Sick pleco, stressed goldfish

[FishyMom]

I am not sure what happened, but my common pleco (3-4") developed white puffy patches on his scales. He has been out of hiding during the day which is unusual for him. He shares the tank with three fancy goldfish all under 2" long. The goldfish have been on the bottom of the tank, either shimmying at the bottom or gasping up at the top. Also strange behavior for them. (no white patches on them)Aquarium is 29 gallons, filter is Aqua-Tech 30-60, a thin layer of gravel, airstone, silk plant, and ceramic 'cave' designed for aquariums.

The tank has been cycling forever (3 months and no nitrites yet) and I have been doing regular water changes to keep the ammonia down. pH is 6.6 - 6.8Nitrite and nitrate 0. I use Aquasafe with every water change because of the horrible chlorine trouble with my tap water.

I added 3 tablespoons of aquarium salt (diluted in a container of tank water) and Quick Cure, a drop per gallon. The only thing I know I need is a heater.

Can anyone else give this newbie some advice on what to do for my babies? I have grown very attached to them in 3 months and do not want to lose them.

[michael lai]

Hi Fishymom,
Welcome to Aquatic quotient. I think your pleco is down with external bacterial infection. The treatment regime you are applying now should cure it with or without the heater. If it's not cured within a week, you might want to try Melafix by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, INC. or Interpet aquarium treatment No 7.(anti slime) which is quite effective for the infection. Hope the information helps.
PS: If the pleco is infected and the goldfish is gasping at the surface, your water parameters are definitely off. Check ammonia, the likely cause and overfeeding the likely catalyst.

[joelwong]

Remember to get the tank off your filter before admistering any medication, or else the filter might just absorb the medication.