sick fish...i think

Question
i recently got a pleco (algae eater) from a friend. I've had him for maybe 2 months. the guy before me had him for 5 years. i recently had a few fish die and could not find one of the fish that died. i cleaned the whole tank got rid of the gravel and everything and still could not find the dead fish. i don't know if my pleco could have eaten him but the previous owner said hes a lazy easy going fish and that he lives just fine with other small fish. right after the disappearance of the fish i noticed something was wrong with my pleco. he has developed whitish bubbles over his eyes. the bubbles are kind of cloudy. he also has white spots and what looks like slime over his entire body. at the end of his tail some of his scales are turning white. Please help i don't want my fish to die.

Answer
Emily,

Usually, Pleco's don't kill fish. They are opportunist and if hungry he will eat one that is already dead. Feed him some algae flakes because it sounds like he isn't getting enough food. For the white dots and slimy skin, he has Ich. It is very easily cured by slowly raising the temperature in the tank to 86 degrees for about two weeks. here is a great website that explains the disease and how to cure it. you will also want to figure out why the fish died.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2160&aid=2421

Hope this helps and Good Luck