# Red Wag Fry EATING Ick off Pleco?



## AlyCat (Dec 19, 2009)

Okay, I have a ten gallon tank.
Two 4" plecos, Hoover and Suck. A grown red wag platy, Dianne (who lost her mate Jack sometime before giving birth), Bobbi McGee (mouse platy?), and Grover the white goldfish with the red face.
Hoover, one of the plecos, has ick rrrreally bad. All over. I just started Ick Guard II yesterday. I did a 25% water change before the second dose today.

Now, I'm noticing the red wag fry look like they're EATING the white spots off Hoover. They crowd around him at the bottom by his favorite jar, and seem to pick one ick spot off at a time? (I "rescued" two fry the first day I spotted them, one died. the rest stayed in the ten gallon with a "good luck" wish from me. Now that the fry are about 2 weeks old, they're coming out of hiding more...I've spotted at least 6 survivors)


ETA: just to be updated, I have actually seen a fry go up to a bump on Hoover and when the fry swims away, that bump is gone. Has anyone ever heard of this? Is this even ick?!

Couple of questions (never had fry or ick):
-Will my fry in the 10gal get ick from hanging around Hoover, possibly eating it?
-Has anyone ever heard of fry eating ick off their fish before?
-Is there anything I can do for Hoover while he's sick, or is he doomed to die of ick?


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

what kind of pleco?


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## <3~Pleco~<3 (Jan 31, 2009)

Im not a disease expert but that doesn't look entirely like Ich. Ich looks more like sand, that actually looks like big white clumps. If it is Ich, then yes, it is extremely contagious. But let me do a little reading, and see if I can come up with any other explanation.


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## AlyCat (Dec 19, 2009)

I was assuming common pleco. The aquarium said this guy will grow up to 4". Do the pictures help?

Interesting you say it might not be ick! I thought for sure.. but I've never had an Ick outbreak or any disease outbreak really, since before I had this 10 gallon I only had a 2 gallon (not so many fish to be spreading disease)

By your handle, I'd assume you're the pleco expert, so I do hope you turn up with some good info for Hoover (and all the fish). Until I hear, I'll be keeping up with the ick guard and 25% water change before dosing (in about two hours).

One thing I thought would mean Ick for sure was that Hoover has been spending sessions sucking right at the top of the water to get his gills out. He has the spots all on his underbelly too. Another sign I caught was that Dianne, my red wag, has been bumping up against the gravel and ornaments (although, Ive had her the longest so I keep my eyes on her--no spots).
Suck, the other pleco, is a little bigger and I saw a few spots on his fins but he looks to be otherwise in good health.

What about the fry? Since I'm down to one 'rescued' fry in a bowl with gravel and a little bush, what about the fry that had managed to survive in the 10 gallon without 'rescuing'? I hadn't kept my hopes too high for them, but they've managed surviving in the gravel for almost 2 weeks now, and I do love seeing them pop up once in a while.

I'd love some good news.


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## <3~Pleco~<3 (Jan 31, 2009)

Ok i am going to take a guess, that it is actually ich, as nothing else seems to match up. You say that your platy has been bumping up against things. Does it look like it is scratching it's body? Ich does make fish try to scratch. Some questions:
Has your pleco become lethargic?
What is your fishes diet?
How often do you perform water changes?
How long has your tank been set up?

What is stil throwing my off, is the fact that you say your fish are "eating" the white bumps off. that is so strange. I never heard of anyone saying that ich could be eaten off.
Every fish in your tank with the outbreak of ich will most likely end up with ich. But if you continue dosing the tank correctly with your meds, (take out the carbon from the filter) keep your water clean, and raise the tank temp, then they should get better soon.
Luckily ich is one of the easier diseases to treat.

Keep us updated, and good luck!


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## konstargirl (Dec 2, 2009)

My fish had a small case of Ick before and I think I know how to solve your proble. Treat the whole tank by raising the temperature to around 80-90F. Do a least a 50% Water change once a day until the ick has clear.

Another way you can do is you might also have to seperate( I don't know which placo is it either Hoover or Suck that is effected) and give him a nice salt bath with the teperature at least 80-90F as I mentioned. Hope that helps.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

raise the temperature gradually- ie 2 degrees every 24 hours so that you don't cause trauma to the fish.
If you have a goldfish in the tank get it out. It will not survive high temps and the tank is way too small for it to be in.


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## AlyCat (Dec 19, 2009)

Well, last night I moved the two plecos into quarantine with their favorite jar. I noticed Hoover's tail looked damaged, I figure the other fish were picking on him and not really trying to get the Ick off like I had hoped. I kept the lights off and had blocked the light from the tank with a towel. Hoover was dead when I woke up, Suck is still hanging on. The spots seemed to be clearing, maybe the move to quarantine tank was too much. I also lost the last 'rescued' fry. He seemed to have bumps too, but I was worried the medicine would be too much.

Well, to answer your questions Pleco, it's hard to say if he was more lethargic than usual maybe I just assumed he liked his spot under the jar? I feed my fish in the morning tropical flakes, and in the evening granules. By advice I had read on Ick, I've been doing 25% water changes daily before medicating the tanks. Before the outbreak, I was doing 25-35% water changes every week and a half. I've had the tank set up since mid November.


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