Can we have some of that HH magic please??

Some of you may think this is ridiculous, and that he's only a fish, but we have a very sick plec

We think he has swim bladder as he can't seem to flatten himself out. He's sitting at a 45° angle at the bottom of the tank. We've had this fish a long time, and he's a big beast! OH thinks he's had him for about 10 years.

He is away to asda to buy some frozen peas for him in the hope that it's "just" an intestinal blockage and the peas will shift it. Last ditch effort and all that

Here he is. I know he's not particularly pretty, but we love him nonetheless

mega vibes on the way
he is lovely
i'm not convinced it's swim bladder I wonder if putting some vitamin drops or something in the water would help,

Lots of vibes (and I am very intrigued about the peas).

fiver wrote:mega vibes on the way
he is lovely
i'm not convinced it's swim bladderI wonder if putting some vitamin drops or something in the water would help,

Thank you!

Really? I'm glad you think that Rob! Can I ask why you think that? I'm no fish expert

OH has tested the water and there is nothing untoward coming up.

The good news is that he is eating his first pea (The fish, not the OH )

Molly and Junior are intrigued as to what is going on I have to keep chasing them away

cheryl'n'bruce'flo wrote:Lots of vibes (and I am very intrigued about the peas).

Thanks Cheryl. Apparently they quite often behave like this when they have a blockage and the frozen peas are a good laxative.

Per my friend google anyway!!

swim bladder normally shows by them swimming o their side and I don't think the plec would be able to hold itself as yours is on the glass,
if he is ten years old he's quite mature and like us humans may not be getting enough from what he is eating, I would go to an aquatics store and chat to someone there they are generally knowledgeable and may be able to give you an addative for him
I also notice it looks almost clinically clean in there is he getting enough algie

Peas are not necessarily the best way to go. The logic behind feeding a fish peas is the fiber pushes out the blockage. This is especially effective in carnivorous and omnivorous fish that would not be able to process vegetation all that well. It becomes tricky in fish designed to live off plant life, like many plecos. Constipation in herbivorous fish is usually caused by poor diet or little variance in diet.
try some blanched cucumber this would have a similar affect hun

fiver wrote:swim bladder normally shows by them swimming o their side and I don't think the plec would be able to hold itself as yours is on the glass,
if he is ten years old he's quite mature and like us humans may not be getting enough from what he is eating, I would go to an aquatics store and chat to someone there they are generally knowledgeable and may be able to give you an addative for him
I also notice it looks almost clinically clean in there is he getting enough algie

Ok, I see what you mean and right enough he's not proper upside down but the photo is a bit of an illusion I'm afraid, he's not actually on the glass he's lying on the sand about 6-7 inches away from the glass. OH is planning on phoning his fish contact tomorrow

The tank is pretty clean, but it always has been. But like you say, maybe his needs are changing because he's getting old!

fiver wrote:Peas are not necessarily the best way to go. The logic behind feeding a fish peas is the fiber pushes out the blockage. This is especially effective in carnivorous and omnivorous fish that would not be able to process vegetation all that well. It becomes tricky in fish designed to live off plant life, like many plecos. Constipation in herbivorous fish is usually caused by poor diet or little variance in diet.

Tbh the peas are a bit of a long shot but there's nothing else we can do at the moment so it was do this or do nothing

It would be strange if it was a poor diet as OH hasn't changed anything and the others are thriving

I appreciate the advice

Ahhh what a gorgeous fella
He's gorgeous and I hope he makes a speedy recovery .
Unfortunately I have never had fish so I can't give you any advice.
But I wish you and your little fella all the best
Mega vibes coming your way..
By the way has he got a name?

your NOT supposed to give them frozen you must blanch them then squeeze the pulp out when they are cold into the water and it sinks to the bottom the plec should eat it from there

thezookeeper wrote:Ahhh what a gorgeous fella
He's gorgeous and I hope he makes a speedy recovery .
Unfortunately I have never had fish so I can't give you any advice.
But I wish you and your little fella all the best
Mega vibes coming your way..
By the way has he got a name?

Thank you. He doesn't strictly have a name but I've always called him Robot because I've always thought he looks like one... Mechanical looking if you know what I mean

fiver wrote:your NOT supposed to give them frozen you must blanch them then squeeze the pupl out when they are cold into the water and it sinks to the bottom the plec should eat it from there

Blimmin google!! Internet said frozen I don't know what blanch means But it turns out they're lying on the bottom of the tank anyway

He hasn't ate any of them

he wont a plec would probably have trouble eating that blanch means to put in hot water for a few mins not long enough to cook just to take the outer shell off and soften the inside so you can squeeze the pulp out

He's gorgeous do they keep the tank's clean and tidy as I'm sure my Nephew had one of those years ago and it use to go around cleaning the glass bit by bit , I use to sit and watch it for ages as I was amazed by it. They are so graceful to watch as well.

Aww hope he will be ok Thumper

Sending him mega 'get well' Vibes xxxxx

Sending 'get well' vibes to your fishie!

fiver wrote: he wont a plec would probably have trouble eating that blanch means to put in hot water for a few mins not long enough to cook just to take the outer shell off and soften the inside so you can squeeze the pulp out

Blame the phone Rob, blame the phone!!

I checked it out after you posted and it will be fine because its warm water they will have thawed out quickly

Tuckerbunnies wrote:He's gorgeous do they keep the tank's clean and tidy as I'm sure my Nephew had one of those years ago and it use to go around cleaning the glass bit by bit , I use to sit and watch it for ages as I was amazed by it. They are so graceful to watch as well.

Aww hope he will be ok Thumper

Sending him mega 'get well' Vibes xxxxx

Thank you Maysie. Yes, he's usually a very busy boy but not today

FluffSlave wrote:Sending 'get well' vibes to your fishie!

Thank you

Poor robot. Hope he' s feeling better soon.

sending fishy vibes. x x

Thanks, Nickie.

It sounds like such a random name when someone else "says" it

it's not random I knew his uncle robocod

Sending lots of vibes your way, hope he's ok

Thumper2001 wrote:

fiver wrote:your NOT supposed to give them frozen you must blanch them then squeeze the pupl out when they are cold into the water and it sinks to the bottom the plec should eat it from there

Blimmin google!! Internet said frozen I don't know what blanch means But it turns out they're lying on the bottom of the tank anyway

He hasn't ate any of them

Sending lots of vibes for the Robot-ster. Hope he will be ok.

BLanch means to boil veg for a couple of minutes to soften them but not cook through fully.

More vibes for Robot.

My plec, known as Dixie, loves algae wafers when there's no proper algae so they might be worth a shot if you've got some.

Otherwise vets are quite good with larger fish like plecs, goldies etc. I've never personally taken one but I know people who have

Of course it isn't silly loving a fish hun, when I had them they were as much of a pet as anyone else who lived with us. It is a pity there aren;t more people like us.

Lots of vibes for the little chum and I hope he is OK.

Hugs

JO xx

What a stunning Plec

I hope he is better today. Have you ever given him cucumber? Cut a bit off about an inch long, leave the skin on, stick a tea-spoon handle through it (not one of your best ones) so it sinks and pop it in the tank. He'll love it, and if it's fibre he needs, that should help.

What do you usually feed him on?