Sucker

[drufly]

i have had a sucker now in my community for about 3 months, not sure what type, i have an aquael hexa60 90ltr tank. the thing is i very rarley see the sucker, it seems to hide behind the tube for the pump. is this normal.

i have in the community
6 neons
2 tiger barbs
1 red tailed shark
3 platys
4 lemon tetras
4 dwarf frogs
1 loach(not sure what it is eel like fish)

 

[waterdrop]

Yup

 

[drufly]

Yup

whats yup all about

 

[eric_the_red]

yes it is normal. i got some bristlenose catfish and they hide all the time i think they like peace and quite sometimes u may wont to check that other fish arent picking on him adn that there is nothing worng with him.

 

[waterdrop]

Yup

whats yup all about

Here in southern USA that is a slang term for Yes, is it not in UK?

.. as in, Yes, they often hide as much as possible when the light is on because they are nocturnal, active in the dark.

 

[drufly]

No prob lus thouhgt i would ask. Dont think there is anything wrong with him

 

[waterdrop]

No prob lus thouhgt i would ask. Dont think there is anything wrong with him

thats cool, he's probably fine - of course "sucker" probably covers hundreds of species and probably a fair number are common among tropical fish keeping, so their are sure to be a lot of behaviours -- have you looked him up to read things about him?

 

[drufly]

Gonna have a look now any ideas on where to start

 

[waterdrop]

Gonna have a look now any ideas on where to start

There should be others here that know better than me but one suggestion is that you can put various words (sucker catfish, plec ...) into the google images web search and see if you can find him in the pictures. You can go back and forth between that and the forums here that are specific to individual species. The experts here have other good tropical fish databases but I have not bookmarked them yet myself and can't remember.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[LikkleFishy]

i have in the community
6 neons
2 tiger barbs
1 red tailed shark
3 platys
4 lemon tetras
4 dwarf frogs
1 loach(not sure what it is eel like fish)

My bristlenose 'sucker' catfish is never hiding, he's always active, swimming about and irritating other fish by sucking them when they're lying down
Off topic, but...
Something about the tiger barbs is that they like to be in groups of at least 6, it stops them from being lonely, and they keep fighting and chasing amongst themselevs (hopefully prevents them bullying any weaker fish).
And I also believe your 'eel like fish' is a kuhli loach, google it to check.

 

[Plecs&Puffers]

I find Bristlenose catfish to be more 'active' than most. They dont mind the daylight to much.

 

[stang1]

Gonna have a look now any ideas on where to start

Planetcatfish.com is a great site.

 

[lilfishie]

i never had a problem with my Bristlenoses or any other plec i have owned hiding, they just need time to settle and feel safe then they explore more, could you get a picture of yours, then we can identify what it is for you.

what size is your tank?

 

[drufly]

Not sure how to get pics on the pc not really to good with comps lol.

My tank is a 90ltr hexa60 but i am looking for a bigger 1 somethng about 4' or more

 

[stang1]

What you have to remember with Plecos is they need really good filtration and they produce a lot of waste.
Without knowing what type you have, it would be a bad idea to add another one. Bristlenose catfish only reach between 4"-6" whereas a Common Pleco can reach up to 18".
If it is a Common, then he will need rehoming whereas a Bristlenose should be fine in that size tank.