My Endlicheri has lost his eye

[Chrislisk]

Hi All

I added a juvenile endlicheri to my African peacock tank about a month ago and all was fine. Last week I added a ornate Bircher which was around the same size but a little longer and I noticed that when they met they would fight. I woke the other day to find my endlicheri had one of his fins badly biten but all was ok and he was recovering and then yesterday morning I woke to find he has lost an eye! I am so disappointed as I have intentions of growing both my Birchers out and upgrading my current 120 gallon to a 250 next year.

I've removed my endlicheri and he is now in a 25g hospital tank by himself with some baby plecos but I’m worried for him. My plan is once he has recovered re add him to my 120g gallon tank but not sure that’s a great idea. I’m assuming it was the ornate juvenile as I really haven’t seen any of my haps and peacocks for for them apart from the odd accident in feeding frenzies. What’s odd is it’s a clean eye removed like it was sucked right out! No damage around just a hole! Is this something a juvenile Bircher could do? They do proper go at it when they meet.
Any advice would be great just gutted I have a one eyed endlicheri and he was my favourite ?

other eye is perfect.

 

[Joshuakahan]

Hi All

I added a juvenile endlicheri to my African peacock tank about a month ago and all was fine. Last week I added a ornate Bircher which was around the same size but a little longer and I noticed that when they met they would fight. I woke the other day to find my endlicheri had one of his fins badly biten but all was ok and he was recovering and then yesterday morning I woke to find he has lost an eye! I am so disappointed as I have intentions of growing both my Birchers out and upgrading my current 120 gallon to a 250 next year.

I've removed my endlicheri and he is now in a 25g hospital tank by himself with some baby plecos but I’m worried for him. My plan is once he has recovered re add him to my 120g gallon tank but not sure that’s a great idea. I’m assuming it was the ornate juvenile as I really haven’t seen any of my haps and peacocks for for them apart from the odd accident in feeding frenzies. What’s odd is it’s a clean eye removed like it was sucked right out! No damage around just a hole! Is this something a juvenile Bircher could do? They do proper go at it when they meet.
Any advice would be great just gutted I have a one eyed endlicheri and he was my favourite ?

other eye is perfect.

I’m betting it was a Hap that took the eye, I don’t see a bichir doing that. Careful putting him in a hospital tank with plecos. Sometimes plecos can suck onto bichirs and eat their slime coat

 

[Chrislisk]

Even though I noticed on a few occasions the Birchers meeting and then proper fighting. It’s a real shame and I feel really bad either way. Do you think I should re home or try adding him back once he is better?

 

[Joshuakahan]

Even though I noticed on a few occasions the Birchers meeting and then proper fighting. It’s a real shame and I feel really bad either way. Do you think I should re home or try adding him back once he is better?

I wouldn’t put him back with the haps, odds are whichever one took his eye will take the other one. Even if not, the endi will eventually get big enough to eat the haps. I’d either sell him or put him in another tank

 

[Chrislisk]

Ok I’ve decided I will keep him separate for a while and grow him out a little before I decide what to do. I feel really responsible now he has lost an eye and want to look after him. I’ve separated out the baby plecos so he has a 2 foot 60 litre tank to himself. When he gets bigger I have a 4 foot 200 litre that he can go in and I’ll decide from there what to do. He is only about 4 inches right now. He ok on his own I assume?

 

[Deadeye]

He should do fine, bichirs don’t have too good of eyesight anyway, so losing an eye isn’t the end of the world for a poly.

 

[Joshuakahan]

Ok I’ve decided I will keep him separate for a while and grow him out a little before I decide what to do. I feel really responsible now he has lost an eye and want to look after him. I’ve separated out the baby plecos so he has a 2 foot 60 litre tank to himself. When he gets bigger I have a 4 foot 200 litre that he can go in and I’ll decide from there what to do. He is only about 4 inches right now. He ok on his own I assume?

He’ll be fine on his own , bichirs rely on smell and are basically blind anyway. He might outgrow that 2ft tank fast though. I had one endi go from 4-14” in 8 months but another only grow an inch in 3 months

 

[Chrislisk]

One other thing. When he got attacked whoever did it must have taken a part of his nostril as ones about half the length of the other. I’m making him sound awful, he really isn’t that bad other than a lost eye and half a nostril. Will he be ok and will it grow back ok? I know u said they mostly hunt with their smell so not worried about this too. Other than that he is living his own tank and eating well.

 

[Rocksor]

When you say had a nostril, you mean the long appendage attached to the nose hole?

 

[Chrislisk]

Yes I do mean that. Kind of like long like a tentacle….although I know it is not a tentacle. I wish I could upload a pic but it says it’s too large. I’ll try again later though.