Bristlenose Pleco

[Corleone]

Not necessarily, especially if it's a relatively low-level, long-term problem. The fish that are in the water will have adapted to the conditions and only be stressed by them, while fish introduced into them will be hurt far worse and may die quite quickly.

At least get a nitrite kit ASAP - ammonia and nitrite are the most critical water stats to monitor, and the most likely to give an indication if things go wrong.

 

[Ally555]

I'll try to get a nitrite test kit soon. The ammonia was at 0 and ph was 7 (thats what I normally keep it at).

 

[Ally555]

Hello
I haven't been on here for about a month now because my computer got loads of virus' and then we had to take it to a computer place to get it all fixed, but it's good now.
I just wanted to say that after thinking about my last pleco and deciding if I should get another one, I did decide to buy a new one and i have had him or her for 3 weeks now. It is the same size as my last one but this one hasn't died yet (which I hope is a good size because I only had my last one for about 5 days or so). It seems happy enough as I have a small piece of driftwood with a plant growing on it and it spends a bit of his time sucking on that. There is a fair amount of green algae in the tank so if it is ever hungry it can have that. I feed it cucumber and some times frozen peas, but I'm not sure if it eats the peas.
If there is anything I am doing wrong then please write back and tell me.
Bye

Opps.
On my last post the part in the bracket is meant to say 'sign' not 'size'.
Sorry!

 

[Keithoms]

Feed them cucumber

 

[Ally555]

Yeah, I do feed it cucumber.
Also I saw it eating peas yesterday so it does eat them a bit.

 

[Syphoniera]

Mine eats only the green florets from broccoli, not the stalks, which may be because she's young - she loves mushy cooked Brussel Sprouts and asparagus, but it can also take plecs a while to notice food, never mind realize that it IS food, so best off trying new foods several times, and leaving vegetables in overnight if at all possible.
If you're like me, you'll be up all night worrying about the potential for ammonia production, and are therefore quite likely to notice if your Bristlenose actually eats any, lol.
They seem more likely to eat Spirulina wafers than a more meat-based food, although they do need variety - and good on you for supplying the wood the little guy needs for digestion.

Ally55, you spoke of 'keeping' your PH at a particular level - do you chemically adjust your PH?
This apparently can result in PH swings which can stress and even kill fish - and I'm wondering if anything like that might have been a factor in the loss of your first little plec?

 

[Ally555]

Thanks for the suggestions of food.
I used to use small amounts of ph up or down when needed, but my tank usually stays at 7 so I haven't used it for a while now. When my last bristlenose died I hadn't used it for quite a while.

 

[Madhousedavy]

wait so if i put any of thhe forementioned vegetables in my tank overnight it would be ok and would not affect my water? and would the peas need the shell/skin taken off or left on?

 

[Syphoniera]

wait so if i put any of thhe forementioned vegetables in my tank overnight it would be ok and would not affect my water? and would the peas need the shell/skin taken off or left on?

Hi, Madhousedavy,
Any non-living vegetable matter can affect your water quality - but plecs often feed at night, and may take a while to develop a taste for different foods.
So people do leave veg. in overnight in some cases, but with caution.
It doesn't hurt to plan fresh veggy feeds the night before a waterchange, especially if potentially messy foods are to be given.
Peas aren't so bad, and any remains are easily picked out, if they can be found in the jungle.
The peas do need to be skinned and I always squash them in my fingers - plecs seem to like mushy food, the consistency of the algae they've developed to eat.
Frozen baby peas seem to be nice and soft, while the (adult, lol) peas we've been getting lately seem pretty rubbery, and I may start cooking them for fish feeds, although I prefer not to as that destroys nutrients.

 

[Ally555]

I take the shells off the peas and break them into smallish pieces. I have never tried feeding my fish the florets of broccoli, but might sometime.