well i posted in "tropical fish" asking if my pleco's behavior of lately is normal, and someone said my pleco might have a parasite or bacterial something or another thats making him go INSANE and swim all around the tank in a frenzy, only to settle down somewhere, still twitching

can parasites be brought in from plants? i just bought 2 live plants from petsmart and it seems ever since then *yesterday* just the pleco has gone completely awol. he even swims more than my goldie! im really worried because i find myself having to sit in front of the fishtank making sure if the pleco jumps right out (theres only a little strip of uncovered area behind the light but still, he keeps zipping around like crazy) that i can put him back in the tank right away.

do u think hes just gone crazy or could this be some sort of parasite? if so, is there anything i can do to treat him, even though none of the other 3 fish have acted any differently?

Parasites can be brought in on plants, yes. Its a good idea to disinfect them before you put them in your tank. And I know Petsmart sometimes keeps fish in their plant tanks, for some weird reason. Are you sure there isnt something else going on in your tank though? A temperature change, or pH change? DId you recently do a water change? Im just wondering if its something else thats bothering him.

umm i did a 50% water change about a week ago, and i took everyone out for that, because i also got some new gravel and a plastic plant, but until now hes been doing fine, i dont have a test kit yet, but im gonna go get one tomorrow, which ones are best? i keep seeing them sold seperately for pretty cheap, but i never know which particular test is most important, so i keep putting off getting one. should i take the new plants out of the tank? one is a tiny banana plant and the other one is..i have no clue.. its this:

my angelfish couldnt resist getting in on the pic Lol

but anyways, is there any type of medicine i could treat the tank with? im really worried about my pleco, because hes started rubbing his back all over the gravel and such, and still twitches when he stays still. i dont see anything on his skin that could be a parasite, so im at a loss any suggestions would be veryyy greatly appreciated

I would get any kind of master kit as long as you dont use Amquel. Test the water like JS said cause with out anything to tell us about the water there isnt much to tell you with