New gold nugget pleco (L018)

[Blinky]

I sure hope this little guy makes it, he's got a great personality, so incredibly brave
This morning, he's hanging on the internal filter, near the nozzle. I'm not sure if he's looking for the spot in the tank with the most or least current, but he seems happy there. Unfortunately, the chunk of algae wafer is still there, but I'll try out some other foods tonight.

 

[Haggisman]

I have both a gold nugget(L177) and mango in my 40gal semi planted tank and they actually dont produce much waste compared to larger pl*co types(plus they are very slow growers).They both eat about as much veggies as they do meaty foods although both would only eat zuchini when first introduced(you may want to try this), neither eat my plants.As long as its belly is not hollow and its eyes are not sunken you should be ok.If its eating algae and wood then theres nothing wrong with its appitite, remember these are wild caught fish and dont know what a food pellet is, have you tried feeding it frozen bloodworm?Also many fancy pl*cos die as soon after they are added to the tank(even if they are eating)as they are full of worms and when in the lfs/being transported they dont trend to feed as they are stressed and the worms basically multiply while the fish is in a weakened state.Its a good idea to quarentine them and treat with a worming med(I actually have a wormer thats supposed to be for cattle but it works wonders with fish in the correct dose).

 

[Blinky]

Thanks Haggisman
His belly is quite hollow, but I still have hope since he was eating algae and wood. Now he's hanging out on the internal filter and doesn't seem to want to move. His eyes aren't sunken, he actually looks quite healthy other than the skinny tummy.
Normally I don't medicate fish unless they show definite signs of disease, but I made the decision this morning to treat him with Metronidazole, since many imported fish come with parasites. I've read that many discus breeders treat new fish with Metro as a preventative measure even if they show no signs of illness, since it's effective but mild.
I did try zuchinni, also freeze-dried shrimp, daphnia (paste), algae wafers, bottom feeder wafers, flakes... he's not interested. I'll try zuchinni again today, hopefully he'll get the hang of it soon.

 

[TONO]

If his eyes ar suken the plec has reached the point of no return.

 

[Blinky]

Um... I did say his eyes aren't sunken from what I can see.
He doesn't look 'past the point of no return', but I guess it is possible he just won't adjust and start eating.

 

[Swimfins]

Goodluck Blinky. Haggisman, I love the mango plecs. Last I saw them they were squabbling over zuchini bits. I'm going back to have another peek at how they're doing on Friday. I don't like to buy unless the store has had them awhile.

I say leave a nice slice of zuchini and wait til morning. I sure am hoping he'll be ok.

 

[Swimfins]

Blinky

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gnugget.html

Here's a link on the gold nugget, from what they say he's not an easy keeper.

 

[Blinky]

Just another update...
I feel like I'm losing my mind, this poor little fish doesn't seem to get it. He was looking more enthusiastic last night after lights out, so I dropped a few pellets in. One landed right under his nose. I held my breath, he sniffed at it, thought about it, sniffed more enthusiastically, and then it rolled off the driftwood and he forgot about it. Argh! It's so frustrating - I know if he just tastes one piece, he'll figure it out.

 

[Swimfins]

try regular catfish tabs..perhaps

I was bad. Bad. very bad.
I just got home from my LFS.
Yup This is your fault Blinky.

scroll down........

Here he is Royal pleco. L190. A beauty. (he was flasely labelled as l191 but he's an l190)

He was labelled as l191 (dul eyed royal plec) but he's not. He's a real Royal Pleco. Hard to come by I think.
I thought he looked better than the newer mangos, and he had been in the store for "a few weeks" so I know he is prolly good. Here's a pic.
I put him in with my betta and clouds for now. I will move him to the 66g tank in a week or so.
His colors are more vivid than this pic displays.

 

[Blinky]

Sweet! Gorgeous fish, I don't think you were bad at all! I was at a LFS earlier today, saw some Royals, they're really appealing fish - I can totally understand why you came home with one
I nearly bought a black and white striped Pecolita, they had thin and thicker striped types, they were just beautiful. I would have brought one home, but I'd have nowhere else to put him other than in the QT with the gold nugget, and I don't want the nugget to have to compete for territory or food, or risk him getting an infection from another fish.
The little guy seems to be perking up, he's more active and working very hard on cleaning the wood and polyresin decoration ATM. He's pooping, so at least I know he's eating something, even if it's only algae. I'm treating with both Metronidazole and MelaFix - he has a lighter patch near his dorsal fin, I'm afraid he may have started to develop a bacterial infection, so I'd like to nip it in the bud with MelaFix and water changes, before it can take hold. The Metro should help if he's got internal parasites.
I absolutely love his personality, I sure hope he keeps getting better *fingers crossed*.