Ill Percostomus?

Question

My percostomus is developing blister like spots on his boddy. There is little discoloration. Just a change in his pattern. Please Help Me.

Answer 1

It's hard to say. Could be from ammonia burns. Could be he got too close to the heater, but that would only work if the blisters were on one side. If they're on both sides, that wouldn't likely be the case. Here's a link that talks about it maybe being a condition called Gas Bubble Disease. The symptoms are bubbles/blisters found beneath the skin and inside the body. They are mostly found around the head and the eyes. This is caused by "over saturation" created by the dissolving of excess amounts of gas. A certain amount of gas is always dissolved in liquid in relationship to such factors as pressure and temperature. When these gas levels are to high, the water will constantly attempt to release the gas in the form of small bubbles. Too much sun and the heavy plant and algae growth associated with this is a common cause of over saturation. Since the plants take up and release a lot of oxygen, the fishes' blood can itself become over saturated. To treat this, you would need to reduce the amount of sun light the aquarium is exposed to. An air stone can help prevent problems. If this sounds familiar, it could be this. If so, make the changes suggested and see what happens. Also, I would also get a master test kit and test your water parameters to see what your ammonia registers at. I wouldn't try any medications because first, plecostomus do not typically handle chemical medications well, and, when you aren't sure what it is, you may be doing more damage than good by using the wrong medication. So if you felt you needed to medicate, a salt solution of .3% would probably be better (that equals a scant 1 tsp of salt per 1 gallon of water). It's not as severe as chemical meds and reduces stress and boosts the slime layer on the skin as well. Don't use table salt. Use aquarium salt and administer according to directions. Good luck!

Answer 2

Not sure what you mean by "blister-like"? Are these big reddish spots like he's bleeding? This could be septicemia.

Are they smaller and white like a grain of salt? This is ich.

Here's a website where you can look at different disease symptoms and what to do for them: http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/stressdisease.shtml

Answer 3

give it a hiding spot