a couple BN Pleco questions

[SeymourFRESH]

i am wondering, is there anything else i should feed my bristlenose plecos besides zuchinni?

also, how fast do they grow? i have a baby one that's about 1.25" or so. it keeps getting into my filter in my big tank, so i have it in QT for now...i'm hoping i don't have to keep it there forever

 

[Jchillin]

You can feed any types of squash (cucumbers, butternut, etc) along with broccoli (just the stalks, not the rosettes).

I have four in my 75 gal. One of them is a complete runt which is normal for the species. He is almost a year old and is the same size as yours. Their rate of growth is a mystery. How he manages to survive in the tank is a mystery but I do see him from time to time snacking around leaves of plants. He's never managed to entangle himself in my intake.

 

[SeymourFRESH]

hmmm alright. maybe i should just figure out a way to keep it from getting into my filter if i put him back in the 92 gallon. the only thing is i'm not too sure how he gets in there. the only way i can think of is it either jumps above the water line and over the divider and ends up getting sucked into the filter, OR when the water level to momentarily rises when i do a water change it gets swept up over the top of it. you can see what i'm talking about in this picture, it's the black wall that seperates those pipes from the tank:

he's gotten back there and sucked down into the filter below my tank 2 times, 2 days in a row. i really want to put him back in this tank so i can free up my QT tank. heh

 

[Jchillin]

The answer to your question is obvious and you will be surprised. He walked in there. Or, he sucked his way up and over the rim.

I didn't realize you had created a nice channel, that looks really cool. I can't think of any method to prevent him from getting back in there that would not harm him.

 

[plecoperson]

Could you make a lid for that corner w/fairly rigid plastic mesh with cutouts for the tubing? Plastic canvas used in needlework might work ok, and is easy to cut. Little buggar; I have a teeny one too, but he's managed to stay out of trouble thus far.

 

[SeymourFRESH]

well, i already have a lid, but it's not really helping in that situation. if it gets back there, i actually NEED it to get sucked into the intake and down to the filter, otherwise there's no way i could get him out


what i'm thinking of doing now is moving him to my 55 gallon. the only reason i'm not sure about it is because i have synodontis cats in there, and i've heard they don't get along with plecos

what do you guys think of that?

 

[joannde]

Could you stuff some filter fiber into the top of it ? Just enough to keep his little nosy sell from climbing in again ?

 

[JustOneMore20]

If you are not already feeding them, algae wafers are a good addition to the veggies. Mine loves his algae wafers.

 

[SeymourFRESH]

i could try putting some sort of sponge or filter media up between the lid and the barrier, but i'm kind of skeptical of how well it would work

if anything i'd almost rather put him in my 55 gallon until he gets bigger. i doubt he would get in the way on my featherfin syno cats too much, considering he's only half their size.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

A nice piece of driftwood to eat is a very good choice for a BN.