Help - Pleco very bloated. What to do?

[nowhereman]

My rubber pleco is very bloated now. Just noticed today.
Can't get a clear pic, but the tummy area is supper bloat, seems like bursting. Just water change last night, so never feed the whole of yesterday and notice it this evening when i feed them. Just it just happened overnight.

Anyone can give some advice how to cure it?

Bro,

I cut and paste others who have similar case:

From another person in another forum:

I often see long threads on PF with bloated plecos and the struggle to cure them. Obviously this condition is difficult to cure so I thought it would be useful to share my recent experience. I was very upset to find my GN that I have had for over 4 years stop eating and come down with bloat. I thought he was a goner since i have not had much luck treating this condition in the past. They usually simply wither away and die after about a week. It is frustrating because you can tell that they indeed want to eat, but can not because of the blockage and irritation of the infection.

I used to keep tropheus in addition to plecos and this is a very common problem in those circles as well. Both fish have complex digestive systems and should be fed a good percentage of vegetable matter. However, they willingly will take anything you give them. I have a lot of carnivores like pseudas in with my baryancistrus which will not touch the veggies so they all get lots of animal protein foods. I believe that a ballanced diet including veggies as well as maintaining low nitrates is great for prevention, but what happens when you have a sick pleco?

In tropheus, the dreaded bloat disease is thought to be a protozoan infection of the intestinal tract with a secondary bacterial infection on top of it which is why it is so hard to treat. Often the whole tank will die off in a week if not treated, and treatments are only marginally successful. My friend who is an expert tropheus keeper and cichlid importer taught me that you need to treat both infections simultaneously and the results are very positive. When my tropheus tank came down with it I was able to treat them successfully with a combination of kanamycin sulfate and metronidazole.

Remembering this I dusted off those old tropheus meds and treated the pleco tank. Much to my surprise the GN improved. Within 4 days he was pooing and the next day he was eating again. Just thought it may be helpful to share this cure since it has worked for me on both plecos and tropheus now.

Another guy say boil pea, smash them and throw in the tank, it will help the pleco go toilet.

Hope ur pleco will be well soon.

[nowhereman]

Originally Posted by fotoudavid

Bro,

I cut and paste others who have similar case:

From another person in another forum:

I often see long threads on PF with bloated plecos and the struggle to cure them. Obviously this condition is difficult to cure so I thought it would be useful to share my recent experience. I was very upset to find my GN that I have had for over 4 years stop eating and come down with bloat. I thought he was a goner since i have not had much luck treating this condition in the past. They usually simply wither away and die after about a week. It is frustrating because you can tell that they indeed want to eat, but can not because of the blockage and irritation of the infection.

I used to keep tropheus in addition to plecos and this is a very common problem in those circles as well. Both fish have complex digestive systems and should be fed a good percentage of vegetable matter. However, they willingly will take anything you give them. I have a lot of carnivores like pseudas in with my baryancistrus which will not touch the veggies so they all get lots of animal protein foods. I believe that a ballanced diet including veggies as well as maintaining low nitrates is great for prevention, but what happens when you have a sick pleco?

In tropheus, the dreaded bloat disease is thought to be a protozoan infection of the intestinal tract with a secondary bacterial infection on top of it which is why it is so hard to treat. Often the whole tank will die off in a week if not treated, and treatments are only marginally successful. My friend who is an expert tropheus keeper and cichlid importer taught me that you need to treat both infections simultaneously and the results are very positive. When my tropheus tank came down with it I was able to treat them successfully with a combination of kanamycin sulfate and metronidazole.

Remembering this I dusted off those old tropheus meds and treated the pleco tank. Much to my surprise the GN improved. Within 4 days he was pooing and the next day he was eating again. Just thought it may be helpful to share this cure since it has worked for me on both plecos and tropheus now.

thanks bro...
You have any idea where to get kanamycin sulfate and metronidazole.

Go polyart now, they seems to carry many stuffs, may have. i really dun noe what's that, sorry.

but at the same time, try the pea method.

[nowhereman]

Originally Posted by fotoudavid

Go polyart now, they seems to carry many stuffs, may have. i really dun noe what's that, sorry.

but at the same time, try the pea method.

Ok thanks bro..... will try out the method... the stomach like brusting, hope it will pull through the night....

[Gecko]

Normally before you try to medicate, adding heater and aeration and stop feeding for a few days might help....good luck.

[nowhereman]

Originally Posted by Gecko

Normally before you try to medicate, adding heater and aeration and stop feeding for a few days might help....good luck.

Had fed peas this morning. But it never eat. finish up by others pleco.

Went to LFS in Serangoon N. One tell me stop feeding also, the other one ask me add epsom salt... Hmmm.... i feel pleco cannot tolerate salt.

hmm.... think now take ur advse, stop feeding.

many thanks

Originally Posted by nowhereman

My rubber pleco is very bloated now. Just noticed today.
Can't get a clear pic, but the tummy area is supper bloat, seems like bursting. Just water change last night, so never feed the whole of yesterday and notice it this evening when i feed them. Just it just happened overnight.

Anyone can give some advice how to cure it?

For me, this thread came a little too late... mine just died and i see its tummy very bloated.