Although plecos are a very hardy fish species with a huge number of people within the fish keeping community keeping plecos in their aquariums with minimal issues, there are some potential problems with the species that can be unavoidable.
One of the more common problems that we see people reaching out for advice on is how to treat pleco white fungus infections as this can be a relatively common problem with plecos.
There are a number of ways that you are able to treat white fungal infections on plecos with treatments such as Pimafix and Melafix often being the easiest and cheapest options.
There are a number of specialist treatments available on the market for specific fungal infections but they are usually a waste of money when cheaper treatments can treat the fungus.
Due to plecos being bottom dwelling fish with some types of pleco being happy to sleep for most of the day in one place in your aquarium, they can be more prone to fungal infections than some other species of fish.
Although many people who are new to keeping plecos in their aquariums can be worried about these problems, it is rare that a white fungus breakout on a pleco will be a long term problem.
How Does A Pleco End Up With A White Fungus Infection?
It can be surprisingly easy for fungus spores to make their way into your aquarium and infection fish, especially bottom dwelling fish such as plecos.
New plants, substrate, rocks, or decorations with fungal spores on them added to your aquarium can be enough to cause a fungal breakout. If you have an open top aquarium then fungal spores can sometimes just land in the tank when they move around in the air too.
Due to most types of pleco being nocturnal animals, they will often sleep for large periods of the day staying still making it easy for fungus to grow on them.
In addition to this, many plecos will choose to sleep close to rocks or plants in the tank that can then further increase the chances of fungus transferring to the fish and being able to take hold.
Please don’t feel that you are a bad fish keeper if you do notice a white fungus growing on your pleco as this is a relatively common problem that people have with plecos.
Even experienced fish keepers who have been in the hobby for decades can still end up having problems with their plecos and the various types of fungus out there!
How Do You Treat A Pleco With A White Fungus Infection?
The easiest way to treat a white fungal breakout on your pleco is to use a reliable treatment such as Pimafix or Melafix to treat the fungal breakout.
In some very bad situations, you may have to use both treatments to compound the effects of their active ingredients to treat the fungus quickly but if you start treating the fungus early, either of the products will be able to treat it.
If the white fungus has had time to develop on your pleco then it can be a good idea to use both Pimafix and Melafix though.
Although both products have very similar use cases, their active ingredients are bay tree extract and tea tree extras with each product relying on one to treat the various problems with fish.
Using both products at the same time can often compound the effectiveness of both active ingredients and health your pleco from its fungal infection quickly.
There are some specialist fungal treatments on the market but it really is rare that they are actually needed.
The majority of people should be fine just going with the cheaper, more generic treatments such as Pimafix and Melafix as they are very effective against fungus.
We would always recommend either of them over a more expensive aquarium fungal treatment for most of our readers as it is more budget friendly and will get you the exact same results in the same amount of time.
Do You Have To Quarantine A Pleco When Treating White Fungus?
You can quarantine your pleco when treating it for a white fungus breakout but it is not essential in many cases.
Many people who are new to the fish keeping hobby will not have a suitable aquarium to use as a quarantine tank either and most of the suitable fungal treatments will treat your full aquarium for the fungus anyway.
We often see people on social media instantly recommend that you quarantine any fish that has a fungal infection but this is not always realistic for people.
Not only are spare quarantine tanks expensive but they also take up space too and many people simply don’t have these available for secondary tanks that you may or may not need.
This is why we are huge fans of treatments like Pimafix and Melafix for dealing with a fungal infection on your pleco.
You simply dose them to the size of your tank following the instructions on the label and the cap as your dosing tool and then the treatment will work on your full aquarium to prevent the fungus being able to take hold on any of your other fish too.
Are White Fungus Infections Fatal For Plecos?
If left untreated, a white fungus infection on your pleco can eventually be fatal, this is why we would highly recommend that you do your best to treat the condition as quickly as possible.
The sooner you start a treatment plan for the white fungus on your pleco, the higher its chances of survival are and the less likely it is that your fish will have long term problems.
Thankfully, the vast majority of white fungus infections really are easy to treat and the majority of people shouldn’t be having any major problems treating the conditions in their plecos.
Not only are the required treatments cheap and easy to find but they are also very easy to use allowing you to accurately dose treatments like Pimafix and Melafix correctly for your tank to treat any fungal problems as quickly and easily as possible.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over treating a pleco white fungus infection as quickly and easily as possible to an end. We hope that we have been able to help as many of our readers as possible better understand that there are rarely reasons not to treat your pleco who has a fungal infection. The hardy nature of the pleco species also offers excellent odds of the pleco being able to survive even harsh fungal treatments if needed that other species of fish can sometimes struggle with.
