Sticky fin - help please

[Dawnbhh1982]

Hi,

Help please!!

Have got a 60 litre tank and the filter broke on monday. Some neon tetras died and also a gold nugget pleco. Thought this was unusual to happen so quickly. Bougth another filter yesterday and tank has cleared but now teh other pleco is just sitting ont he bottom and although he is breathing he's not looking good. His back fins look like they are stuck together.

Help - what can we do to save him!

He is in with danio's, neons, catfish, fighter, angel fish. All have been fine until the last few days.

 

[PlecoMM]

Imo he would be severely stressed and with a new filter in the tank the tabk has to completely recycle again. If you have another tank thats established i would move him right away.

 

[Brengun]

In a small 60L tank pollution can build up quite quickly. Do you have a sponge air filter in the tank? It would take some of the workload of converting ammonia and nitrites to nitrates.

Ammonia and nitrites burns the fish gills and is nasty. Water change small amounts often, even a couple of times a day until your new filter establishes itself.
Is it an internal filter or an external one? Even on my smaller tanks I have a small eheim 2213 external canister filter.

Get some seachem stability and add it daily for a few weeks to protect the fish from the hard cycling effects.

 

[Irene0100]

oh dear, not a very big tank for plecs really. plus Fighters like still water and most plecs like more water movement.
He seems to have been damaged but not sure how to help him, maybe some melafix would help him heal and reduce further infection setting in.

 

[bigbird]

wow agree a 60 liter tank is way too small for so many fish. As your new filter is cycling( and this can take up to 2weeks etc) i would do small water changes daily, IE 5-10liters, till the filter establishes itself again. What kind of filter do you have ? cheers jk :thumbup: