Help! Bristlenose infection

[slinky-kitty]

I have had my Bristlenose for over a year and he has these white plaque like patches which appear to be faking off around the edges on both sides of his face. They have come up in the last 24 hours. I have been away so no waterchange for 3 weeks I know this is really bad however did a 20%change yesterday and wonder if this could have caused it? He does change colour to patchy bits of white every now and again but these seem more like infected plaques. I have added pimafix and melafix to water. Can anyone offer suggestions? Many thanks.

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

Wet Web Media is a great resource for any type of aquarium livestock. There are so many pages of info and if you don't find what you need, you can email them directly. If you do, make sure you include all parameters of your aquarium and tank measurements too. They can be a little touchy when that info isn't provided and will say they need it to really help you. Hope everything turns out okay and you are able to figure out what is going on!

 

[slinky-kitty]

Thankyou. I have just placed a wafer in his cave and lights out. He is eating. I will see in the morning. He may have had a fight with clowns as I think my father erred a little too much on the side of caution while away and didn't feed enough. One of my balas has a chomp out of his tail. And my coockoo and culi loach who normally stay in their caves at the bottom are comIng right out at tea time. Unfortunately the tank was neglected it was a lot to ask of someone looking after everyone. Next time I will get someone in to tend to the tank when away. I am sad as I should have done this. He's such a beauty. I will keep you posted. Cheers.

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

Definitely know the feeling of leaving someone else to take care of an aquarium and coming back to it.... let's just say not how you left it. Hopefully everything settles down and that bite heals quickly.

 

[ArowanaLover]

I cant be sure, it doesn't look like ich, but it may be a fungus, does he show any other symptoms?

 

[slinky-kitty]

Hi again guys, he is much improved today! It has pretty much disappeared so I am thinking it may have been a shedding slime coat...after doing a heap of googling. I had joined a forum on Thursday but they take 24 hours to activate your account so really appreciate the help. Will keep a close eye on him.@Yoshi&Reza and @ArowanaLover thank you for your input. I will definitely check out wet web media. Are there any other forums you can recommend? There are so many!!!

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

So glad he is improving!

I don't know of other forums, except for saltwater. I just know when something is going wrong and you need answers fast, wet web media has always been there. We have a Reef Currents event here and were able to see the man behind WetWebMedia too!

In your area, you might be able to look up local forums/organizations. We have one here for Houston and it is nice to have a community to be a part of; especially in emergencies! Usually in the back of the aquarium magazines they will have a list of those for certain areas.

 

[ArowanaLover]

Local clubs are really helpful (when they are well run), i would definitely advise checking out yours if you have one, good luck, hope all goes well with the tank

 

[slinky-kitty]

Local clubs are really helpful (when they are well run), i would definitely advise checking out yours if you have one, good luck, hope all goes well with the tank

Thank you! Have already done some searching and there are a few in my region. Cheers

 

[slinky-kitty]

My boy is back to normal thankfully. He's got his favourite for dinner tonight (zucchini)!

 

[ArowanaLover]

You clearly take excellent care of your fish, i would hate for anything to happen to him. Question: do you have any driftwood in your aquarium, it helps the pleco's with digestion (in my experience) is the only way to really take care of them. (coconut shells work great too, and are great hideouts)

 

[slinky-kitty]

@ArowanaLover thank you! Yes, i have heaps of driftwood with plants attached. Unfortunately my acquarium is a little overcrowded as my fish have gotten big. So I am planning an upgrade. They are happy enough for now, just need regular tending with cleaning and water changes. I know most people, myself included tend to overfeed so its a blessing in disguise that they were "underfed" (if they were underfed) while I was away. I find watching them so tranquil and have had my share of novice mistakes in the past, mostly when I had a smaller tank. I cant believe how much they've grown! Havent had a fatality in over 2 years however sadly my 2 sucker catfish didn't make it when I returned from being away. They wont be replaced until I get a bigger tank. I have other bottom feeders and my bristlenose gets on the glass now.

 

[ArowanaLover]

@slinky-kitty Might I recommend one of the corydoras catfish, they are super active and very small. Also can you post a pic of the tank, i would love to see.

 

[slinky-kitty]

@ArowanaLover here are some pics of my tank! They are not great quality sorry...I need some practice I'm afraid. I have 3 albino corys, they are my babies. They've been with me for around 4 years. The are such peaceful beauties aren't they?

 

[Bird-Mom]

I used to have all different types of fish. They have had ich and swim bladder disease. The best medicine is actually kosher salt. Not table salt, that is different. Sprinkle some kosher in front of the fish so he eats it and repeat morning and night. Do this for a few days and things shold clear up.

 

[ArowanaLover]

Loving that clown loach tank looks great

 

[slinky-kitty]

@ArowanaLover today my little corys lined up. So cute! Shame about the sticker on the tank!

 

[theocnoob]

Your fish has a medical condition called "VELVET". Get appropriate medication from your aquarium shop and treat it. It can be fatal if untreated and will easily spread to other fish.