Pleco disease?

Question
Hi Nicole,
   My fish tank is 35 gallons.  It has around 30-40 baby guppies, each about .5 to 1.00 inches.  I also have a 3 inch pleco.  I use a AquaClear 50 filter,and have the heater set to 80 degrees.  I do not know the nitrate, nitrite, or ph levels.  I noticed about a a month ago that the Pleco started developing slanted white discolorations a cm wide from his/her head down, and the whole underside including under the head is whitish pink.  However, the whitish pink underside only occurs at nighttime, and the discolorations are also more white at night.  I also noticed that the pleco's breathing rate has increased a bit, and there are extremely small dust like particles 1/10 a mm wide on the pleco's 4 fins that stick out from the side of the body.  Anything would help.  If it is a disease, can you supply a treatment too, thanks.


        John  

Answer
Good morning John, and happy holidays, sorry not to have been able to get back to you sooner.

Do you have a dwarf pleco or a common plecostomus? The difference may seem slight but the Ancistrus (dwarf) will have a more distinctive nose pattern. That's why they are commonly known as bristlenoses. Here's a pic:

http://www.plantedtank.net/images/fish/bristlenosecatfish.jpg

I would not worry about the marks you noticed as it is likely just the normal coloration for this species. Plecos do have intricate patterning. I would not consider this dusting to be ich, since it appears only on the fins.

The pinkish belly is common in dwarf plecos and not too uncommon in juvenile common plecos, the skin looking young and "raw" still somewhat. If you are giving the pleco his own food, in the form of spirulina/algae wafers and vegetable slices (zucchini, cucumber, romaine lettuce attached to a weighted clip such as a magnetic clip), then this could well be just the indication of a full belly. New fry (as you know, of course!) have almost transparent bellies that show their stomach contents. Most, or many, Ancistrus plecos have pink stomachs their entire lifespans.

The only thing I would be concerned about is the breathing. 30-40 fry in a 35 gallon tank is a lot of fry, John! I hope you are planning on dispersing them as they grow up, or you will be overstocked. If you are feeding fry food still, it's awfully messy. I am feeding my cichlid fry a hodgepodge of powdered flake, mashed brine shrimp and VitaChem, and it has proven to be VERY messy! I am doing 10% water changes a day and rinsing the filters every other day to compensate.

The only piece of advice I can really give you (besides not to worry too much) is to purchase a test kit! At $20 for a liquid master test kit, it is definitely a worthwhile investment, especially if you are breeding. You need to be able to monitor your water quality...it is the first thing you will want to do if you see signs of trouble! Your nitrites and ammonia should be undectectable, and nitrates should be under 20 ppm.

Get your local fish store to test your water for you in the meantime (try to get the precise readings out of them) but *purchase your own test kit* - all hobbyists, but most especially breeders, should have the means to test their water themselves. I hope I've convinced you!

Good luck with your guppies, and happy new year to you.
Nicole