Pleco jumped out of water. Is Pleco sick? Will my fish get sick? PLEASE HELP?

[Tina S]

I have a large pleco with 5 chiclids. Three days ago the pleco jumped out the tank. It was out for approx 3 hrs. When found under dresser it was still breathing. We put him in the tank so fast we didnt think to rince him off. We found a lot of dust in the fish tank. That day his skin began to peel. Day 2 the tips of all his fins even his back broke and fell off. Day 3 today at the end of the rigid fins ther are little red dots (looks like blood). What is this and what to expect? Is he going to die? Does he have a disease? Will his fins fall off? Will my fish get sick? He is active again however, not as much as before. Thank you very much for your help.

[Finatic]

Let's consider why this happened in the first place:

1) You should always have a fitted cover for your tanks. Covers reduce evaporation, prevent things from falling in to your tank and also prevent things from jumping out of your tank.

2) Depending upon the type of of cichlids you have, they may be chasing or bullying the pleco. I've seen this happen. The pleco may have simply been trying to get away from aggressive tank mates.

3) Poor water quality will also lead to fish jumping out of the tank. If you are on top of your water changes and your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH, and other parameters are inline, I would think the reason your fish jumped is because of aggressive tank mates.

You should isolate the Pleco. It should be in a tank that will permit it to grow to 20 inches if it survives.

The red streaks are a sign of sepsis. The question of will your fish get sick is no. Your fish is already sick. If it were my fish and all of the fins had fallen off as you have described, I would euthanize the fish (and this doesn't mean flushing).

You may be able to save the fish by placing it in a separate tank. A small 10 gallon tank will be fine. You'll need a heater so the water can be raised to about 80 degrees. Treat with a good aquatic antibiotic such as API TriSulfa.

I wish you all the best luck with your pleco.

[irish whiskeyhammer]

i don't know much about fish, but i would contact a pet store that deals strictly in fish and fish know how. good luck

[Betta92]

This happened to my pleco once but instead I dropped him as I was lifting him out of the fish bowl to put back in the tank. I was cleaning my tank so I put him in a temperary bowl btw.
Then I put him in the tank because he made a long drop to the floor and I also noticed some dust in the water. Nothing like what you described though. Hope he heals!