do you do a gravel vac and water change - gravel vac with the weekly water changes I mentioned. 20%-ish each change.

Appreciate your time, thanks.

 

[WILDER]

Once the fry gone stats should get better, I would do a water change for now.
In the uk for columnaris pimafix and myxazin.
United states maracyn one and two.
You need to increase aeration in the tank with meds as they reduce 02 in the water.

 

[lotsabob]

Once the fry gone stats should get better, I would do a water change for now.
In the uk for columnaris pimafix and myxazin.
United states maracyn one and two.
You need to increase aeration in the tank with meds as they reduce 02 in the water.

Hello there,

thank you for the aeration tip, I did that as you suggested.

Two more days of Pimafix to go. Plec still has the pink wound, but behaviour much returned to normal. Fingers crossed he's recovering.

I also have most of the guppies going to new homes this week, which means I can get the tank properly in order.

Take care, and I appreciate your response to an anxious beginner.

 

[WILDER]

The pink wound does it have a circling of dead white tissue around the edges, just want to make sure its not an ulcer.