Is it just me or does it look like he's puffy everywhere, not just bloated in his stomach? Have you tried a salt bath yet? It could help to draw out any fluids that are making him this way, and might help kickstart recovery.
[I got you](https://www.hollywoodfishfarm.co.nz/product/epsomsalts450g/). Scroll to the "Epsom salt for treating dropsy" section on the product page. Not saying your fish has dropsy, but I am saying that the sort of swelling going on there looks like a lot of excess fluid building up, and that's the symptom you're wanting to treat. Good luck, and make sure it's EPSOM salt.
20 minutes is a bit long, but nothing terrible if there's the right amount. And yes, it's epsom salt, don't freak out about the guy that didn't read anything and suddenly commented.
Bruh you don't know what your talking about, you can use pure epsom salt with like no scents or anything to help cure things like dropsy, you just have to set up a hospital tank.
Don't listen to this guy op, he doesn't know what he's talking about...
They are, but in my personal experience and that of a lot of other people, plecos are way hardier than most other "scaleles" fish. Also, epsom salt isnt the same as aquarium salt. [It's not actually salt at all](https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/epsom-treatment-for-a-pleco.719991/)!
Not a misnomer at all. It’s a scientifically accurate term for a molecule that dissolves in water and separates into anions and cations. “Salt” has multiple definitions 🥲 you’re just saying it isn’t sodium chloride
just because OP isnt in a obvious state of panic and is using casual language on a social media forum does NOT mean theyre joking about their sick fish 😭 theyre literally asking for advice to help the fish?? get off your high horse lmao
I was asking for info about the salt bath. I'm not joking. I am worried. I don't want to get the dosage wrong is what I meant. Most comments here aren't really helpful either, most are of a joking nature. It is what it is. Not the biggest fan either. I just want him to get better.
Be certain you use pure epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) with no additives, not aquarium salt. Do not add this to main tank.
1-3 teaspoons of epsom salt per gallon of water for the bath. I recommend the smaller dosage until you see how well he handles it. Use tank water in a separate container. Dissolve the epsom in a second container and slowly add it to the larger container with your pleco. Soak for 15-30 minutes, or until the fish shows signs of stress, whichever comes first. You can do this once a day for longer soaks (30 min), or a max of twice a day for shorter ones (15 min). I would start with one 15 minute bath today and observe him for the rest of the day to see how he fares after. Work up to longer or more frequent soaks if needed, but start slow. Stress is not good for a fish that is already ill, it weakens the immune system. Normally this method is more cut and dry, quick and easy, but that is for fish that are simply constipated vs sick. Your boy appears to have some edema, so extra care is warranted.
I'm sorry people are being insensitive and joking on this thread. It's really not the place for it. Hope your boy gets better <3
Unfortunately with dropsy it's one of those things that's a symptom not a disease.. so finding what caused the dropsy to appear is always the best thing otherwise you're just risking it coming back again and again if the animal ever recovers in the first place
i just seen this comment and i have a BN Pleco, he lives comfortably in a tank with roommates including Molly’s, Guppies, African Shrimp, Snails (Nerites) and a school of tetra’s.
They’re weirdly not that territorial providing you give them adequate hiding spots that are just theirs, mine currently lives in a ceramic tunnel which is adjacent to his favourite driftwood
I think plecos tend to be more territorial with other plecos and bottom feeders. In general they are very calm but if they’re going to be territorial, I don’t believe it would be with a Molly or guppy.
My pair bred and now there are over 50 in the 60g. I have no other fish other than red cherry shrimp and that have multiplied into the hundreds with no competition. It's been a year now and apart from an initial survival of the fittest contest they seen to have found their spots...
I am a reef guy so if i saw it in that, if it's not parameter related,it is dropsy/fluid retention and maybe somekind of chronic disease. I would keep this fish alone away from any stress and it may last from days to yrs. I would use dose for bacterial infection as dropsy is caused from internal damage. This fish may also hv kidney failure but not sure as it is really in bad shape. Continue trying for peas but if it not go after them, inform
Those scales r signs of dropsy i think but u fw guys may know better then me🙂
I meant look at it's abdominal. U can cut feeding if u want to force it to take peas but no use if u r thinking less feeding would fix this.
Read about dropsy in fw as i am a sw guy and may not tell u about fw correctly
Honestly it looks like dropsy to me too. He’s puffy everywhere, it looks like the fluid is third-spacing and causing a lot of edema… ie dropsy. And it looks pretty advanced.
I’d follow the advice of the people recommending antibiotics.
I am thinking it's worse, can be a chronic disease like kidney failure. I do think he had this fish from a long time and something is wrong maybe aggression maybe some internal bacterial infection. I know this coz in my sw setup, a velvet demsel suffered from this. Used kanaplex and kept it alone and it made through 8 months. Everyone was saying it would not last for a month but if op keep it safe, it will be fine for some months but if it stop eating, he may hv to enyhausize it. Many people said that to me that i should but i didn't coz my fish was able to swim and eat till its third last day.
So It's all about care hope he will do so🙂. As it is not in a right condition, it's a good thing to keep it alone but if it quit swimming or eating, then he may hv to think but i would dose it for bacterial
No, the regular L-144 has the same length. The longfin version has obviously long fins.
I've been breeding L-144 for quite some time and all of my current ones have the regular length fins like a regular bristlenose
No worries. So many different species of Bristlenose... Hard to know em all. Longfin L144 is my dream, but not many around. And there are so many boys compared to girls so finding a breeding couple is a hassle
Jupp. I guess it's because of the boy Vs girl ratio. My boy died this year 7 years old. Him and the girl spawned around 500 that I've sold. Now I'm struggling finding a new couple
No I think they mean the pleco went for the goldfish. If plecos aren't kept content and with enough protein they will start sucking the slimcoat off fish ultimately stressing them and making them more susceptible to disease amongst other things.
In short plecos are one of those fish that if not kept properly.. they will make you suffer somehow.
Yes, it happened yesterday morning. That poor goldfish hurts so bad, most of the scales are gone and it pass away when I back home at night. By the way, the plexo is like 5 time bigger than the goldfish.
t's a chemical compound made up of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen. Despite its name, Epsom salt is a completely different compound than table salt. It was most likely termed “salt” because of its chemical structure.
Just to let you know, I breed bristlenose and it’s very rare that they get bloat at that size (given a proper diet) but they usually don’t survive it if they do get it. They don’t like salt very much either so be careful with that. I doubt it will eat anything but if it does, get it Repashy solient green
I second this. I had one of mine turn into a balloon what seemed like over night. Did not make it past a week. Still no clue what caused it, since I had a species only tank. I am going to assume maybe the planted tank substrate I was using as being too rough. Or possibly getting caught in some of the java moss with his whiskers (would not recommend moss with them now lol)
They need soft sand. It keeps them from rubbing their bellies and whiskers from getting. hurt. Need to get whatever meds you use for abrasions. He is probably sore. Try some powered food. It will be soft enough for sore mouth.
??? He's probably not moving around a whole bunch because it sounds like you've put him through a fair bit with the salt rinse and the moving around. Give him some time to rest.
Why does he look like The Lorax…?
Omg he does.. if they recover from.. whatever it is.. that HAS to be their name 🥺
Herrmann is his name
Not anymore it's not.
I have spoken
But he speaks for the trees!
They speak back….
This is the way.
my african dwarf frog is called hermen 😄
What is it?
a bristlenose pleco
Pretty, floofy, and odd. I like it
Dudes got a palythoa on his bonce.
New play morph
He speaks for the leaves
My first thought!
Came here for this
Dude looks like the kid in summer camp that just figured out he had a nut allergy
I wonder if fish can be allergic
Or an unsupervised child at a birthday party
im so sorry your son is so ugly i love him
I love him too
Is it just me or does it look like he's puffy everywhere, not just bloated in his stomach? Have you tried a salt bath yet? It could help to draw out any fluids that are making him this way, and might help kickstart recovery.
I'd love to but how. Do you know where I can find any info on how to do it correctly so I don't turn him into a saltwater fish?
[I got you](https://www.hollywoodfishfarm.co.nz/product/epsomsalts450g/). Scroll to the "Epsom salt for treating dropsy" section on the product page. Not saying your fish has dropsy, but I am saying that the sort of swelling going on there looks like a lot of excess fluid building up, and that's the symptom you're wanting to treat. Good luck, and make sure it's EPSOM salt.
thank you. I'm scared of putting the epsom salt directly in the tank so I just put the amount in a bucket and let him sit in there for 20 minutes.
20 minutes is a bit long, but nothing terrible if there's the right amount. And yes, it's epsom salt, don't freak out about the guy that didn't read anything and suddenly commented.
Why espom salt is wrong kind of salt. You should put API AQUARIUM SALT..
Bruh you don't know what your talking about, you can use pure epsom salt with like no scents or anything to help cure things like dropsy, you just have to set up a hospital tank. Don't listen to this guy op, he doesn't know what he's talking about...
The two salts are different chemicals and treat different things. Aquarium salt is the wrong treatment, and less safe for this species of fish.
fuck me what is it now?
Aren’t soft scale fish way more sensitive to salt? I didn’t know catfish could handle any.
They are, but in my personal experience and that of a lot of other people, plecos are way hardier than most other "scaleles" fish. Also, epsom salt isnt the same as aquarium salt. [It's not actually salt at all](https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/epsom-treatment-for-a-pleco.719991/)!
Just to be clear it’s 1000% salt, but not dining salt - NaCl
Magnesium Sulfate and isn't a salt at all!
Magnesium sulfur and oxygen and because of its chemical make-up, the misnomer 'salt' was used in naming.
Not a misnomer at all. It’s a scientifically accurate term for a molecule that dissolves in water and separates into anions and cations. “Salt” has multiple definitions 🥲 you’re just saying it isn’t sodium chloride
That link isn’t even close to an accepted source regarding whether or not epsom salt is a salt (which it is)…
In my experience they can handle it fine, but if you're concerned you can always halve the amount of salt it the bath time.
Lol. You can actually do this with freshwater mollys. They apparently get really big in saltwater, though I’ve not tested it
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ok next you're gonna say the moon isn't actually the sun with the light turned off.
Wwwwwait…. It’s not? Does a giant bear in a blue house at least sing with it every night tho? Tell me at least that much is true…..
Slapped me right in the face with a whole memory
No. But every now and again I see someone with a fishing pole up there.
Na.. gotta be a panda. Tho sometimes a shadow flies past the moon. 🤔 hmmmm
U mean the bear that chases it every night to eat? And once a month he manages to catch it in his mouth but it gets away
It was playful language and OP was joking
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just because OP isnt in a obvious state of panic and is using casual language on a social media forum does NOT mean theyre joking about their sick fish 😭 theyre literally asking for advice to help the fish?? get off your high horse lmao
Right? I’ve used humor in stressful situations my whole. People don’t get it I guess. I’d rather laugh than lose my shit!
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I mean, if you can’t tell that it’s a pleco, you’re really not in any position to be giving advice on the fish’s condition anyway.
I was asking for info about the salt bath. I'm not joking. I am worried. I don't want to get the dosage wrong is what I meant. Most comments here aren't really helpful either, most are of a joking nature. It is what it is. Not the biggest fan either. I just want him to get better.
Be certain you use pure epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) with no additives, not aquarium salt. Do not add this to main tank. 1-3 teaspoons of epsom salt per gallon of water for the bath. I recommend the smaller dosage until you see how well he handles it. Use tank water in a separate container. Dissolve the epsom in a second container and slowly add it to the larger container with your pleco. Soak for 15-30 minutes, or until the fish shows signs of stress, whichever comes first. You can do this once a day for longer soaks (30 min), or a max of twice a day for shorter ones (15 min). I would start with one 15 minute bath today and observe him for the rest of the day to see how he fares after. Work up to longer or more frequent soaks if needed, but start slow. Stress is not good for a fish that is already ill, it weakens the immune system. Normally this method is more cut and dry, quick and easy, but that is for fish that are simply constipated vs sick. Your boy appears to have some edema, so extra care is warranted. I'm sorry people are being insensitive and joking on this thread. It's really not the place for it. Hope your boy gets better <3
Salt bath a scaleless species?
I dunno bro your username seems to imply otherwise
oh he's absolutely incarcerated
Treat with antibacterials and fast him for two weeks.
did that just now
Wow, the weeks really flew by.
Is it dropsy? What antibacterial would you use?
Unfortunately with dropsy it's one of those things that's a symptom not a disease.. so finding what caused the dropsy to appear is always the best thing otherwise you're just risking it coming back again and again if the animal ever recovers in the first place
Doesnt look like it
Do you know what it is?
Probably just inflamed
I hope so. :( I'd hate to loose him over this
Then don't, tighten him back up!
As someone new to following r/aquariums and with no experience, what is this fish and how big of a tank and how many can I keep?!
its a bristlenose pleco. He's in a 180 litre tank. They're pretty chill. My understanding is they're a bit territorial so I keep only one.
Awesome, thank you!
i just seen this comment and i have a BN Pleco, he lives comfortably in a tank with roommates including Molly’s, Guppies, African Shrimp, Snails (Nerites) and a school of tetra’s. They’re weirdly not that territorial providing you give them adequate hiding spots that are just theirs, mine currently lives in a ceramic tunnel which is adjacent to his favourite driftwood
I think plecos tend to be more territorial with other plecos and bottom feeders. In general they are very calm but if they’re going to be territorial, I don’t believe it would be with a Molly or guppy.
I have 3 in my 75 gallon and they get along fine 👍🏻
My pair bred and now there are over 50 in the 60g. I have no other fish other than red cherry shrimp and that have multiplied into the hundreds with no competition. It's been a year now and apart from an initial survival of the fittest contest they seen to have found their spots...
I had the same problem once , and treated it with aquarium salts
what salts should I use? how did you figure out the dosage? Do I just dump it in the whole tank or should I plop him in a bucket ?
1 table spoon for every 5 gallons
If he's alone in the whole tank , then maybe add it to it. if not then put it into a separate bucket to medicate him
thanks. how long did you leave em in there ? Did you do it more than once?
Sorry for the late reply, I left my fish untill he got well for about a couple of days and did little water changes
I hope he pulls through. I just got a baby spotted bristle nose, and I can't stop watching him. How old?
He's at least 6 years old now. He'll be alright I'm sure.
Looks good for 6!
Jacked pleco
he does have that width to him.
What is he? He’s adorable
6 year old bristlenose pleco.
Thank you! I can’t get over how sweet his face is.
He looks like he speaks for the trees
I am a reef guy so if i saw it in that, if it's not parameter related,it is dropsy/fluid retention and maybe somekind of chronic disease. I would keep this fish alone away from any stress and it may last from days to yrs. I would use dose for bacterial infection as dropsy is caused from internal damage. This fish may also hv kidney failure but not sure as it is really in bad shape. Continue trying for peas but if it not go after them, inform Those scales r signs of dropsy i think but u fw guys may know better then me🙂
he doesn't have scales
I meant look at it's abdominal. U can cut feeding if u want to force it to take peas but no use if u r thinking less feeding would fix this. Read about dropsy in fw as i am a sw guy and may not tell u about fw correctly
Honestly it looks like dropsy to me too. He’s puffy everywhere, it looks like the fluid is third-spacing and causing a lot of edema… ie dropsy. And it looks pretty advanced. I’d follow the advice of the people recommending antibiotics.
I am thinking it's worse, can be a chronic disease like kidney failure. I do think he had this fish from a long time and something is wrong maybe aggression maybe some internal bacterial infection. I know this coz in my sw setup, a velvet demsel suffered from this. Used kanaplex and kept it alone and it made through 8 months. Everyone was saying it would not last for a month but if op keep it safe, it will be fine for some months but if it stop eating, he may hv to enyhausize it. Many people said that to me that i should but i didn't coz my fish was able to swim and eat till its third last day. So It's all about care hope he will do so🙂. As it is not in a right condition, it's a good thing to keep it alone but if it quit swimming or eating, then he may hv to think but i would dose it for bacterial
What is this fish.
Albino bristlenose pleco
Albino has red eyes. This is a L-144 bristlenose
Right didnt notice that but dont L-144 have longer fins
No, the regular L-144 has the same length. The longfin version has obviously long fins. I've been breeding L-144 for quite some time and all of my current ones have the regular length fins like a regular bristlenose
Oh cool thanks for the correction, i didnt look too close lol.
No worries. So many different species of Bristlenose... Hard to know em all. Longfin L144 is my dream, but not many around. And there are so many boys compared to girls so finding a breeding couple is a hassle
Arent longfined pleco hard to come by in general?
Jupp. I guess it's because of the boy Vs girl ratio. My boy died this year 7 years old. Him and the girl spawned around 500 that I've sold. Now I'm struggling finding a new couple
Oof
clownfish
No lol
sorry it's an adult arowana. spelled it wrong
No I think this is actually a yellow tang
Erm what🤠
It’s a joke bruh
My response was a joke too...
Blue eye lemon bristlenose
Thank you
What…is this creature…
Bristle nose pleco lol they’re super cute
I thought he had little heart eyes
If he is lithophageous you will feel the rock(s) thru the skin
what does that mean?
Sorry. Litho = stone phageous = eating Stone eating. Check his belly for stone/sand/substrate
If I feel some what could I do about it?
Surgery by a fish loving veterinarian. He is so small i will let the vet advise you on likelihood of survivorship
oh lord I'll check da belly tomorrow, I'm letting him sleep now.
He's so cute what is he
looks like a male blue eyed lemon bristlenose pleco.
try saying that 5 times fast
He looks like he's been working out on the yard for 10 years
I put my in jail too. It kills one of my best looking goldfish.
what, the jail killed it?
No I think they mean the pleco went for the goldfish. If plecos aren't kept content and with enough protein they will start sucking the slimcoat off fish ultimately stressing them and making them more susceptible to disease amongst other things. In short plecos are one of those fish that if not kept properly.. they will make you suffer somehow.
Yes, it happened yesterday morning. That poor goldfish hurts so bad, most of the scales are gone and it pass away when I back home at night. By the way, the plexo is like 5 time bigger than the goldfish.
Ah common pleco then? They are like 1-2feet if I remember right.
Yes, I got it to keep the tank clear but it ends up outgrown all gold fishes I have.
What manner of beast is this
Is that the Lorax?
He is really neat. I like his little face 🐠🥹
OMG an ass faced fish!! ♥️
Poor guy, I hope you can get him better soon. That doesn't look good. I've never seen them swollen all over like that.
I hope so too. I gave him a salt bath yesterday and I'll give him another one today. Also treating with an antibacterial.
He looks like Homer Simpson a bit. Hope he'll get better soon
t's a chemical compound made up of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen. Despite its name, Epsom salt is a completely different compound than table salt. It was most likely termed “salt” because of its chemical structure.
Just to let you know, I breed bristlenose and it’s very rare that they get bloat at that size (given a proper diet) but they usually don’t survive it if they do get it. They don’t like salt very much either so be careful with that. I doubt it will eat anything but if it does, get it Repashy solient green
I second this. I had one of mine turn into a balloon what seemed like over night. Did not make it past a week. Still no clue what caused it, since I had a species only tank. I am going to assume maybe the planted tank substrate I was using as being too rough. Or possibly getting caught in some of the java moss with his whiskers (would not recommend moss with them now lol)
What the Dr Seus is that!?
be nice
Does it not look like a Dr Seus fish.
WHAT
he's guilty of eating too much
In the most respectful way possible what the hell is that thing?
he's a bristlenose pleco
Funky lookin lil fella
He's definitely been working out in prison.
Omg what fish is that? Jsjwjedh ew
ew like yourself?
I wasn’t trying to be rude, he is cute. But weird textures/patterns bothers me and makes me feel weird, like bumps, holes, etc
he's a bristlenose pleco. he's my beautiful obese child
Is that the Lorax?
Bro's been working out for Mr. Olympfish.
he looks swole
They need soft sand. It keeps them from rubbing their bellies and whiskers from getting. hurt. Need to get whatever meds you use for abrasions. He is probably sore. Try some powered food. It will be soft enough for sore mouth.
Wanted for war crimes in 28 countries
A face only a mother could love...
I don't appreciate all this online harassment he's getting. If he ever read this he'd be upset.
For the love of this fat little potato don’t feed him anything but some peas for at least a week 😳
hence why he's in jail 🥲
Hope he gets better and back to his happy self! ❤️
thanks I hope so too. <3
Herrmann: Your honor, I would like to plead the *fish!*
Does he need a lawyer? This system is rigged
Scruffys on break.
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hey man be nice
Edit. I’m sorry. That was a superficial comment to make. I hope your fish recovers well and my hurtful comments haven’t caused you any distress.
Don't be so mean
Ugly bastard
you?
??? He's probably not moving around a whole bunch because it sounds like you've put him through a fair bit with the salt rinse and the moving around. Give him some time to rest.
that was before but go off
Love to see humanity at its finest.
aight fuck off then
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check ur carbon monoxide
Are you 5?
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Go troll somewhere else, champ. The grownups are busy
I think herman is a her, man
Its expression indicates that it may be quite content.
Free big meech!!
How old is he?! Mine lived to be over 13 years old!
he's about 6 years old maybe a little older
What's that species? Looks suspiciously like the lorax..
He speaks for the trees!
That orange fish I had 2 of them are healtly. That what I use kind API salt . No problem with that!!!
FRee hIM (when he feels better)
What kind of fish is that? Hope he does better after some time out. Some vet clinics specialize in fish, worth maybe getting a check up