Missing bristlenose catfish

[Fishless cycle]

I haven't seen my bristlenose catfish for a week now. The lfs said he's probably hiding but then someone else said he could have got stuck somewhere. I've searched everywhere in my 180 litre. Would any of my fish have eaten him?:

Neon tetra
Dwarf neon rainbow fish
Guppies
Bumblebee gobies
Harlequin rasbora
Danios

He was only young - I'm gutted. I put down courgette for him which he used to love but no sign of him. Could it be the courgette that killed him... I just get the one from the supermarket - should I have bought organic?

Any ideas? Could he be hidden somewhere or is it more likely he's died?

 

[Ian086]

I highly doubt any of your fish would have eaten him. That have a pretty hard body, so are pretty tough to eat, especially for your type of stock.
It is possible he got stuck but you would notice that??. I would say it's very likely that he's just hiding. My BN hid during the day and I only really saw him in the morning. They are great at hiding!!!

 

[Fishless cycle]

I highly doubt any of your fish would have eaten him. That have a pretty hard body, so are pretty tough to eat, especially for your type of stock.
It is possible he got stuck but you would notice that??. I would say it's very likely that he's just hiding. My BN hid during the day and I only really saw him in the morning. They are great at hiding!!!

I really hope he is still alive but he used to be pretty bold and was usually stuck to the glass somewhere or on one of the plants. I'll have another look tomorrow morning incase I've missed somewhere. It's just odd that he used to be out all day and suddenly he's hidden. I really hope he's okay. He hasn't eaten any veg for a week now but I guess they can survive on bog wood? Did your BN ever go into hiding for days?

 

[Ian086]

Is there many hiding places in your tank??. My fella was fully grown when I got him, so he struggled to hide completely in my 55g but he used to hide in the coconut shell. Unfortunately he died 2 wks ago.

 

[Fishless cycle]

Is there many hiding places in your tank??. My fella was fully grown when I got him, so he struggled to hide completely in my 55g but he used to hide in the coconut shell. Unfortunately he died 2 wks ago.

Oh no sorry to hear he died.
There is a coconut shell but its full of leaves and stuff. I could check in there. Why would he be hiding... would he be unhappy or sick?

 

[Ian086]

Oh no sorry to hear he died.
There is a coconut shell but its full of leaves and stuff. I could check in there. Why would he be hiding... would he be unhappy or sick?

He could well be in there so. To be honest, i'm no expert on them, so I can't really answer that one but it could be a case of him wanting to feel secure. Is your water parms ok??.....

 

[Fishless cycle]

He could well be in there so. To be honest, i'm no expert on them, so I can't really answer that one but it could be a case of him wanting to feel secure. Is your water parms ok??.....

You have helped already - I'm going to have another search tomorrow. Yes... ammo, nitrite and nitrate are all zero. Hardness is 8.5kH and ph is around 7.4 which is normal for this area and where I bought him from so he should be used to it.

 

[Ian086]

You have helped already - I'm going to have another search tomorrow. Yes... ammo, nitrite and nitrate are all zero. Hardness is 8.5kH and ph is around 7.4 which is normal for this area and where I bought him from so he should be used to it.

That sounds perfect to me. Hopefully it's just that he's hiding. Good luck searching....haha. Keep us updated!!!

 

[ddodad]

I was just going through the same thing my pleco was not seen for over 2 weeks (in heavily planted 70gallon) I tried everything cucumber, spinach, zucchini,.... No luck just fattened up my oto cats. Just as I was about to give up, I found him fat and healthy stuck to the glass eating