bristlenose, or any pleco question. Are Rubber bands safe?

[sandman76]

I am setting up a planted tank and plan on housing 2 BN plecos. Is it ok to have rubberbands tying some of my plants onto the driftwood? Should I just er on the side of caution and wait till the plant attaches itself, and then cut the band, then get the plecos?

[Jools]

Yes, they are safe. I use black thread which is prettier and rots in the tank or black cable ties such as those that you get on power cables in filters, heaters etc.

Jools

[Barbie]

Be sure you use cotton thread, not polyester, if you are going to attach things that way. I, personally, use super glue gel. Just attach a few key spots in the roots (not the rhizome) and let it go. It looks very natural much faster and there's no danger of anything getting caught in it. Super glue gel is used regularly in Reef tank applications and won't cause any issues with your water quality.

Barbie

[Jools]

Yes, what Barbie says is right I should have been more specific about the thread and the removal of the ties although I've not had a problem with fish trapping themselves.

Jools

[racoll]

I once lost a pleco that got trapped, so there will always be a small risk whatever tying material you use.

I maybe would not go with rubber bands though, as I found that if you forget about them they degrade and break up into lots of little pieces which look quite ugly if they are brightly coloured, as most rubber bands are.

The superglue is a nice idea. Barbie, how dry do the two surfaces need to be for it to stick well?

[dw1305]

Hi all,

how dry do the two surfaces need to be for it to stick well?

They don't need to be dry at all, in fact the problem is exactly the opposite, the cyanoacrylate super-glue is a moisture cure, so the wetter the wood is the quicker it goes off, leaving a big white streak down the wood.

The gels are easier to use, but a bit more pricey, the one I used says "PC16" but it has definitely gone off.

With apologies for the cross-post but have a look at this thread (on UKAPS) <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/dos- ... ses.16944/>, you can glue moss, ferns, Anibias etc.

cheers Darrel

[sandman76]

I am ready to buy some Super Glue Gel.... The plecos wont suck on it and get sick?

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I am ready to buy some Super Glue Gel.... The plecos wont suck on it and get sick

No, you only need a little tiny dab of glue, and once it has gone off it is pretty safe.

cheers Darrel

[Birger]

cyanoacrylate super-glue

Is it bought as Super Glue Gel lepages has a product that sounds similar...PL Premium Ultra, Use it sometimes in my work great stuff and has to be damp to use.

[apistomaster]

Gel Super Glue would be one of my choices. These glues have a long safety record in the coral fragging hobby and few other aquaria are as sensitive as reef tanks.

One of my first forays into an unusual pleco species was with

Dekeyseria sp(l052)

.
I lost one soon after I had used black cotton thread to bind Java Moss to driftwood because it's interopercular odontodes became entangled in the thread so I would avoid using thread with most plecos. Ancistrus spp. have well developed interopercular odontodes.

I have used rubber bands to hold clay pottery drain pans together, the top one inverted, to form some Common Bushy Nose Breeding caves. I cut out a notch in the side of the top inverted pan to provide an entrance.
But rubber bands deteriorate within a couple months. So I would go with either gel super glue or silicone sealant for long term use.