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feeding bristlenoses

Posted: 20 Mar 2003, 12:42
by noddy
Hi again everyone
I was wondering how everyone else weighs down food for their bristles. At the moment i put it under a rock that is in their tank but they will soon be moving to a 50 gal which has a large amount of rock work but i wont be able to use the same method as the rocks are glued (with aquarium safe silicone) together for stability. So my question is how does everyone else do this? Would it be alright to use a lead sinker or would the lead be likely to poison the water over time? Does anyone have a tool for weighing the food down? All help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time
Noddy

Posted: 20 Mar 2003, 13:42
by Sid Guppy
Depends on the food, some food sinks!
But for the non-sinking stuff, I usually use those leadwrappers that come with buying live plants for the tank.
Lead isn't harmless, but it depends on the 'kind of' lead; in ion-form or as vapour lead is very toxic. To change it from solid form into ion-form in your tank, you should lower the pH below 1,5.....to vapourize it, even boiling isn't hot enough.
It's true that less acid environments can put small amounts of lead into solution; hence the 'crazyness' of some Roman Emperors that drank a lot of wine from leaden mugs (Caligula for example).
But even wine is very acidic compared with most tankwaters. To avoid all risks just don't use lead in any tank containing water with a pH lower than 6 and you're home free.
Bristlenoses thrive and breed in neutral water, and obviously mine aren't bothered by lead wrappers (evidence is given a few posts below this one, with pics!)

-sinking food that is very good for them: peas (from the freeze, those from tincans are too slimy for my taste), spinache from the freeze, spirulina tabs and flake, pieces of broccoli-stem (boil it for just 1 minute and it will sink), pleco-tabs (those olive green things that even contain wood).
-floating food that is good for them: lettuce, cucumber, zucchini (courgette). The last one can be boiled for a few minutes, it will sink then)

Be careful with boiled food, too much can pollute your water. But it IS very good for them; a boiled slice of broccoli attracts baby bristles like a magnet!

Posted: 20 Mar 2003, 13:58
by perrush
I'm just a newbie, so probably my method is old fashioned but I'll give it anyway.

Underneath a picture of my method.

The weigth is a piece of lead (will replace it with a stone with a hole).

Unto the lead a string of black carbon wire is attached (is used by carpfishermen but can easily be a normal rope) with at the end a noose (?) / loope (?).

The yellow thing is a needle with a very tiny hook at the end.

I pull the vegatable (zuchini / cumcumber :P good tip guys, they like it) onto the needle. Than hook the hook in the noose and pull the cumcumber onto the wire. The cumcumber is pushed a little into the lead so it won't float along the wire.

Just my 2 cts



Image

:shock: Perrush :shock:

Posted: 20 Mar 2003, 14:20
by Saara
I use a rubber band and a small stone to make vegetables sink.

Posted: 21 Mar 2003, 02:23
by Ben
Saara wrote:I use a rubber band and a small stone to make vegetables sink.
that's exactly what I do lots of my fresh veggies. Some, like cucumber and zuchini, I do much the same thing, except I run a stainless steel rod through it. I find that keeps it intact untill all eaten up:)

See here as my whiptail has lunch
Image

Bristle food attachments

Posted: 24 Mar 2003, 13:09
by Beagly
G'day All

I microwave the veggies and attach them to a rock with a rubberband. If you have access to a long handled grabbing device, use that. (Like they collect rubbish with) OR attach a length of fishing line to the rock and then it is easily removed.

CYA Beagly... :)

Posted: 24 Mar 2003, 17:23
by Dinyar
Microwaving is probably unnecessary and makes the veggies disintegrate faster. Fresh veggies are fine. Rubberbanding to a pebble ot piece of slate is the easiest way to goo and should work fine.

Dinyar

Posted: 24 Mar 2003, 18:58
by Harley
ive tried to use a stone to hold the food down, but it wasnt a verry good ide. Now i run a fork made of stainless steel trough the food. No fuss and no mess. Easy to pick upp when they have eaten most of it.

Posted: 24 Mar 2003, 20:48
by Graeme
How about Pure Size means it sinks and you can easly take out what has not been eating? My way! Anyhow's :D