I think my plecostomus is going to explode (literally!!!)

Oh wow, he looks grotesquely disfigured. Stop feeding him for awhile! Add a touch of salt. What else is in the tank? Can you not feed the tank at all or are there other fish that need food? What kind of pleco is it anyway?

I agree that a pleco will not eat anything 'by accident.' I watch all of mine eat from time to time and they never just swallow, they are very picky and they scrape the food.
 
I'm moving this to the illness section. I have no idea what is wrong, but something is drastically wrong. You say he wasn't looking bloated like this before you put the blanched zuchinni in there??? Zuchinni would not do this to the pleco. It is highly, highly doubtful that the pleco would accidentally suck in and swallow a snail. They don't work like a vacuum and just suck things down. They work over things with their mouths and I've seen plecos spit things out...in their own way with those sucker mouths. In any case, I hope somebody has some idea what's wrong with him. Looks more like he swallowed dried food and it took on water and blew up inside of him. Did you have a lot of pellets in the tank at the time?
 
Weird. I don't think it would hurt to try some Epsom salt in the tank, @ 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. It helps swelling and also has a laxative effect.
 
wow. I wouldn't feed for a few days for sure - watch him close. I think I would try the Epsom salt as suggested. Hopefully it isn't dropsy...
 
Raw cucumber is fine, I only feed raw cucumber. Is his scales sticking up?
Can you get a side picture of him? Mine got real fat before, he just pigged out. Not feeding him helped.
 
you did mention crushing snails.. some in the tank..correct?

since some pleco's will eat meat..it is possible it ingested some of the crushed snails and possibly some shell fragments.

it does appear like bloat..and many plecos love shelled peas..it's worth a try
 
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