Will my plecos be ok with no eyes? (Pics inside)

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terd ferguson

terd ferguson

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Aug 6, 2007
1,659
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Concord, NC
The bully of my tank, a female kenyi, has butchered my plecos (even though the plecos is larger). He started by picking at his fins. Then, a couple of mornings ago, no more eyes.:eek:

The plecos seems to be fine and none the worse for wear, but I don't know if he'll make it. No signs of infection so far. What do you guys think? Will he be ok blind? How long before the plecos is out of the woods concerning an infection?

The victim. Notice anything missing?...
DSCF0868.jpg


The culprit with a "who, me?" look...
DSCF0873.jpg


Thanks for this great forum and thanks in advance for any and all help and/or suggestions.:)
 
WyldFya;1044277; said:
He can live without his eyes, but if you leave him where he is, he will die.
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Thanks for the reply. I'm trying to work something out to get him in another tank. Thanks again.:)
 
yeah definately get him a new tank. African cichlids and south american catfish dont mix well, even the well armored loricaridae family. The cichlids seem to enjoy removing their eyes for them. Sorry it happened to you.
 
Did you have to wait till he had no eyes before you decided to do something about the situation...:irked:

Look at his dorsal fin, or lack of... should of done something then... not now.

Try and be proactive not reactive

Get the poor thing out of the tank already! or better yet ditch the african cichlid that i doubt your tank is setup for.

Welcome to the site, lucky your new cause i may not have been so easy on ya ;)
 
Aussienative;1045761; said:
Did you have to wait till he had no eyes before you decided to do something about the situation...:irked:

Look at his dorsal fin, or lack of... should of done something then... not now.

Try and be proactive not reactive

Get the poor thing out of the tank already! or better yet ditch the african cichlid that i doubt your tank is setup for.

Welcome to the site, lucky your new cause i may not have been so easy on ya ;)
Click to expand...

Take it easy, it was only two days after the first sign of trouble that his eyes went missing. It's not like I left him in there knowing he was going to get mutilated. One day he was fine, the next day his fins were torn up, and the next day he had no eyes. :eek: They were compatable enough for two months. You live and learn. I'm searching for a more cichlid friendly scavenger (maybe a bristlenose pleco?). Any suggestions on that end?

The plecos should live a happy life in the 10 gallon I'm putting him in. The kenyi is going to be traded to my cichlid store. I only took him in from my sister-in-law because she was going to cull it (for too much chasing). I figured me giving him a shot was better than her flushing him. I gave it the old college try and it didn't work out.

And thanks for the welcome.;)
 
Sorry about your pleco!

If you want a good scavenger to go with African Cichlids, I would recommend one of the MANY African Synodontis Catfish over a pleco. They are more than aggressive enough to handle themselves with cichlids and they are fantastic scavengers. Go here.....http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/family.php?family_id=13......and pick one! I personally recommend S. multipunctatus, S. eupterus, S. angelicus,
S. decorus and/or S. ocellifer for starters. Good Luck!

Oh yeah, and welcome to MFK!
 
I had a bristlenose pleco live for years in my african tank with no eyes.
Africans can be rough on plecos, but other than the eyes my pleco did just fine.
I would take the pleco out though if I were you. With the ripped fins it's probably only a matter of time before it ends up dead.
 
terd ferguson;1045889; said:
Take it easy, it was only two days after the first sign of trouble that his eyes went missing. It's not like I left him in there knowing he was going to get mutilated. One day he was fine, the next day his fins were torn up, and the next day he had no eyes. :eek: They were compatable enough for two months. You live and learn. I'm searching for a more cichlid friendly scavenger (maybe a bristlenose pleco?). Any suggestions on that end?

The plecos should live a happy life in the 10 gallon I'm putting him in. The kenyi is going to be traded to my cichlid store. I only took him in from my sister-in-law because she was going to cull it (for too much chasing). I figured me giving him a shot was better than her flushing him. I gave it the old college try and it didn't work out.

And thanks for the welcome.;)
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I hate to keep saying negative things to you.. because we all have to learn and i know you meant the best with your situation.. but common pleco will not be in a 10gal tank..for life.. my common pleco is over a foot.. but he will enjoy the 10 gal for awhile because he will have peace.. and feel secure for awhile since he has no eyes.. but he will grow and need more room before long.. how big is he now??
 
jconley;1045939; said:
Sorry about your pleco!

If you want a good scavenger to go with African Cichlids, I would recommend one of the MANY African Synodontis Catfish over a pleco. They are more than aggressive enough to handle themselves with cichlids and they are fantastic scavengers. Go here.....http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/family.php?family_id=13......and pick one! I personally recommend S. multipunctatus, S. eupterus, S. angelicus,
S. decorus and/or S. ocellifer for starters. Good Luck!
Oh yeah, and welcome to MFK!
Click to expand...


I second S. eupterus

See it in cichlid tanks all the time, and they do great, nice looking cat when its an adult.
 
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