Golden Nugget Pleco

[Will2]

Bought maself a golden nugget pleco on sat, he looks healthy but hides all the time, also i havent seen him eatin anythin ive tried algae pellets and cucumber so far, is he just setlin in or do u think there is a problem?

 

[Darkstar]

Gold nuggets are pretty hard to acclimatise and many don't make it, they're lovely fish but it's a risky business buying one most the time. Do you know if it was a new addition to the lfs as I generally find they're best left in the lfs for a few weeks first and only after a few weeks would I then consider buying one.

 

[screamingdonkey]

Bought maself a golden nugget pleco on sat, he looks healthy but hides all the time, also i havent seen him eatin anythin ive tried algae pellets and cucumber so far, is he just setlin in or do u think there is a problem?

I've never kept one but I can tell you that my LFS has had one in stock for a few weeks and every time I've been there since, (s)he has been hiding behind the heater in the tank. They're obviously just very timid. As others have said in other topics, try feeding him just before lights out

 

[LisaLQ]

Gold nuggets and other sensitive plecs dont travel well, and are hard to acclimatise, as when they're in transit with no food - they lose their gut flora (healthy bacteria), so when they arrive they're usually heading to starving to death - and without the flora, they will do - as they cant process their food without it. That's why they're so hard to acclimatise - they could be eating for England and still not be able to process their food, and therefore effectively starve to death - you just have to wait for that gut flora to come back, which can take weeks - and some are just too far gone to save. What your LFS wont tell you is that for every gold nugget that makes it, there'll be several that wont. The best way to try and get a healthy GN is to:

1. Make sure they've been in the shop for several weeks and aren't new in from the wholesaler.
2. Never buy a GN with a hollow belly or sunken eyes - these fish are too far gone.
3. The bigger the fish the better - a 4" GN is more likely to pull through than a 1-2" one.
4. Warm tank, couple of air stones, and the right food.
5. Sit back and keep your fingers crossed - as even with the best intentions and perfect set up - many gold nuggets wont make it.

Not the best plec for beginners, I learnt the hard way - and it's not just gold nuggets and baryancistrus, there's other species that need the same kind of planning for - royals being one of them.

So I'd stick in at least one air stone, depending on the temperature, knock the heat up a bit, and then make sure you're feeding him the right things. Here's the PC pages for gold nuggets (there's a few different types) so you can see what temp and food they need:

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=153

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=154

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/speci...?species_id=155

 

[Mystix212]

That's a great guidline, for all fishes.