HELP! MY PLECO IS VERY SICK!

Blurk

Blurk

Small Fish
#1
Feb 22, 2006
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#1
My little royal pleco has become very pale and I noticed this morning that his eyes are sunken in. His stomach isn't sunken in though and he is still moving about and nibbling. Last night he even ate a little bit of potato. I just noticed this happening yesterday morning. He's quarentined right now and I'm treating him with a fungal/bacteria medication recommended to me by the lfs. He has his driftwood and an algea disc in with him too. I'm not filtering the quarintine tank but I am using an airstone to keep the water from being still. I've even covered all the windows in that room and closed the door to make it as dark as possible. Is there anything else I can do for him? Any advice would be great. Thank you!

PS: We got our water checked yesterday and we were told everything was in the safe range.
 

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Intravenous

Large Fish
#2
Jan 19, 2006
200
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Edinburgh and Aberdeen Scotland, UK
#2
It sounds like youre doing your best to help your pleco, good on you *thumbsup2.

Sunken eyes are usually an indication of starvation, but if hes eating and doesnt have a sunken belly then thats not likely :confused: (unless some sort of internal parasite is causing bloating and the sunken eyes are the only indication - someone with experience should be asked about this, don't take my word alone!)

Plecos go pale when they are stressed so the paleness is more likely an indication of illness rather than a symptom.

Be careful using medication on plecos, they are very sensitive to some and half doses should be used until you are sure they wont react badly!

When you say you're not filtering the tank you mean the quarentine tank? Not the one he's usually in? Your problem could be with the water conditions. The lfs cannot always be trusted. You need exact values of the water conditions, not "everything was in the safe range". Plecos are very sensitive to water pollution and even a little bit of ammonia or nitrite can cause them a lot of harm. If I were you I would buy my own test kit to make sure!

How long have you had the pleco? And what were his tank mates?
 

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Blurk

Blurk

Small Fish
#3
Feb 22, 2006
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#3
I've had him for a week and a half and his tank mates are a baby albino tiger oscar and electric blue Jack Dempsey. Both of which leave him alone the majority of the time.

Also, the normal tank he's in has an Eheim Thermofilter in it. I have a feeling this whole thing is related to the water quality as well.
 

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Intravenous

Large Fish
#4
Jan 19, 2006
200
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Edinburgh and Aberdeen Scotland, UK
#4
that was going to be my next question :p "do they attack/annoy him". I guess thats not a factor then.

If hes new then its possible he was ill before you got him :( . It wouldnt be a nice outcome, but it does happen, especially if he was wild-caught. (I don't know how common those plecos are or if they're tank bred, so it is a possibility).

How long had the tank been set up? And what temperature was it at? Do you add any salt to it?

I think your main priority right now is to make sure the pleco has good water conditions and a stable temperature. I don't know if there is much else to be done, other than monitoring his progress.
 

Blurk

Blurk

Small Fish
#5
Feb 22, 2006
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#5
The tank has been set up about a month now. we cycled it with Bio Spira. The temp is at 24.3 C. the last I checked. I have not added any salt to the tank.

He seemed healthy when I got him. Big red eyes, black with grey stripes. He was truley stunning. I broke down crying earlier today at the thought of losing him. Even though he's only been with us a short time I've gotten very attatched.
 

I

Intravenous

Large Fish
#6
Jan 19, 2006
200
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Edinburgh and Aberdeen Scotland, UK
#6
I know how you feel...when my tank was new I bought a beautiful LDA33 pleco, Snowball, not knowing anything about cycling. He lasted quite a while but as my nitrites spiked, he died. By that point I knew about cycling and was doing everything I could to fix the problem but it was too late and he died, my fault :(. I cried my eyes out and couldnt bear to part with him, my boyfriend had to get rid of the body for me.

But you're informed and hopefully your knowledge will save your pleco :) . Best of luck with him. Just keep doing what you can and he may pull through...if the worst comes to the worst then don't blame yourself, if you've done everything you can then it may be the case that he was just a sick pleco to start with :(
 

PlecoCollector

PlecoCollector

Superstar Fish
#7
Aug 21, 2005
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Clinton, NY
#7
Have you tried feeding him some meaty foods like frozen brineshrimp or bloodworms? If I remember correctly, Royals will eat meat, and he may not be getting enough of it.
Also, some Plecos will refuse to eat their first few weeks until they're comfortable with the tank. Providing him with everything possible is important.
Personally, I'd keep him in the original tank so that he isn't further stressed and has a better chance of feeling more comfortable sooner. To me, his symptoms sound more like a Plecos adaption than it being sick.
How big is he? I had a Gold Nugget Pleco who was very small, and sadly lost him because he refused to eat, but a larger one should be able to pull through.
 

Blurk

Blurk

Small Fish
#8
Feb 22, 2006
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#8
He's around 5-6 inches. He is eating though (well at least he ate a little bit of potato yesterday and he nibbles his driftwood). He's got plenty of leftovers from the other fish (that include beefheart, brine shrimp, bloodworms, and chicken livers).
 

PlecoCollector

PlecoCollector

Superstar Fish
#9
Aug 21, 2005
1,430
0
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34
Clinton, NY
#9
I think he's just getting ajusted then...
Like stated before, if he's pale, it's because of stress. IME, Plecos like to change their colors- my L001 will be beautifully marked one day and the next be dull and pale spotted. How long has he been pale for?
It's good that he's got so much to eat, it seems like he has many choices ^^
It's good that he's moving around too, but I'm really not sure about the sunken in eyes. :(
 

Blurk

Blurk

Small Fish
#14
Feb 22, 2006
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#14
UPDATE: His skin color is 100% better. He's back in the big tank, nibbling away. It probably was just stress. He seems to have a little bit of ich too (he's got white spots on him now which is probably just the surpessed immune system from stress) but he's been treated and is doing fine now. Thank you for all your help :)
 

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