Bristlenose Destroying Wood

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

ReMz

Fish Herder
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
1,381
Reaction score
12
Location
US
Whelp. This is a new one for me. I have never owned a Bristlnose. He (she?) Was introduced to a 2 month old (cycled it with old filter media) tank after I intentionally let the algae get a bit wild. Even had a bit of a bacteria bloom going on that I just left alone.

Bristlenose didn't really touch much of the algae the first week. Grazed on the algae wafers I put in for him and the Cories. After 2 weeks I said forget it, and put 3 Otos in the tank. They cleared up everything in 48 hours lol. Love those little guys.

After a month, he is swimming around ruling the tank with an iron fist. Very aggressive. Started ripping up my driftwood. He has almost skinned all of a very large piece of driftwood. There are frays over a foot in length hanging off. He is a menace! I put 2-3 algae wafers in every other day. Heavily planted tank. Zero algae. Is it normal in any way for a Bristlenose to massacre driftwood like this so fast? Any tips?

Edit: To clarify, he has already left flat spots on the wood a couple inches in diameter where he has been feasting.
 
All algae eating fish need fibre in their diet to help digestion. Driftwood is a normal part of their diet and they must have access to it at all times. Try offering raw or cooked fruits and veges and see if it eats them. Commonly used foods include cucumber, zucchini, broccoli, carrot, pumpkin.
Do not feed potatoes or onions or onion relatives (spring onions, shallots, leeks) because they can cause problems to the water.
Make sure any food you offer is clean and free of chemicals pesticides. Remove uneaten food after a few hours.
 
All algae eating fish need fibre in their diet to help digestion. Driftwood is a normal part of their diet and they must have access to it at all times. Try offering raw or cooked fruits and veges and see if it eats them. Commonly used foods include cucumber, zucchini, broccoli, carrot, pumpkin.
Do not feed potatoes or onions or onion relatives (spring onions, shallots, leeks) because they can cause problems to the water.
Make sure any food you offer is clean and free of chemicals pesticides. Remove uneaten food after a few hours.
Ahhhhhh yeah. Wasn't even thinking about the veggies, as my sailfin pleco I had a couple years ago didn't touch it.

Good advice, my friend. I'll see if giving him another fibrous option calms down the wood eating a bit. I am used to plecos grazing on wood. I am just not used to one being a wood chipper. Good to see you are still around these forums. I haven't been here for several years.
 
Gosh! My bn has had the same piece of wood in the tank for two years. You may be replacing yours every few months. Better start a wood pile. Lol!
 
Gosh! My bn has had the same piece of wood in the tank for two years. You may be replacing yours every few months. Better start a wood pile. Lol!
Lol! At the rate he is going this big piece of driftwood is going to be a twig in a matter of months.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Members online

Back
Top