I recently picked up a banded butterfly pleco from my LPS and over the past few days figured he was fine. I have noticed though his eyes are now starting to sink into his head. His poop is the normal green no white or clear, but I am not sure that he is eating. He is in a cycled tank not sure what the water parameters are aside from the temp being held at 76-77. I also have hillstream loaches in the tank and i hear they are more a problem with water quality and they are fine and healthy for almost a year. Could it be stress related and if so what can i do. I added an air stone and other things to the mix. I am also treating for bacterial infection because i hear that is a common problem. Someone please help I don't want to lose him. My luck with plecos has been horrible lately. Not all in the same tank of course. thanks.
banded butterfly pleco
- Thread starter rattlesnakerocka
- Start date
What's its stomach look like?
If its pooing its most likely eating. Could be off feed for a bit as a stress reaction. Just give it some time to settle. Treating for diseases that aren't apperent isn't helping the situation. Bacterial infections though common aren't necessarily always a problem. How long did the shop have it before you purchased it? The most common issue with wild-caught plecs are that they aren't handled or acclimated properly when first imported. If the wholesaler or shop had it for a while & kept it under the incorrect conditions it could almost be hopeless by the time you get it. Don't fret too much though as the droppings are a good sign. Just give it some time & don't fiddle with it too much.
If its pooing its most likely eating. Could be off feed for a bit as a stress reaction. Just give it some time to settle. Treating for diseases that aren't apperent isn't helping the situation. Bacterial infections though common aren't necessarily always a problem. How long did the shop have it before you purchased it? The most common issue with wild-caught plecs are that they aren't handled or acclimated properly when first imported. If the wholesaler or shop had it for a while & kept it under the incorrect conditions it could almost be hopeless by the time you get it. Don't fret too much though as the droppings are a good sign. Just give it some time & don't fiddle with it too much.
well its stomach looks ok. I stopped treatment and put a piece of green squash in the tank last night and the outside of the squash in places has been eaten and turned from green to white. he is the only pleco in the tank though i have some loaches. I hope it is him eating. the pet store only had him for a day so i do not believe that is the case. the biggest issue is the eyes. they are sunken into his head pretty well with some red showing I hear that can be a water issue. though i am doing water changes daily now of about 20% rather than my weekly 25% does that seem ok?
Can you get pictures?
The eyes typically only start to sink when it is severly starved which should show up in the stomach & body as well. Tough to describe but fish with sunken eyes just generally don't look healthy, low body mass & skinny. A newly imported wild-caught plec can also suffer simply from import. The rigors of importation can take a toll & some new imports just can't adjust. It sounds like its eating so that's a good start. You could also try treating for internal parasites. Hikari prazipro is a med that i've had great success with in treating newly imported fish. After treatment they seem to adjust & settle in much quicker.
I'm assuming what you've got is something similar to if not, Dekeyseria sp. (L052). Sometimes it can appear that the eyes are sunken but it could be a matter of the eye structure. On some plecs with a bit wider "cheeks" it can appear that there is a recess or gap around the lower, rear portion of the eye. Might this be what you're seeing? Redness might be a concern though.
The eyes typically only start to sink when it is severly starved which should show up in the stomach & body as well. Tough to describe but fish with sunken eyes just generally don't look healthy, low body mass & skinny. A newly imported wild-caught plec can also suffer simply from import. The rigors of importation can take a toll & some new imports just can't adjust. It sounds like its eating so that's a good start. You could also try treating for internal parasites. Hikari prazipro is a med that i've had great success with in treating newly imported fish. After treatment they seem to adjust & settle in much quicker.
I'm assuming what you've got is something similar to if not, Dekeyseria sp. (L052). Sometimes it can appear that the eyes are sunken but it could be a matter of the eye structure. On some plecs with a bit wider "cheeks" it can appear that there is a recess or gap around the lower, rear portion of the eye. Might this be what you're seeing? Redness might be a concern though.
that may be what I am seeing. I believe he is eating. I know he had a harsh journey most fish do unfortunately. I wish i could get some pictures but it is hard to he is very active when i do see him. And with starvation wouldn't he be weak and less active? His stomach is not large but it is not sunken. and as for medication I really do not know what is harsh and what is not. I would prefer not treating if possible.
In that he's eating you probably don't need to treat at this point. Hikari Prazipro is very gentle and used by at least a few here for new fish. In my expereience it really makes a difference with new plecs, so much so that I treat all new wild-caught ones with Prazipro, despite what I told you earlier about not treating fish w/o symptoms.
Activity level isn't always an indication as some diseases and reactions to water conditions can result in hyper fish. They don't necessarily get listless until things get really bad.
Activity level isn't always an indication as some diseases and reactions to water conditions can result in hyper fish. They don't necessarily get listless until things get really bad.
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