Bristlenose pleco

[Homedog98]

Hmmm... I definitely like the idea of the bolivians, especially since I'm better with hardy fish, so I think I'll go with them. I like yours too though, I just feel like the rams would be a better fit for my tank. Thanks for the offer though!

 

[toddnbecka]

Homedog was actually looking at German Blue Rams and I suggested the Bolivian Ram. The Bolivian Ram is a little easier to care for. Not nearly as sensitive as the German Rams.
But yours are really nice looking Cichlids. Where are they from originally?
My male Red Zebra has killed off almost all my female Cichlids. So, I'm going to try and give him back to the FS, then replace the lost female Cichlids.
Yours look more like the Cichlids from Central and South America, than the ones I've seen from Africa.
But if they are from Africa, lake Malawi specifically, I would definitely be interested in getting several females from you. After I find a new home for my little killer that is.

The oblongum are SA, originally from Uruguay, but not lately. Some were imported years ago, but since then nobody seems to be able to find them in the wild. All the oblongum currently available have been aquarium-bred through multiple generations, and are rare in the hobby.
I've kept the adult pair with Africans from Malawi (Hap's and peacocks) and even a Victorian ruby green w/out any issues among them. They're currently in a 75 with severums, Gymnogeophagus (also from Uruguay), polka-dot botias and pleco's,
Since winter temps in Uruguay go into the 50's they don't need a heated tank, but don't seem to mind warmer water either.

 

[WendiDell]

Hmmm... I definitely like the idea of the Bolivians, especially since I'm better with hardy fish, so I think I'll go with them. I like yours too though, I just feel like the rams would be a better fit for my tank. Thanks for the offer though!

I'm glad you liked the Bolivian Rams. I've had both in the past, before my Cichlid addition and the Bolivians are by far hardier. And they are still quite beautiful and have lots of color for your tank. Plus they grow larger than the German Rams, easier to keep track of.
Even though I'm a fish addict now. It's still a hobby and I have a 10 year old Grandson with Aspergers Syndrome to raise. I don't want to kill any fish because of lack of attention. So I'm much better off with sturdy fish and the fish are better off that way too.
Here are a few pics. of perfect Bolivians in all their color.

 

[Homedog98]

Ya, I'm definitely getting one of those. And I was wondering... Every time I go to my LFS, my mom loves to look at the guppies. Is there any way I could add a few? She's been with me through this whole thing, and I feel like I need to repay her some how.

 

[WendiDell]

Ya, I'm definitely getting one of those. And I was wondering... Every time I go to my LFS, my mom loves to look at the guppies. Is there any way I could add a few? She's been with me through this whole thing, and I feel like I need to repay her some how.

The biggest problem with guppies is that they breed like rabbits. You start with 5 and a month later you could have 100. But it couldn't hurt to get a few fancy Guppies and see what happens.
Or, you could pick up a 5g kit tank for your Mom and cycle it for her. Put a few fancy Guppies in it for Mother's Day. And as an everyday gift for going with you on all this, you could do the maintenance on her tank when you do yours.
Just a thought.

 

[Homedog98]

Ya. That could work. But that sparked another idea. What if I got two,(figure out how to sex them) and then I could bring the surviving fry back to the store, (and maybe make a buck or two). and I don't think my mom really wants her own tank, she really just likes to sit there and enjoy mine. But if they did breed that much, I could make a new ten gallon tank and put it in the kitchen for her! That way I could get another Cory or two, since they like schools.

 

[WendiDell]

Ya. That could work. But that sparked another idea. What if I got two,(figure out how to sex them) and then I could bring the surviving fry back to the store, (and maybe make a buck or two). and I don't think my mom really wants her own tank, she really just likes to sit there and enjoy mine. But if they did breed that much, I could make a new ten gallon tank and put it in the kitchen for her! That way I could get another Cory or two, since they like schools.

Sounds good to me.
No one around here wants their own tank either. They just want to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I do all the planning, decorating, stocking and maintenance. Then the rest of the family just sits around and watch the fish swim. It would be anoying, but they also sit there and tell me what a great job I did and how great my tanks look. It's good for my ego, I'll admit.
No one really knows how much goes into this, unless they have fish too.

 

[Homedog98]

Ya, and my mom kind if had a bad experience with fish keeping when she was little. She didn't know about cycling so she never could keep one alive.

 

[WendiDell]

Ya, and my mom kind if had a bad experience with fish keeping when she was little. She didn't know about cycling so she never could keep one alive.

I'm not surprised, no one ever mentions it when you buy a new tank set up. You see it all the time, some poor little kid smiling like crazy holding their new fish and Mom or Dad have the new tank in the cart. It's not like you can tell them to ,please put the fish back and break your kids heart, but just for now. It just doesn't work out well.
If you catch them before they have picked out the fish you can head them off from disaster. But if fish are in hand it's to late.
I was lucky when I first started out, I had really tough fish. So they survived all my noobie mistakes. No one ever mentioned cycling to me, until I found a great privately owned pet shop that specializes in exotic animals and fish.
They are great, in fact they are taking my killer Red Zebra back, even though he's an adult now. Not to many places will do that.
This can be a very disappointing hobby, if you don't get the right info. from the beginning.
But you should do just fine. Your smart and asking all the right questions from the beginning. AA is a great place for every level of Aquarist

 

[Homedog98]

Ya, my mom had one angelfish that lived for years!(no clue how big the tank was) and a goldfish that lived in a bowl the whole time she was in college. But she's never been good with Tropical fish other then the angelfish.

 

[WendiDell]

Ya, my mom had one angelfish that lived for years!(no clue how big the tank was) and a goldfish that lived in a bowl the whole time she was in college. But she's never been good with Tropical fish other then the angelfish.

WOW, Angel fish aren't all that easy to keep. She must have done something right or not done something wrong. She should be proud of herself for being able to keep an Angle fish alive.
And I don't really know anything about goldfish. And not to offend those that love their goldfish, but they never interested me.
My entire fish addiction started when I was given a Common Pleco by a lab that took blood from me. Before that I never really thought about having a house full of Aquariums. OOPS! maybe if I thought first, before I took the 8" Pleco, I wouldn't have 4 Aquariums.

 

[Homedog98]

ya. I'm not even sure if it was a freshwater angel! My mom lived in savannah Georgia all her life, so I dunno.

 

[WendiDell]

A bit far from me, here in Oregon. But I was in Georgia once when I was 14, on family vacation. All I remember about it, was that it had some beautiful countryside. And the few people I met along the way were quite nice.
But that was more that a few years ago, 38 I think.

 

[Homedog98]

Oh cool! Ya it's a cool place, and I was curious, what's the difference between a starlight bristle nose pleco and a bristle nose pleco?