Blue Eye Pleco

[Ornatapinnis]

A subject came up here the other day that involved a blue eye pleco I use to own. I realise that they are prety scarce now days. I remember the days when they were very common, seems like about 10 years ago or so they dissapeared.

Anyone know the real reason they are not available anymore?

I'm refering to Panaque Sp. "sutoni"

THanks...Joel

[fishnutham]

i belive its from habitat destruction read something a while back but can't remember the specifics

[T1KARMANN]

a freind of mine found one in a small LFS hiden away about 6 months and got it for £120 but it died 3 months later form a fungal problem :(

another blue eyed panche bits the dust

[Whitey186]

Asked the same question a few weeks ago, was told lose of habitat. But can get them in England for 24.95 sterling.

[fishnutham]

Asked the same question a few weeks ago, was told lose of habitat. But can get them in England for 24.95 sterling.



Enjoy them almost impossible to find on this side of the pond and if you can find a breeder it cost an and a leg,which is a shame because imo they are the nicest of the plecs

[loach43]

Yes, destruction of habitat. If I remember right it was an oil spill.
Total shame. I used to have one and remember only paying $20 for him.
Gone are the days

[JD_MAN]

I was just talking about this as well. I remember seeing these and many other species that you just can't find anymore....if I only knew then what I know now.

[Oddball]

Asked the same question a few weeks ago, was told lose of habitat. But can get them in England for 24.95 sterling.


Better check those fish. Chances are you're not getting Panaque sutonii but a closely resembling species called Panaque cochliodon (longer more tapered snout, smaller adult size).

[Oddball]

I found some info on the disappearance of P. sutonii:

Goodbye Panaque Suttoni

Panaque Suttoni is gone, as reported from a local fish vendor today to me. The Blue Eyed Plecostomus (a blue eyed-black bodied algae eater) is said to be gone from the ecosystem. One of two things seem to be the reason..

1. A parasitic outbreak in the region, that Gov't tried to control but ended up destroying most the life in the little ecosystem because of carelessness.

2. An oil spill wiped out the ecosystem where this pleco, and other things lived.

Said to be the only area where the pleco lives in the wild... let's hope someone is breeding them privately or in fish farms.



Piscirickettsiosis and piscirickettsiosis-like infections in fish: a review.

Mauel MJ, Miller DL.

Veterinary Diagnostic and Investigational Laboratory, The University of Georgia, P.O. Box 1389, Tifton, GA 31793, USA.

Piscirickettsia salmonis was the first "rickettsia-like" bacteria to be recognized as a pathogenic agent of fish. Since the first reports of piscirickettsiosis emerged from Chile in the late 1980s, Piscirickettsia-like bacteria have been recognized with increasing frequency in a variety of fish species, from both fresh and saltwaters around the world. Although the first reported incidents of Piscirickettsia were in salmonids, Piscirickettsia-like bacteria are now being frequently associated with disease syndromes in non-salmonid fish. Mortalities have occurred in white seabass (Atactoscion noblis), black seabass (Dicentrarchus sp.), tilapia (Oreochromis, Tilapia and Sarotherodon spp.) and blue-eyed plecostomus (Panaque suttoni). Piscirickettsiosis and piscirickettsiosis-like diseases have affected aquaculture productivity, profitability, the species of fish compatible with commercial rearing, and transportation of fish from site to site. Piscirickettsiosis and syndromes caused by similar bacteria are an emerging disease complex that will increasingly inhibit fish production.

I'm more inclined to believe that resource mismanagement led to over-pollution of the small region where these cats originate. And, pollution led to reduced immunity to diseases not previously seen in this species. Government intervention was either too late to have any beneficial result or inept to the point of either doing no good or committing additional harm to the species (and possibly others).

[Ornatapinnis]

Man that sucks...

I sold mine for $30.00 several years ago, it was the last one I ever saw.....

I know nothing about breeding Panaque species, hope some one dose.

Someone here had one for sale in the last few months, wonder where it went...

[billet-o-fish]

i saw one here in australia like 6 months ago, it cost $450 :O

[syclone]

I have one, I got it in my lfs for 50., they didn't know what it was but I did. I will try and get a pick of him if anyone is interested. He is alittle agressive at times but other then that pretty cool.

[loach43]

Pic PLEASE!!!!

[Hakon]

Yeah we want pics of him! Remember to take good care of the penaque.

[DiXoN]

Asked the same question a few weeks ago, was told lose of habitat. But can get them in England for 24.95 sterling.


tell me where and i will buy them all.

a blue eye was selling in the UK for hundreds only a few months ago

[Prowler]

A buddy of mine bought one the other day for I think $80. I think I'm going to try to steal it. :FIREdevil

[syclone]

Here are some pics, I know they are not that good, but he is not very excited about pic taking. I have had him for about a year now. I really like him alot, I was looking for another and maybe try and breed them, but everywhere I found them where pretty expensive. Maybe another day I will get enough funds together to try. Anyway if I can get a better pics later if he will cooperate.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b146/rikbar/blueeye1.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b146/rikbar/blueeye.jpg

[Prowler]

Beautiful Fish.

[ogre929]

Did the same thing happen to the zebra pleco? the little black and white guy. I remember buying one when i was 16 for the low low price of 15 bucks. now they're like 250. wtf?

[syclone]

Yeah, I can remember the zebra being some bucks cheaper then they are right now. I thougth they where being breed fairly easily in home aquariums.... Maybe not, I would like to have some of them guys someday as well.

[Hakon]

They're expensive here too, but there is many who breed them :confused:

[loach43]

I've noticed that the price for zebras is going up, up, up. Yes, there are many who breed them but the demand for the little buggers is higher than the supply. Zebras don't yeild very many fry per individual spawn.

[rweedon]

It is true that the Zebra Pleco is very expensive, but with as easy as they are to breed someone will soon start breeding them commercially and flood the market due to their greediness. Luckily for us their greediness will result in lower prices because there will be so many of them.

[loach43]

Hopefully your right although I wouldn't want the market to get flooded so much that they become "disposable" like common plecos. I'd be content if they just got to the level of say $25-$35 ea.

[Radius]

Man it makes me mad when humans wipe out a species like that. One oil spill and they're all gone, it's just so sad.

[sasori13]

Did the same thing happen to the zebra pleco? the little black and white guy. I remember buying one when i was 16 for the low low price of 15 bucks. now they're like 250. wtf?




Brazil banned the export of zebra plecos. The only ones for sale in the U.S. today were either captive-bred or smuggled into the country. I'm not sure of the particulars, something about overfishing.

[Atfownz]

i want a pure royal one

[hiplecoman]

I was told by a wholesaler on the east coast that the BEP are extinct in the southern part of the rio magdalena in Colombia but there are specimens in the
northern region of the magdalena. the problem that collectors have are dealing
with paramilitary groups & drug cartels. to get past this obstacle you have to go
with someone who knows the leaders of these groups. you will also have to pay
them to get to the habitat of the BEP. to make matters even more difficult they
are in a difficult area to get to. I know of an individual who went on a fishing
trip to Colombia. everywhere he went he encountered people dressed in
combat fatigues. He said it was a frightening experience. no fish is worth
sacrificing for a human life.

[shoefreak03]

i dont know what is the big deal of these. i would rather have a batch of zebra than blue eye for many reasons...

[loach43]

I kinda like 'em both on an equal level although I've never had a zebra.