A sick fish ?

Question

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

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I tried to send you some info before but I think I messed up and so I will try again. Hi Chris...I hope that you will be able to help us soon as my wife and I think we might have a sick plecostomus on our hands. We have a 40 gallon tank and do regular partial water changes and water tests and all that seems to be ok. We have 3 goldfish, 4 snails, and 2 plecostomus. A few days ago one of the plecostomus had a small bump form on the tip of his nose. Now a few days later it is growing fast and is about the size of a kernel of corn and is a pale yellowish pink in colour. Kinda reminds me of a water blister that we would get after a bad sunburn. We really need to know what it is, will it affect the other fsh if it pops, and how do we help the little guy/girl get rid of it. Any help you could give us will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time. Sincerely Dave & Amy.
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Hi Dave;

It's possible he has a burn from your aquarium heater. In their efforts to get to the algae they love, they can get too close and easily get burned if they touch the hottest  part. Even underwater it doesn't take but very brief contact to do damage. If your tank doesn't have a heater he may have bumped or scraped his nose. Hard to say for sure. Either way, the treatment is the same;

Keep the water very clean (twice weekly 25% changes with gravel vac once a week) and add aquarium salt and Melafix. The salt helps inhibit infectious organisms, helps the fish produce a better slime coat as well as providing electrolytes. The Melafix helps the skin re-generate and soothes irritated tissues. Once he begins to heal you can go to a normal weekly water change of 25% and gravel vac at the same time. I really don't think that it will harm the other fish if it ruptures. Especially with salt and melafix in there. As long as the other fish aren't weak or sick  they can fight off possible bacteria that could be in there.

If he gets worse in the next 2 days after you begin treatment and the area gets red, he may need a regular antibiotic. Maracyn-Two would be a good one to try in case the infection has gone internal. It treats both inside and out side. Most other antibiotics treat only the outside.

There are heater guards available to help avoid heater burns in the future. I've seen some pretty bad burns on bigger fish so I'm glad there is someone making those things. Check your local fish store if it's a concern. They may have them in stock or they may be able to order one for you.

I hope he feels better soon....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Thanks for your quick response Chris. The water change of 25% sounds like a good idea for sure. I do not have a heater in the aquarium as it is not needed for the goldfish so he didn't get his nose too close to that. The additives you mentioned sound like a possible but am wondering since I have a freshwater setup if I really should be adding a salt solution to it ? Please let me know on that one again. Thanks....Dave

Answer
Hi Dave;

I would suspect irritation or injury since there is no heater. The salt is perfectly fine to add to the tank. It is an extremely small dose as a tonic and help for prevention of infection. Goldfish and many other freshwater fish benefit greatly from the use of aquarium salt. But, only for temporary use. It isn't going to be in there long term. Use 1/2 teaspoon for every gallon of water and don't add more with the water changes once the fish improves. It will go away with regular water changes over time without shocking the fish. Salt and Melafix (with melaleuca) are both natural remedies that really work well together and have worked for me for many years.

Really watch the water temperature. Plecos are tropical fish so they need at least 76f all the time. If it ever fluctuates or drops lower than that they will have trouble. They will become sick easily and will have a hard time getting well again if their metabolism is too slow from lower temps. Goldfish don't like their water over 72f so these guys really aren't compatible. It's just not ideal for one or the other, depending on what temperature the tank normally is.

Let me know if if you have more questions....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins