White spots on pleco gills

[Emma and the angelfishes]

What is the ingredient?

View attachment 100104

 

[Emma and the angelfishes]

What is the ingredient?

The ingredients just say sea salt

 

[angelcraze]

The ingredients just say sea salt

Well it should be sodium chloride without any fillers or preservatives, so I would say 100% sea salt is ok. I use the aquarium salt by API but that's because it's on hand. You can also use kosher sea salt, so that should be fine

 

[Essjay]

Sea salt will be more than sodium chloride as sea water contains lots of other salts as well. But it shouldn't have anti caking agents etc which sodium chloride table/cooking salt has.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

No, don't use the salt in the picture you uploaded.

API makes some good aquarium salt, that's what I use.

It is normal for plecos to have a metallic shine near or on their gills. Does it look like it is actually growing out from him? Or is it level with his body?

 

[Colin_T]

sea salt is fine to use.

sea salt flakes is simply seawater that has been evaporated and the remaining salt crystals are boxed up and sold to people.

 

[Emma and the angelfishes]

What is the ingredient?

The ingredients just say sea salt

 

[Emma and the angelfishes]

No, don't use the salt in the picture you uploaded.

API makes some good aquarium salt, that's what I use.

It is normal for plecos to have a metallic shine near or on their gills. Does it look like it is actually growing out from him? Or is it level with his body?

Yes it looks like a lump that moves on the gill area

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Hmm... weird. I'll do some more research and then get back to you.

 

[angelcraze]

I circled the cheek spikes on my pleco to show you what I mean

They have a spine there that flips up when they are being aggressive or as a defense mechanism to prevent being swallowed. Those little spine spikes spread out like a claw at the cheek area. That's what your pleco was doing in your vid, he was flexing his spine spikes.

I think I saw a bacterial growth on one of his bristles at the top of his head as well. It's kind of like when the barbells erode on cory catfish.