queen arabesque needs your help!!!!

[peety pleco]

i recently purchased this pleco (purchase date 02.24.05). at the petstore he was in a 10gallon and looked stressed but not too bad. i noticed some of his bristells were missing, and asked the store owner to move him around so i could see how it looked. when he jostelled this fish it seemed really energetic and lively. well i decided to go ahead and purchase even with the damage on the side of his face. but in all the excitement i forget to check for hollow belly. well i get him home and sure enough, hollow belly. his breathing seems rather labored, almost panting like a dog. he doesnt move much at all and his mouth seems to droop a bit aswell.

i imediately supplied some food to the area he seems to like hanging out. he did eat shortly after i put him in the tank. although he would only eat if the food got right under his mouth, he would not activly search for the food(hikari bloodworm and omega freshwater flake). well its 2 days later now and i fed some more blood worm to his general area and he seemed to eat more this time and search out the food a bit more.

so my question is, what are his chances of survival do yall think? and what else should i do to help him recover?


tank stats:

-55gallon tank
-peguin emporer filter
-millenium 3000 filter
-temp 78F

thank you so much, and i can take more photos if needed.

 

[plecoguy]

sadly...once there is a sunken belly, chance are your fish will die. i would take him back to the petstore.

 

[SMSBrunetteGirl]

Aww he`s adorable,those plecos grow to be 2 feet tall though

 

[Mr Miagi]

Aww he`s adorable,those plecos grow to be 2 feet tall though

2 FEET TALL.....i wonder how many feet long they grow.......just kiddin. hehehe

Just wait it out and see.

 

[peety pleco]

ok...well thanks for that....lol


i'm actually under the impression that the queen only gets 4-6 inches.


anywho, lets save its life before we take bets on how long it'll get

 

[bunjiweb]

You'd be right. Queen Arabesque plecs rarely grow above 6".

Ben

 

[WILDER]

That plec is in a bad way remove it from the tank, the sunken belly is a sign of internal parasites.and medicate with an internal parasite med.

 

[reg2k2]

pic1: I agree it's very good he's still eating. Yes, could be indicative of internal parasites. Poo look normal?

pic 2: Looks like an ulcer, in pic 3, infected w/ fungus. I would add Melafix to help close the wound, and hopefully the fungus will be eradicated as well.


Gorgeous fish....good luck.

 

[wuvmybetta]

Aww he`s adorable,those plecos grow to be 2 feet tall though

Please don't state something as fact when you're not certain.

On top of the already suggested treatments I would advise that you keep the water pristine while he heals. He's a beautiful fish,I wish you the best.