Leo Spots Round and WHITE

[TuxandTie]

Anyone have good advice for keeping Leo spots really round and white? I recently built a 300 gallon tank, and the ph is a bit high (7.3ish) I think due to the recently cycled filter and sand.

I've heard that dropping the PH will make for whiter spots. Can anyone confirm?

The spots on my male leo seems to be blurred, I know that one spot is because it was bitten by another male on that spot, and the spots heal BLACK not white. Has anyone experience this too?

Cheers.

 

[Nic]

never heard of ph affecting color or spots... they will usually change with age.. sometimes turn eclipse... just let there natural beauty show through... and as far as i know BD are the only true perfect round spots on a leo

 

[RARE AFISHINADO]

When stressed the spots can move or blur.. its is a sign of bad stress from either water chemistry or another fish/ray stressing it. I believe the color of the spots is from diet/environment in the wild. Most leos in captivity came into the country with yellow spots and within a year have white spots.

I have seen plenty of Leopoldi that are not BD which that have perfect huge white spots. In my opinion BD is a lil over played its a locale of leopoldi that just happen to have nice patterns. If someone can prove that all fish from the sao paulo look alike than it should be called leopoldi "Sao Paulo" No need for fancy names.

 

[TuxandTie]

Thanks guys. I have seen the "blurriness" that you mention when the leo is stressed out. The best way to describe it is as if you're looking at the leo without your glasses, and you have really bad eyes. Most of the newly acquired ones in the shops are that way. It'll take a few weeks to a month to settle in. Mine's not like that though, at this point I'm beginning to think that it's just the leo aging... if we look at Mike's leos it would appear that all the older and larger ones have imperfect / eclipsed spots. I assume they all started with round spots when small.

But can anyone confirm if a leo is bit or injured, that location would heal with black flesh? So if, for example, the bite is on a white spot then when it heals back it would basically ruin the circle.

 

[Big Daves Rays]

When stressed the spots can move or blur.. its is a sign of bad stress from either water chemistry or another fish/ray stressing it. I believe the color of the spots is from diet/environment in the wild. Most leos in captivity came into the country with yellow spots and within a year have white spots.

I have seen plenty of Leopoldi that are not BD which that have perfect huge white spots. In my opinion BD is a lil over played its a locale of leopoldi that just happen to have nice patterns. If someone can prove that all fish from the sao paulo look alike than it should be called leopoldi "Sao Paulo" No need for fancy names.

agreed.

 

[Big Daves Rays]

Thanks guys. I have seen the "blurriness" that you mention when the leo is stressed out. The best way to describe it is as if you're looking at the leo without your glasses, and you have really bad eyes. Most of the newly acquired ones in the shops are that way. It'll take a few weeks to a month to settle in. Mine's not like that though, at this point I'm beginning to think that it's just the leo aging... if we look at Mike's leos it would appear that all the older and larger ones have imperfect / eclipsed spots. I assume they all started with round spots when small.

But can anyone confirm if a leo is bit or injured, that location would heal with black flesh? So if, for example, the bite is on a white spot then when it heals back it would basically ruin the circle.

all my rays that have received damage in a "spot" or "patterned" area have healed. the skin grows back, but the pattern or spots are never the same.

 

[RARE AFISHINADO]

Mike Started acquiring rays as they were becoming harder to find and he did not have the luxory of cherry picking perfect specimens in the beginning for his breeding stock so some of the big breeders have not so symetrical spots etc..That doesnt mean all adult leos will have patterns that deteriorate over time. Also the longer a ray lives the bigger the possibility that the spots can be damaged from other rays/fish. Rays are aggressive when breeding and in most cases damage will occur. I dont want to offend anyone for speaking for Mike. I dont blame/fault him at the time I would of bought every leo that came my way as well if I was starting a breeding project. As of late he has gotten many AAA qualoty leos rays to add to his breeding program so it more than makes up for it. The Eclipsed spots can occur 2 ways...They can be born with some eclipsed spots (mike posted a pic of a pup with hollow spots recently) or most of the time the spots hollow out as the animals mature. I also have been told from an experienced diver/fish collector/explorer that there is a certain region where all the leopoldi have these hollow spots. He referred to them as onion ring leopoldi so it may be a locale thing as well.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

 

[Tom500]

pics?

 

[RARE AFISHINADO]

Karma... I didnt post any inflammatory remarks smiles etc dont instigate.. Your a mod.. I wasnt bashing Mikes rays and I even complimented his new acquisitions.....