Bristlenose Pleco Won't Eat...

[Interloper]

Tittle says it all...I have had for about a month I feed him zucchini daily, he is like maybe 3 inches nose to tip...I put him in a relatively new tank and I guess that was a bad idea (lfs said so)...but there has been plenty of algae for him to eat as of late...but he doesn't go for it...I have used wafers since I got him but he only seemed to like the zucchini...

Anyways he looks like thin...somewhat sucked in on the sides...and he hasnt really grown at all since I got him...

Main reason I'm posting is that I found him this morning (it looked like he was stuck to the intake of my filter in a weird way, his mouth wasn't on the glass or the filter) and I just hope he isn't sick...

I grabbed the net and opened the tank expecting to grab a dead fishy but he swam away...is it possible he was sleeping? Heh

 

[Interloper]

The reason I don't think he is eating is just cause I'll only see him on the zucchini for a short period of time...not moving...but that's been normal since I got him...I'm just worried that I'm like slowly starving him to death...


This is all from my phone heh so I'm sorry for horrible grammar...

 

[Interloper]

I know they are nocturnal feeders...it still freaks me out tho heh...I don't want the lil fella to die..

Water is fine...zeros on everything almost and I have wood in there for him too...

 

[LogansMomma]

My bristlenose acts kindof the same way. See him maybe once a day usually after 10pm. I feed him one disk a day and sometimes catch him rasping on my driftwood and other things in the tank. I've had him about 3 months and he's still very shy. Might just be the norm for the species. When he's not rasping on things he's just chilling....like urs. If u have plenty of caves and what not I wouldn't worry to much about it. Also try only having ur tank lights on for a few hours each day. How are ur parameters?

 

[LogansMomma]

Ammonia should be under. 25
Nitrites 0
nitrates under 40.

also if ur adding aquarium salt for other fish do it sparingly bc plecos don't like it.

 

[Batt4Christ]

Ammonia should be under. 25
Nitrites 0
nitrates under 40.

also if ur adding aquarium salt for other fish do it sparingly bc plecos don't like it.

Better for ammonia to be ZERO!

 

[tarpon]

My bn always had a veracious appetite and would immediately pig out on food. Maybe try feeding some shrimp pellets as they do need a little bit of protein in their diet. (Source: Read online from breeders)
Mine enjoyed the shrimp pellets.
Also try to keep up the water changes if your getting readings on ammonia and nitrite so you keep his stress level down

 

[Interloper]

Pretty sure he won't make it through the night...water is fine, zeros but nitrates are prolly at 10-20...

I went in to feed him tonight a zuchinni and he didn't move so I thought he was dead, went in with the net and he like swam up the side like two inches and fell over on his back...so I dunno, maybe I'm just paranoid and he was sleeping but he has been acting too weird for me to be very optimistic

 

[LogansMomma]

Better for ammonia to be ZERO!

Yes but under. 25 is not deadly. Dangerous. Not deadly. Exclamation mark!

 

[LogansMomma]

I hope ur bn makes it! Sorry to hear that. do you have a quarantine tank? He might be suffering from some internal parasites and need to be treated with some antibiotics ASAP.

 

[Interloper]

I do not have a quarantine tank I keep checking the rank and he is moving around a little...he managed to turn right side up now

 

[LogansMomma]

That stinks.... I would look into getting some Antibiotics for him anyways..... How big is ur tank? Hope it's not to big :/ ur going to have to treat the whole tank.

Also I know this is kinda gross but what does his poo look like? Lol.

 

[jetajockey]

How did he look when you bought him? Sometimes BN plecos can be hit and miss coming from the store depending on how they were raised. I ordered a large group of albino longfins once that all died in a similar way. From that point on I always made sure that the ones I purchased have nice rounded bellies and have not had a problem since. A pleco breeder once told me that some of the farms just feed them with canned green beans so some fish will get to where that's all they will eat. I have not tried it but who knows.

 

[tarpon]

How did he look when you bought him? Sometimes BN plecos can be hit and miss coming from the store depending on how they were raised. I ordered a large group of albino longfins once that all died in a similar way. From that point on I always made sure that the ones I purchased have nice rounded bellies and have not had a problem since. A pleco breeder once told me that some of the farms just feed them with canned green beans so some fish will get to where that's all they will eat. I have not tried it but who knows.

I also read the canned green bean things on another article on how to breed them. Maybe try that?