Companions

[cmarbles]

Hi. I'm a reluctant Fishy Mum because daughter wanted "new pets" last April and her Dad thought it would be a great idea to get a tank. Silly me thought "Well, it's up to them, they can deal with all that". Yeah right.

Anyway, today's question is how important is it that certain types of fish have a buddy? I ask this because our lovely Pebbles the Bristlenose Pleco was not behaving normally (sure it was physical as she started using air breathing and has continued to do so). Was honestly not expecting her to last as she didn't seem to be eating. Used bit of salt (v little as we know she's scaleless) and did lots of water changes. Last weekend husband and daughter went to fish shop and came back with a few more inhabitants, two of which gave birth overnight, and a different pleco (Fishy Mum stressed because bio load would exceed bacteria but was told "don't be ridiculous, did you see how many fish were in that tank at the fish shop" ) So after the obvious teensy nitrite spike (twice daily little water changes sorted it) noticed that new pleco and Pebbles were "hanging out" behind filter. Almost snuggled up together. Pebbles started being more active again, kind of followed new one around a bit. Now new one does his own thing on the driftwood but Pebbles is still moving around to different places and was definitely keeping tabs on the frozen prawn we put in last night. Is there any chance she was under the weather and feeling lonely? She still goes to surface for air (despite loads of surface movement etc) but I am now almost certain she has eaten some algae off tank and a bit of prawn. Sorry, know this is a bit of a ramble. I do that.

 

[Byron]

The issue with the original bristlenose Pebbles was not loneliness but probably something toxic in the water. The surfacing to breathe air is always a sign of water issues, except the few species that do this regularly as normal; I do not recall this particular loricariid being air breathing. Keep tabs on the water conditions (ammonia and nitrite especially, these must be zero), and surface disturbance to maintain a good gas exchange (oxygen in, CO2 out) at the surface. If ammonia or nitrite test above zero, post the numbers here, and do a water change--50-70% of the tank volume is fine, provided parameters which are GH, pH and temperature are reasonably the same in tank water and tap water. Use only a conditioner, no other additives.

Males are very territorial, so you are lucky not to have two males (from your description of their interactions, this seems unlikely). They must have real wood to graze, so make sure the tank has a chunk of bogwood. This can also be used for a cave, each fish will need its own cave. They are good for eating common algae, but they are omnivorous, though mainly herbivore (vegetarian). Prepared sinking foods (algae, spirulina, kelp-type wafers, disks, tablets), fresh vegetables (cucumber, zucchini, blanched spinach), frozen bloodworms and daphnia are good foods, and the prawn you have already tried.

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

what size tank do you have?? and what other fish are with the BNPs??

 

[cmarbles]

The issue with the original bristlenose Pebbles was not loneliness but probably something toxic in the water. The surfacing to breathe air is always a sign of water issues, except the few species that do this regularly as normal; I do not recall this particular loricariid being air breathing. Keep tabs on the water conditions (ammonia and nitrite especially, these must be zero), and surface disturbance to maintain a good gas exchange (oxygen in, CO2 out) at the surface. If ammonia or nitrite test above zero, post the numbers here, and do a water change--50-70% of the tank volume is fine, provided parameters which are GH, pH and temperature are reasonably the same in tank water and tap water. Use only a conditioner, no other additives.

Males are very territorial, so you are lucky not to have two males (from your description of their interactions, this seems unlikely). They must have real wood to graze, so make sure the tank has a chunk of bogwood. This can also be used for a cave, each fish will need its own cave. They are good for eating common algae, but they are omnivorous, though mainly herbivore (vegetarian). Prepared sinking foods (algae, spirulina, kelp-type wafers, disks, tablets), fresh vegetables (cucumber, zucchini, blanched spinach), frozen bloodworms and daphnia are good foods, and the prawn you have already tried.

Hi. Completely forgot to respond to this message. Nitrites went up teensy bit on adding the new fish (to 0.25) and nitrates registered at 10, but 2 days later nitrites were zero again and nitrates were very low (less than 5). All that happened quite a while AFTER she starting behaving strangely though. Today I filmed her on the glass (it won't let me upload but I was wondering if her breathing looked fast). She doesn't exactly look skinny so I am wondering if she is eating sneakily. I tested tank again today - ammonia zero, nitrite zero, nitrate less than 5. ph 7.5 (tap water ph is 7), gh 8 (tap water is 3, so not sure where the 8 comes from). Chunk of rosewood(?) ( it is proper aquarium wood from fish shop) been in there few weeks. Filter is bubbling 1 cm below water surface and aimed at top so lots of disturbance. Also air stone in cave bubbles out of top holes. And I have an almond leaf in there.

 

[cmarbles]

what size tank do you have?? and what other fish are with the BNPs??

Hi. It's 110 litres. There is another little pleco (snowball?), 4 tetras (two different types), one platy, two mollies who gave birth the day she got them so a few tiny babies (surely they would be the first to be affected if dodgy water?), amano shrimp, two tiny dwarf frogs, and a yoyo loach. Pebbles was acting strangely before the mollies, frogs and other pleco arrived.

 

[Byron]

The last post gives us some clues on issues you need to address, and which may be at the root of things.

First, the Yo Yo loach. All loaches are highly social fish, and must have a group of five or more. However, they get around 4 inches in length (this species), and this aquarium is not sufficient space for these fish. Without the group, a lone fish will be seriously stressed, and that means several things, from real loneliness, heightened aggression, literally slowly going crazy in fish terms. If you could return this fish to the store, it would be the right thing to do. It may be "attacking" one or both of the plecos, especially when you are not there to see it; both fish are territorial and this can play out in more than one way, to the detriment of both of them.

You have soft water. A GH of 8 is not sufficient hardness for the good of the livebearers (mollies especially, but also the platy) and this is slowly affecting their lives. They should be re-homed as soon as you can, they are not going to do well here. The can "live" under such conditions sometimes for months, but internally they are being impacted and it always means a shorter lifespan, and who knows what troubles along the way for the poor fish.

As for the GH of 3 rising to 8, there may be something calcareous in the tank, often the substrate material or rock(s) that slowly dissolve calcium. Tetras are soft water fish, and depending upon the species they may be fine with the parameters. But tetras are also shoaling fish (like the loach), and need a group of their species. More of these may be possible in this tank, depending upon the species, and the resolution to the other issues.