Pudgy Pleco... I am very concerned.

[Mmbrown]

Hi everyone, first post here.

I have a 10g with 1 BN (I know it is too small but I have had a hard time organizing an upgrade) as well as 1 betta- they get along great. We have had the BN in there since December. Specs:
Nitrate 20
Nitrite 0
Trace ammonia at 0.25 we can't get rid of
TopFin 10 filter, cleaned about every month because of brown gunk buildup in the impeller
Water changes/gravel vacs every week

The BN is fed once every few days with either a Hikari algae wafer or a slice of zucchini. There is also driftwood in the tank.

So, the problem is that she is kind of pudgy. I feel like she has looked this way ever since the start of summer, when we first added the driftwood, but I am just now realizing it could be a bad thing. At first she rasped on the driftwood nonstop and so I thought she just had a full stomach from over eating. But this may no longer be the case. What is this- bloat, constipation, parasites? I am very worried. Because of a lack of information, my boyfriend and I had a very rough start to fishkeeping but this girl has survived it all, and we both really love her. I'm so nervous that we are going to lose her. She acts normal in every other way.

Please, if you could help me identify what is going on (wouldn't it be nice if you told me this is normal looking for plecos and I'm just being silly?) as well as give me a course of action. I feel like I should just start with peas (they have to be fresh, right, not frozen?) in case it is constipation as it couldn't hurt. Also, I have not seen her poop recently (I am living in a different city over the summer and do not get to see her often) so I cannot say whether it is white or normal.

http://imgur.com/RIve7
http://imgur.com/VNgfx

 

[PlecoMM]

Do you have a picture of her belly?
If she is not pooing try blanched de-shelled peas to see if its just a bit of constipation, make sure you mush them gently between your fingers before placing it on the bottom of the tank for her. I would also recommend doing a water change every day for the next five days or so as clean water is crucial for poorly fish if that is the case. Id start off with the peas though and see how she goes

Keep us updated!

 

[Mmbrown]

Thank you for the help!

I will try to get a picture of her stomach tonight, and I'll work on the peas. We actually just made some for ourselves... is it okay to give some of those to the pleco? They came from a bag of frozen peas and haven't had anything added to them, they were just boiled.

 

[ccole]

hi there
a picture would really really help.
I doubt it would be bloat because she would be dead within days to a week.
The drift wood- what kind is ? if your not sure take a picture with the one of her. Again I am positive that its not her 'over eating' on this because it contains things that she must have to be healthy. she may have gone to town on it because she was straved of some nutrients.

ok wait- just found your links, wounderd what they were!

she looks healthy to me! she may have changed shape as she matured into a 'lady' lol. if you could get a shot of her on the glass this would be good.

In terms of her diet- try not giving her the tabs and only the veg. Mine only get tabs about every 3rd day. You should also give her other veg not just one type- think of her diet as yours- you like her need a variety of veg because they all contain different vitamins.

I hope this helps.

 

[Mmbrown]

It does help, thank you

I tried to get a picture of her on the glass, but no dice. She decided not to be cooperative.

I do however have a picture of the driftwood:
http://imgur.com/VSNu0

I'm not sure what kind it is, as I bought it used from someone who also didn't know the type. Maybe one of you will recognize it?

 

[Irene0100]

Hi, I agree, increase the water changes, and possibly increase filter washes. I would make sure you are washing filter in the used tank water when doing w/c and do not clean too well, ie make sure some bacteria is left.
agree, less algae wafer and more peas. yes I use the ones I cook for us to eat and save a few cooked peas for teh fish, but squeeze the skins off. otherwise you may need to get a bigger tank and find her a boyfriend!

 

[hinchles]

looks like a female ready to drop eggs to me.

 

[Mmbrown]

Hi again, sorry for the delayed reply. I've been out of town and just recently got back.

Here is a picture of her stomach on the glass:
http://imgur.com/ib55J

As you can see her state is unchanged. I did feed some peas but I'm not sure if she actually ate any or if the snails got it all. Perhaps it's time to feed some more just in case.

 

[PlecoMM]

From the side does her belly actually pop out like a beer belly?

 

[Mmbrown]

It does - you can kind of see it in the second image on the original post. It isn't flat like it used to be.

 

[PlecoMM]

Okay has it gotten bigger since? And whats her diet since then been? Are there ammonia reading in your water?

 

[Mmbrown]

She looks about the same as last I saw her, and my boyfriend said she has looked this way all summer (I have been away). She eats mostly Hikari sinking algae wafers every couple of days, with a little zucchini here and there and then her driftwood. I know it's not the most varied diet, but could it be causing her problems? Do you think she is getting too much protein? If it were eggs, would she be flat on the bottom, and that's why you ask about her diet now?

Sorry for all the questions but I am new

Edit: Also there has always been trace ammonia in the water, but not bad. Somewhere between 0 and 0.25 readings with the liquid test kit.

 

[PlecoMM]

Okay, i would say that would be the problem, the algae wafers. Algae wafers have been known and can cause bloat you dont always know whats 100% in them and too many can be fatal in my opinion. I use algae wagers as a treat every so often i would stop the algae wafers completely for a few weeks just to be safe and increase the vegetables i feed mine zucchini and butternut pumpkin boiled aswell as they have their wood. Your ammonia reading isnt too bad but 0 ammonia would be better you can eliminate it by increasing water changes. Personally, thats my advice through experience, to use the wafers as a treat and not the main diet component.

 

[Mmbrown]

Okay, I will definitely do that. Thank you. Do you think she will be okay?

 

[PlecoMM]

No worries happy to help! She should be fine keep up with water changes and vege diet and keep an eye on her, doesnt look to be a servere case if you need more advice just ask

 

[Mmbrown]

Alright thank you so very, very much!

 

[Jackson]

IME it's not all wafers that can cause your plecs to loo bloated. I have only had this happen with hikari algae wafers. I really think they're worthless. I wouldn't use them if it were my fish.

 

[Mmbrown]

Really? I had never heard of that, how unfortunate. At any rate I haven't fed them since I last spoke to you all. I have just been feeding cucumbers, and I want to look into peas/squash but the cucumber is all we have on hand at the moment.

Yesterday I thought maybe she looked trimmer, but it could have been my mind playing tricks. If we have in fact found the problem, meaning stopping the wafers should fix it, will she ever slim down again? And if so, will it take a long time? I'm just wondering at what point I should be concerned that I haven't fixed the issue. Also, should I try to cut back on feedings (currently maybe twice a week, leaving the veg in for a few days)?

Not to pull up a closed topic, but if it turns out it was eggs after all, what would happen? I mean I know she would have to drop or reabsorb them, but how long does that sort of cycle normally take?

And as one last annoying thing, how do you experts tell the difference between egg bound and bloated? Is there something in particular to look for, just for my own personal learning experience?

Sorry to ask SO many questions! ;D

 

[PlecoMM]

If it is the wafers she will indeed slim down again itll take in my experience a few days to a week. Peas can help either way just make sure theyre defraoted and you gie them a light squeeze so it mushea up and place it on bottom your feeding her okay thats not too much its a bit less but okay youve hit the nail on the head with cue the differene imo between bloat and egg biound is when bloated eventually a small red sac will hang out of its bum. And if she is egg bound she will just absorb them so no need to worry some say epsom salt baths work to release eggs but i wouldnt bother.

Hope this helps, by the sounds of it i wouldnt be too concerned just keep up the good work

 

[ccole]

Hi there,
just to put my two pence in on the matter
I totally agree to meany pleco tabs its not healthy.hikiri is the best in terms of low ash if any to my memory, high veg proteine as opposed to meat proteine.
Crash dieting doesn't work for adults or fish-so if I read what you said right about only feeding twice a week I would feed them six times a week.a chubby pleco is far better than a skinny one.
Also if it was bloat the pleco would be dead by now...
Of course this is just my opinion based on my experience
I hope you find out helpful
Respect cc