Help me diagnose my sick pleco!

Update!! He’s losing some of his color now and I have him isolated in a salt bath. I got a better photo for you but the discoloration is beyond the bump on his head. I am also treating him for bacterial infection. Is there anything else I could or should be doing? Should I be treating the rest of my tank?3F86A19C-D130-4486-BAD1-8AC2B2446E03.png
 
Antibiotic is a good idea. The spot looks bigger :( I'm not sure salt is a good idea, plecos don't usually do well with it. Is it just a short term bath? It seems like it may irritate the raw wound & add stress. What are you using it to treat for? Was he pale before the salt bath?

Could it be a heater burn?
 
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Fisho'rama is right a salt bath is only going to stress the pleco and do nothing. I'm afraid it isn't a scrape or heater burn: I see he has an early stage of fin rot meaning it is a bacterial infection. Yes do treat him for that, remove the salt and filter the hospital tank, monitor for ammonia and nitrite. Also how big is he? It looks like he is already too big for a 25 gal.
 
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It seems awfully deep into his body for fin rot...I'm not saying it's not, but not as a first sign of trouble...Why do you think it couldn't be a heater burn? I googled & some pics look similar...I've never had that issue...But an antibiotic seems like the best course of action right now...Jenna, which antibiotic treatment are you using? I don't know which 1 or 1s I'd suggest...

Also Jenna, in your 25g, did he have hiding spots under wood or rocks? I "think" that's how heater burns happen, when fish try to hide as best they can even if they have to cram themselves wherever they can, like under or next to the heater. I agree with tl, he seems pretty big for a 25g...It's hard to judge size from pics...

My fingers are crossed for your pleco! Please update us tomorrow, we're worried about him!
 
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Look at its spiky fins, that is an early stage of fin rot. It indicates the wound is an ulcer rather as a heater burn or scrape.
 
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I am not so sure re fin rot. Usually this looks worse than what I see in the picture. How did the fish look when you bought it? it may have been that way in the store. The process of going from the wild or even a fish farm to the store can expose fish to attacks by others. This can even occur at the store. I am used to seeing a bit of white at the ends of the fins where the spines are. i also tend to see the spines suffering as will.

This does not mean it is not fin rot. The thing about fish is that stress is one of the biggest causes of illness and/or parasites getting a foothold. Newly purchased fish from stress have usually been under continuous stress levels for some time.

I agree about not using salt here and with trying a broad spectrum antibiotic. If you do not have a cycled H tank, which few do, then I, or somebody else, can help with how to run an uncycled H tank safely. The one thing you should do in the H tank is provide a hiding plece for the pleco. Not having this is stressful for a fish which normally hides. I would suggest =some form of cave since real wood can end up hosting whatever germ is at work. A cave can be bleach dipped and reused, I do not bleach real wood.

In addition to meds in the water, there are also medicated foods available. You can also make your own.
 
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I couldn't find a picture taken from above, but one from the belly will do as well; look at his pectoral and pelvic fins then compare to Jenna's pleco;
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The soft tissue between the hard rays is degenerating first at the top, that's early fin rot.
 
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Thank you all again for your help I am so grateful! I will try to answer everything! He is maybe 6 inches not as large as he appears to be in the photos. I planned on rehoming him in the next year. I am unsure what to think about his fins myself - they have always had the pointed/shredded look since I got him (never looked like the big ones you photographed) but the discoloration is new. he has seemed happy to this point. I have had him for quite some time he is not new. My tetras are thriving and not stressed but it is a bit harder for me to keep an eye on him because he loves his hiding spots - I also believe the bump on his head is a wound from being spooked out of a hiding place or something, but also I have never seen fin rot in a pleco so it could be that I suppose. Is it possible the wound is infected? Treating him with imagitarium bacterial infection remedy and yes it was only a short dip in the salt bath though it can be stressful for pleco I found it necessary to after doing my research and before putting him in a quarantine. I am also getting a new substrate today in case that is the cause of his irritated fins. Not sure about his paleness on his back though. I raised the temp as suggested before. Here is the photo he looks worse today in my opinion, hasn’t eaten his cucumber and looks downright miserable so if there’s anything else I can do please let me know!! Also if you think I should return him to my main tank and treat the whole system I can do that as well.

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