Spotted Royal with Sunken Eyes

Vik · Post by **Vik** » 23 Mar 2003, 19:57

I received a spotted Royal L330? or 27a, whichever it is through aquabid. Anyway, it had a caved in belly and sunken eyes with a sore on the base of the tail. I thought for sure it was a goner. I have always heard that once the eyes sink that all you can do it watch it die. Well, I want to give everyone a little hope! Mine is finally coming around! The eyes are no longer sunken, the belly and the tip of the nose are still somewhat sunken, but I think it is doing better and may live! Hooray! I would put zucchini right in its cave and treated the tank with Melafix, now every morning when the light goes on that fish is the first one out looking for food! I wonder though, is the sunken belly and nose a sign of a parasite that Melafix can't cure? Should I just keep feeding like I have been? I've only had this fish two weeks, maybe it just needs another month of good feeding?? Anyone have any recommendations? Am I getting my hopes up too soon?
Vicki

Thomas W · Post by **Thomas W** » 25 Mar 2003, 21:48

This fish need food, the same happends to my L-025 that fish died.

Greetings Thomas Loricariidae Freak

oneoddfish · Post by **oneoddfish** » 25 Mar 2003, 23:05

Congrats...I have never heard of a pleco coming back after the eye's have sunken in..Keep doing what you'r doing because you have obvisously you've figured out something no one else has!!! If he make's complete recovery you should repost explaining exactly what you used and did..p.s. I would also send bad report to who ever sold it to you off aquabid...again great job!!!!!!!

BK · Post by BK » 26 Mar 2003, 17:53

who was the seller on aquabid?

Vik · Post by **Vik** » 26 Mar 2003, 18:02

Seller was fishfarmusa, I ordered two L90's, both showed up dead. I also ordered two spotted royals and one baby standard royal. They baby died two days later, the larger spotted is doing great and the smaller one I am babying on a daily basis. I asked the seller about their feeding and he said he feeds them flakes, just flakes!! These spotted royals are both over 6" long! He is a very nice person to deal with, but maybe plecos are not his specialty. I ordered L204's from him just before Christmas and asked that he ship after the holidays were over and they were all eaten over the holiday by some other fish he had in the tank with them!

BK · Post by BK » 26 Mar 2003, 19:11

I have also ordered from him before, but I have had better luck. I got 3 L204 and 2 Mustard spot panaquolus from him in September and only one died because fed ex lost the box for a day and during that time they were out side and the temp dropped real low.

He also told me that the plecos I ordered were just fed flakes and they wouldn't eat anything but driftwood and shrimp pellets for a week after I got them. Now they are all doing better as I hope yours will. I don't know if he keeps driftwood in the tanks but this could be a factor with panaques and panaquolus. These wild caught fish could also have a paracite/disease that is making the problem worse. I think his specialty is cichlids.

Did he replace/refund your d.o.a.s?

I have heard rumors of a few people force feeding larger "starving" plecos when there is no other alternative except death. I believe they liquify food in a blender and then put it in a syringe type thing with a tube at the end that they put in the plecos mouth (the fish is upside down and out of the water at this time). Then they just squish a little of the food in.

what are you currently feeding them?

Good luck with your fish,
bk

T · Post by T » 26 Mar 2003, 19:20

Do you think force feeding could work as a last ditch attempt?

Vik · Post by **Vik** » 26 Mar 2003, 21:29

When I received my spotted royal, I could see that the eyes were sunken through the bag, so I put it into a large tank with a nice big cave - which it went to immediately. I put a towel up to cover the sides that were exposed to the rest of the house, so that it would feel more secure. I turned the lights out and placed zucchini and krill at the caves entrance. The first night, it did not eat anything. The second night I added a small piece of cantelope (rind and all), The next day the cantelope and krill were gone and the zucchini had a sizeable chunk missing.

It had a sore on its tail a little smaller than a dime so I treated with MelaFix. I also treated the tank with Immune-Plus by Tropical Balance. It is supposed to boost immune systems. It is very active now and I am slowly removing the towel. You know what seemed to stimulate it the most? I would let the morning sun shine into his side of the tank, but did not turn the light on and he'd come right out, then I shut the curtain and turn the light on after he found something to munch on. The morning light trick brings him out every day now. Strange, eh?

Vik · Post by **Vik** » 26 Mar 2003, 21:32

P.S. Fishfarm immediately gave me a credit, he was very good about that!!

ClayT101 · Post by **ClayT101** » 27 Mar 2003, 04:53

Wow, I saw those auctions on aquabid, its a shame that they are not being cared for very well.

Post by **Dinyar** » 27 Mar 2003, 15:20

If you guys are really interested in giving your royal plecos and other fish a good environment and keeping them alive and well for something close to their natural life spans, you should realize royals are difficult fish to look after, and most hobbyists would have their hands full keeping just ONE. Buying many royals is a sure recipe for killing some or all of them sooner or later.

These fish grow big and consume huge amounts of wood, especially as they approach adulthood. The wood waste ONE healthy adult royal generates will soon turn even a large tank into wood soup, will quickly choke almost any filter and will keep you busy cleaning filters and doing water changes on an almost full time basis.

I realize that for most people, fish are just disposable toys, and people usually lose interest in them long before the fish reach the end of their natural lives. But if you care about your fish, curb your acquisitive instincts and don't try to fight battles you can't win.

Dinyar

Vik · Post by **Vik** » 27 Mar 2003, 21:06

Dinyar

This entire post has been about the care of a sick royal, not the mass killing of them.

I do not think any living creature is a "disposable toy", especially one I have accepted responsibility for. This should be evident in the effort and money I have put forth for just one of my royals. I've had royals for years, I know what they need and the messes they make, I was trying to share how I managed to save this one. Just in case another royal out there could benefit from the same care I gave this one. Matter of a fact, the entire thread has been positive, until your post.

If you have ever accepted an imported fish from anywhere, then you are just as guilty as the masses you are condeming, because you and I both know many die in the process of catching and transporting them from the rivers they were caught in, just so we aquariast can have them in our tanks.

Vicki

Post by **Dinyar** » 28 Mar 2003, 01:29

My apologies if the post seemed negative. Our society s a whole treats animals as disposable. I certainly wasn't attacking you, Vicki. I did notice references to purchasing two L 90s and three royals, and thought that that was ambitious. Speaking from personal experience, providing good care for just one adult royal is difficult enough. It would be a bit like keeping five greyhounds in an apartment. It certainly can be done, but is best done with clear knowledge of what you're getting into.

Dinyar

ClayT101 · Post by **ClayT101** » 28 Mar 2003, 04:21

Speaking of Royals, I just saw a bunch of spotted ones today. Very pretty. One was in a 2000 gallon display tank full of driftwood. You can see the "sawdust" that the Royal has produced in piles at the bottom of the aquarium. Do any of the spotted ones have spots all the way around on the top, it seems that all of the ones I see have lines above the eyes, and spots on the tail and under section.

Vik · Post by **Vik** » 28 Mar 2003, 19:45

I should have made it known that the royals were all for separate tanks. We have two huge display tanks here at work that I am in charge of and I have four tanks at home - all four at home are very large. That would have made more sense! Sorry 'bout that. I agree, many people do see animals as lower life forms and it is very hard to accept!!
Vicki

Spotted Royal with Sunken Eyes

Spotted Royal with Sunken Eyes

sunken eye's