Clown Pleco Ich :eek:

[Big Vine]

I've converted my 3 gallon Eclipse tank into a platy fry-rearing tank (no platies in there yet). The tank is fully cycled (up and running for a good year), and was inhabited by a cray and several feeder fish, so I know it can handle the bioload of what is in there now quite handily...

Here's the problem:
There are now two young clown plecos in there. They aren't babies or anything like that, but they're not full-grown either. Largest one is 2.5 inches, smaller one is maybe 2 inches or so. (Should I be chastised for putting two together in such a small tank?! LOL...I was ultimately planning on putting the larger of the two in my 10 gal. kribensis cichlid tank, but obviously that will now have to wait).

The smaller plec has ich spots---about half-a-dozen.

The tank is now full of live plants too (hornwort, anacharis, java fern, and a banana plant).

I need some treatment guidelines please...bearing in mind that these are clown plecos---Pleco experts please chime in!

Here's what I've done:
I just added 3 tablespoons of Doc Wellfish's aquarium salt to the tank (pre-dissolved in tank water beforehand). I will maintain this level according to the instructions on the Ich article found at cichlid-forum.com.
Will the salt harm the plants at all?

Does this all sound about right?

Thanks everyone.
Big Vine

 

[dogdoc]

I did the heat/salt method in my planted tank. It worked well and didn't kill off any of my fish. The stock at the time included 2 BN plecs and 5 yoyo loaches. All of which are reportedly sensitive to salt. Not sure if the clowns are any more sensitive than those though.

The plants probably didn't appreciate it either, but none of them died.

Not sure of the dosage I used though, just the standard that I found on the forums.

 

[Mahamotorworks]

I would go for the Salt and heat. Thankfully I havent had any Ich. That plants will stop growing. They should recover when you are done. If you dont want them in it while treating them move them to a diff tank for the time being.

MAHA

 

[Big Vine]

Ich Update

After almost 3 days (with a concentration of 3 tablespoons of aquarium salt in the tank) and at a temperature of about 80-82 degrees F, the pleco that showed ich spots no longer has any visible spots remaining...at least not as far as I have been able to tell.

The smaller one (the one with ich) showed fainter coloration and clamped fins before the salt treatment. Its coloration was back to normal the next day.


Here is a picture of the plecos from Saturday night:

Notice how the smaller one (up on the glass) has a more prominent ich spot between its left pectoral fin and its dorsal fin.

The spot is no longer visible.


When should I cease the salt treatment?
(By the way, I'm not using extra heat because there is no heater in the tank).

Big Vine

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

looking good, should clear up. once this is all over, do you have a more suitable chome for these guys? also, what are you feeding them?

 

[Mahamotorworks]

That is good to hear that Everything went wel.. I would keep the Salt up for a week after the spots are gone and the heat up for 2 weeks after the spots are gone.

MAHA

 

[Big Vine]

YFK,

The smaller of the two will remain in the Planted Fry Tank (which it is currently in). The larger one will go into my Kribensis cichlid tank. I feed them Hikari algae wafers, which my clown plec in the past has always loved.

One of the reasons I decided to get one for my fry tank is because they make great 'buddies' for the fry. A few years back when I raised platies, many of the fry stayed in the main tank. They quickly learned that hanging out by the clown pleco---who was often swishing his tail to ward off the piggy adult platies who always tried to steal his food (and nab a few fry in the process)---was a good defensive strategy! The plec became their 'protector'! LOL


Maha,

I'll keep the salt up, like you said. As for temp...well, it doesn't have a heater, but it tends to stay in the upper 70's/lower 80's.


I'll post more updates once I know that the ich has been eradicated.
Big Vine

 

[Big Vine]

Several more days have passed and there are still no visible signs of ich in the tank.

Water parameters were good:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 10 PPM

But I decided to do a water-change anyway because there was some fouling on the substrate from pieces of leftover algae wafers. I took out about 2 of the 3 gallons of water in this tank, and I did NOT replace the salt. What little concentration of salt is left will be removed during my next water-change.


Anyway...
Are my plecos not eating the wafers?
(I keep finding the remains of the pieces I threw in from the night before).

Their bellies look sunken, so I would think they should be eating. I've had a clown pleco in the past that loved the very same algae wafers that I'm feeding these guys. Is it possible that the salt in the water is somehow doing something to make them more reluctant to eat them?

Feedback from pleco experts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Big Vine