Fin Rot?

hog182 · Post by **hog182** » 05 Mar 2005, 14:54

Hello everyone,
I'm just getting into aquariums and have a question.
Last night I bought a Flounder Pleco (L168) at a petstore. When I got him home and he finally got adjusted to the tank, I realized that his tail and dorsal are in bad shape. I don't know if it's fin rot or damage from travelling. I know the store just got him of the plane the night before.
He seems to be fine now. He swims OK and doesn't seem to be struggling at all. There are no spots or growths on him that I can see.
Should I leave him alone, treat him for fin rot or take him back to the store? They have two other L168s but they are in the same condition.
I don't have a large investment in the fish, but it looks great and I'd like to keep it around.
I've only had it one night and I have seen the change in color that it goes through. Very amazing.
By the way, the store is trying to tell me that it is a Zebra Pleco.
Sorry if I missed this question somewhere else.
And thanks for all the good info on the website.
Bill

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 05 Mar 2005, 17:20

the store labels them as zebra pleco, because these fish (the real Hypancistrus zebra L046) are in high demand, and they think they can either charge higher prices or trick people into buying that fish, thinking it's H.zebra.

as for your fish, just leave him to settle down, and he'll grow his fins back and probably be OK.

don't use medication lightly. only use it in a seperate quarantine tank, and only if you know that he's diseased, and exactly what he's got. post pics here if you're unsure.

with nice clean water, food and a hiding place he'll be fine. what are your water parameters and tank set-up?

Tom2600 · Post by **Tom2600** » 05 Mar 2005, 18:09

Sad to hear shops trying to con their shoppers.

As Racoll says, your plec should be fine. Fin rot is a secondary disease, that often sets in due to poor water conditions and/or stress. If you water quality is good the fins will grow back. Certainly shouldn't be any need to treat.

hog182 · Post by **hog182** » 06 Mar 2005, 17:54

Thanks guys,
Like I said, I'm just starting this so I don't know about the water quality.
I just purchased some pH supplies and I'm reading up on the pH, hardness, etc.
The L168 is sharing a tank with some fancy tailed guppy's and a striped rapheal cat.
I know the plecos are pretty hardy so I wasn't to concerned about his health in my tank. More concerned with him bringing a disease from the supplier.
Went to a local aquarium that had a royal for sale. I would have bought it but I noticed they had dead plecos in every tank. They told me it was only "Ick" and I shouldn't worry. I took my business elsewhere.
The store that told me that the butterfly/flounder pleco was a zebra is not to happy that I proved them wrong. Now they say it is a "type" of zebra pleco.
Oh well, I'll get them straightened out.

Thanks again,
Bill

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 06 Mar 2005, 21:32

Good for you! It's not easy to stand up to the LFS that likes to pull the fast one. Especially when you're first starting out. A LFS sold me Boesemani's Rainbows and they all got Ick. My Cories got it so badly they were blinded. Luckily the Cories survived and are wonderful breeders. The Rainbows all died. These losers had that fish to sell on that day. They could tell I didn't know much. I had no business with Boesemani's Rainbows in a 29 gallon tank. I learned that having a quarantine tank would have saved me a lot of heartache.

Also watch for the ever-present dyed fish.

I've learned to confront LFS's for catering to small children by stocking fish that have been injected with dye to make them look pretty for a very short time, then they die. Kids fall head over heals for these fish. I walk out the door when I see them. But, before I do, I tell the manager why they just lost my business.......

I've been keeping fish for a few years now. Some people here have been doin this their entire lives. I'd listen to the advice you're getting here. It's time to learn about water quality and all that good stuff. Remember: the only stupid question is the one you don't ask!!!!!!

racoll · Post by **racoll** » 07 Mar 2005, 12:57

i would steer clear of royal plecos if you're starting out. they get very big, produce enourmous amounts of waste, and require massive filtration systems.

you'll need a tank of about 150 gallons to keep one.

stick to the smaller species like Ancistrus and Hypancistrus. there's lots of them!

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 07 Mar 2005, 13:29

racoll wrote:i would steer clear of royal pl*cos if you're starting out. they get very big, produce enourmous amounts of waste, and require massive filtration systems.

you'll need a tank of about 150 gallons to keep one.

stick to the smaller species like Ancistrus and Hypancistrus. there's lots of them!

Or, if you really want a fish that is of the Panaque genus, get one that doesn't grow too big, like . They stay sanely sized, and produce somewhat more managable amount of waste.

There's also a huge number of Peckoltia species, almost all of which stay reasonably sized, with a variety of pretty patterns.

But are really nice too, easy to breed too. I've just moved out 12 of the larger of my babies, but there's still over 40 in the tank.

--
Mats

Fin Rot?

Fin Rot?

Thanks for help