Borneo Sucker Hiding Behind Filter

[emboli]

I was wondering if anyone has experience with hillside suckers or Borneo suckers?
I got mine yesterday, and since i put him in the tank he changed into a nice brown reticulated color.
But since, he has found a hidey spot behind the filter and has not moved since.

When i turned the lights off i put out an algae wafer for him but he doesnt bother moving out.

Will he eventually come out?

 

[bristlenoseitplecoman]

I have a Bristlenose pleco but when I got him at first he was also shy but he eventually came out and ate. I wouldn't worry.

 

[Squidward]

It is still new to your tank. Give it a few days and I am sure it will settle down.

 

[emboli]

I sure hope so that thing is super shy. its the second day now and he is still sitting behind the filter.
I wonder if he will ever come out and eat

 

[bristlenoseitplecoman]

He is probably getting food off the wall, or coming down at night to eat like my sucker. do you have any caves for him?

 

[emboli]

I got some driftwood caves for him which he has now discovered and is spending time in.
I will be making a makeshift bottle cave using a small cylinder as well.
This morning i am happy to say i woke up and found him swimming around exploring.
He latched himself to a rock so i dropped an algae wafer near him.
He spent a good 10 minutes on that wafer munching away. Now he looks more sociable but is still shy.
Thank for all your help =)

 

[emboli]

as a gesture of thanks ill add his video below.
This was him this morning.

Ive done the following things to make things more comfortable for him

1. Jetstream of bubbles blowing towards his favorite spot.
2. increased oxygenation.
3. reduced temperature to his comfortable range.
4. more rocks

here is the video

 

[Baccus]

I have 6 Borneo's and most times I can only find 3 at any given time, but they have plenty of places that they like hanging out that are behind clumps of weed and stuff. If you wanted to you could try putting a largish smooth stone in some water out in the sun until the stone gets a nice green algea growth on it, when you put the now green rock in your tank the Borneo Sucker should find it and have a field day munching all over the rock. I always find in interesting when I do a partial water change seeing all the little mouth scrape marks on the glass from where the Borneo Suckers havign been feeding. They are also supposed to be a pretty social fish so if you can (size of tank and availability) you could add more and then they should get more active and braver around the tank.

Just on a side note try to correctly identify exactly which type of Borneo Sucker (there are quite a few types) that you have as not all of them need or like really fast/ heavy water flows and not all of them need super cool temps. A good site I found to help with the identification is this one http/www.loaches.com/species-index/species-index/?searchterm=Borneo Sucker fish

Good luck with the little guy they are great fish and sun to watch scuttling around the tank.

 

[STEWARDSONS]

i have one of these in my tank and he has been there for 4 months, im a bit concerened as he hasnt grown at all in that time. the bristlenose i got at the same time has grown loads but he hasnt at all.

are the slow growers?

 

[emboli]

i have one of these in my tank and he has been there for 4 months, im a bit concerened as he hasnt grown at all in that time. the bristlenose i got at the same time has grown loads but he hasnt at all.

are the slow growers?

He looks most like this one
http/www.loaches.com/species-index/gastromyzon-stellatus


Yes they are slow growers and do not get very large from what ive read.
My little fellow is so active now and has taken quite a liking to algae wafers.
I put a few more tiny pieces in this afternoon and he has found them very easily.

At the moment he is scuttling around on his favorite stone.

Ive put some stones out in the sun for now to grow some algae. Cannot wait to give him the prezzie in a couple of days