Hello there! Please allow me to list my tank info before reading the rest so if you reply you know the up and up
36 Gallon freshwater tank.
Established bacteria colony/tank
Water parameters are all normal. I use test strips so I don't have EXACT numbers to share. I test every 3-5 days to be safe.
Fish:
- 1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco about three years of age. This is the only fish I have left from when I started the hobby over three years ago. I moved across country recently and decided to keep him and donated my other fish to a very nice family run fresh/salt water fish store.
- 2 Albino cory cats
-2 Spotted/Normal cory cats
-1 Very young Angel fish. His body (fins not included) is probably the size of a quarter.
Decor:
4 tall plants
1 Small
1 Medium decoration
2 Smaller decorations with crevices similar to caves (for my pleco to hide)
Small, fine gravel. Not sand, but very small substrate that won't bring harm to my sensitive bottom feeders "whiskers" as they look for food.
Now here is my issue. My pleco seems to not be eating very well. He still poops like some crazy machine but I've noticed his poo's to look similar to a color of sand. My tank is far too new to have a substantial amount of algae buildup to provide enough for him to eat on a regular basis. He sometimes finds the shrinking shrimp pellets before my cory cats can but I know this isn't enough for him. He turns his nose up at algae wafers. I've tried four different brands and he hates them. He never responded to blood worms in the past so I don't feed those. I attempted for the first time after some research to feed some fresh zucchini. I bought a veggie clip and placed it in the tank well within reach of his favorite hiding spot just before lights out. The next morning it was still untouched. As for driftwood, I bought some when I first bought him and let it soak a few days at the store employees advice. It was a very small piece as at the time I had only a ten galleon. The driftwood made my tank water the color of tea and while my pleco (a baby at the time) would sit on it for a moment or two on his quest for food, he otherwise paid no attention to it. I've read this is odd behavior as almost all plecos, even if they don't NEED driftwood in order to live, still love it as it aids in their digestion.
I honestly don't know how this pleco is alive when he refused driftwood and widely ate off sinking shrimp pellets and whatever algae I couldn't see in my old tank (before I moved). Does anyone have a suggestion as to how I can expand his diet? He doesn't seem to care for zucchini and I'm worried he might get ill. His colors are still bright and no sunken tummy, but his poo has never been the color of sand before. Usually a dark brown when he was in my old tank.
My second question, my pleco has proven to be a murderer of other plecos. However I'm starting to think mine might be a female... The pleco has bristles along the lip and one TINY one on the tippy tip of the nose. However being at three years of age if male should have many longer ones between his eyes and farther along his head. If this is true I'm thinking of buying another bristlenose, only male. Not in the interest of breeding, but because I love small species pleco and would like for my current one to have some company... that it doesn't kill within a week. So, advice, answers, questions?
This isn't a photo of MY pleco, but I found one online that strongly resembles the bristles that mine also has on its lip/nose, just not quite as long. Same arrangement though.
36 Gallon freshwater tank.
Established bacteria colony/tank
Water parameters are all normal. I use test strips so I don't have EXACT numbers to share. I test every 3-5 days to be safe.
Fish:
- 1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco about three years of age. This is the only fish I have left from when I started the hobby over three years ago. I moved across country recently and decided to keep him and donated my other fish to a very nice family run fresh/salt water fish store.
- 2 Albino cory cats
-2 Spotted/Normal cory cats
-1 Very young Angel fish. His body (fins not included) is probably the size of a quarter.
Decor:
4 tall plants
1 Small
1 Medium decoration
2 Smaller decorations with crevices similar to caves (for my pleco to hide)
Small, fine gravel. Not sand, but very small substrate that won't bring harm to my sensitive bottom feeders "whiskers" as they look for food.
Now here is my issue. My pleco seems to not be eating very well. He still poops like some crazy machine but I've noticed his poo's to look similar to a color of sand. My tank is far too new to have a substantial amount of algae buildup to provide enough for him to eat on a regular basis. He sometimes finds the shrinking shrimp pellets before my cory cats can but I know this isn't enough for him. He turns his nose up at algae wafers. I've tried four different brands and he hates them. He never responded to blood worms in the past so I don't feed those. I attempted for the first time after some research to feed some fresh zucchini. I bought a veggie clip and placed it in the tank well within reach of his favorite hiding spot just before lights out. The next morning it was still untouched. As for driftwood, I bought some when I first bought him and let it soak a few days at the store employees advice. It was a very small piece as at the time I had only a ten galleon. The driftwood made my tank water the color of tea and while my pleco (a baby at the time) would sit on it for a moment or two on his quest for food, he otherwise paid no attention to it. I've read this is odd behavior as almost all plecos, even if they don't NEED driftwood in order to live, still love it as it aids in their digestion.
I honestly don't know how this pleco is alive when he refused driftwood and widely ate off sinking shrimp pellets and whatever algae I couldn't see in my old tank (before I moved). Does anyone have a suggestion as to how I can expand his diet? He doesn't seem to care for zucchini and I'm worried he might get ill. His colors are still bright and no sunken tummy, but his poo has never been the color of sand before. Usually a dark brown when he was in my old tank.
My second question, my pleco has proven to be a murderer of other plecos. However I'm starting to think mine might be a female... The pleco has bristles along the lip and one TINY one on the tippy tip of the nose. However being at three years of age if male should have many longer ones between his eyes and farther along his head. If this is true I'm thinking of buying another bristlenose, only male. Not in the interest of breeding, but because I love small species pleco and would like for my current one to have some company... that it doesn't kill within a week. So, advice, answers, questions?
This isn't a photo of MY pleco, but I found one online that strongly resembles the bristles that mine also has on its lip/nose, just not quite as long. Same arrangement though.
? I think placing a pic of another fish isn't a very good idea btw. Please place a pic of yours. 
