My pleco's are acting weird. I have had them for about a week now and they aren't as skittish as they used to be.
But they won't touch zucchinni... and they always curl up together at the plant. Also, I can't get a tube for them to curl up in because my mother wants me to get something from the fishstore that looks good. -Sigh.-
But yeah, they aren't eating what they are supposed to.
And I think they are both male, but one barely has any bristles and the other one has a lot, they always curl up with eachother on the plant and if they don't fit one sits at the bottom of the rock. The one without the bristles is a lot smaller than the other which confuses me because they were from the same batch. Lastly, their color has gotten lighter.
Any help would be appreciated.
Pleco's weird.
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MatsP
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Are they eating anything?
If you want to get something from the fish-store that looks good, try a piece of driftwood. Or perhaps some piece(s) of slate that you can lean against something else in the tank, and get them some hiding space.
It's quite common for bristlenoses to be slightly different sizes in the same brood - just like with humans, right? Some brothers/sisters aren't quite the same size and sometimes indeed very different. And in the world of bristlenoses, that usually means that the bigger one will get more food because it can "muscle" in on the food and fight the smaller off, so it gets to be even bigger...
But it could also be that the smaller one is a female... They are generally smaller than the males in the same batch. It shouldn't have any bristles then, if it has small bristles, it's most likely a male - just smaller.
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Mats
If you want to get something from the fish-store that looks good, try a piece of driftwood. Or perhaps some piece(s) of slate that you can lean against something else in the tank, and get them some hiding space.
It's quite common for bristlenoses to be slightly different sizes in the same brood - just like with humans, right? Some brothers/sisters aren't quite the same size and sometimes indeed very different. And in the world of bristlenoses, that usually means that the bigger one will get more food because it can "muscle" in on the food and fight the smaller off, so it gets to be even bigger...
But it could also be that the smaller one is a female... They are generally smaller than the males in the same batch. It shouldn't have any bristles then, if it has small bristles, it's most likely a male - just smaller.
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Mats
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racoll
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Keep trying the zuccini.
It may take a few weeks for them to get used to it.
Just microwave it for about 30 seconds to soften it up.
You don't want it too hard or too soft. Aim for about the same texture as how you would like to eat it.
Leave it in the tank until it starts to go mushy or mouldy, then remove it. This is about 36 hours.
As Mats points out, they could be stressed because it's too bright in the tank, and there is nowhere to hide.
It may take a few weeks for them to get used to it.
Just microwave it for about 30 seconds to soften it up.
You don't want it too hard or too soft. Aim for about the same texture as how you would like to eat it.
Leave it in the tank until it starts to go mushy or mouldy, then remove it. This is about 36 hours.
As Mats points out, they could be stressed because it's too bright in the tank, and there is nowhere to hide.
Well... the pleco's have kinda... taken to eating anything they can now.><
Cause they ate a zucchinni but left the peel so I peeled the second one {they clear away from le peel} and this morning I woke up to find seeds floating around everywhere and a thin piece of zucchinni {I think that it broke off of the spoon} and the spoon was blank.
Is it okay to hollow out the zucchinni?
And the pet store women said that I could get some aquarium glue and just glue some rocks onto it...
but I was also wondering about that. The pleco's seem to be able to see outside the tank even when the outside is dark and the inside is bright.>< I had been wanting to get slightly bigger tubes, then rest them against the glass so when they 'hide' they aren't really hiding from the watcher's view.
Would this work? Or would it fail miserably?
And then the last question, when I get something to have a hiding spot for, should I get it big enough for both of them? Or should I get two seperate hiding spots.. Because I know that they are supposed to have a 'I am bigger than you so I get this spot cause I like it' rule. But...They don't act like that.
And thanks for the help.
Cause they ate a zucchinni but left the peel so I peeled the second one {they clear away from le peel} and this morning I woke up to find seeds floating around everywhere and a thin piece of zucchinni {I think that it broke off of the spoon} and the spoon was blank.
Is it okay to hollow out the zucchinni?
And the pet store women said that I could get some aquarium glue and just glue some rocks onto it...
but I was also wondering about that. The pleco's seem to be able to see outside the tank even when the outside is dark and the inside is bright.>< I had been wanting to get slightly bigger tubes, then rest them against the glass so when they 'hide' they aren't really hiding from the watcher's view.
Would this work? Or would it fail miserably?
And then the last question, when I get something to have a hiding spot for, should I get it big enough for both of them? Or should I get two seperate hiding spots.. Because I know that they are supposed to have a 'I am bigger than you so I get this spot cause I like it' rule. But...They don't act like that.
And thanks for the help.
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MatsP
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I'm afraid you lost me when you talk about aquarium glue and sticking stones - is this sticking stones to the PVC pipes?
Yes, plecos have pretty good eye-sight, but even better is their sense of vibrations, they can feel the floor move and figure out if it's you or someone else!!!
You probably want to have one hiding space for each fish - or even better several different that they can choose from!
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Mats
Yes, plecos have pretty good eye-sight, but even better is their sense of vibrations, they can feel the floor move and figure out if it's you or someone else!!!
You probably want to have one hiding space for each fish - or even better several different that they can choose from!
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Mats
Hi Mickey
Have you tried feeding your plecs on cucumber, I feed all mine on it, chop obout 2 inches off the cucumber and microwave it for about 3 minutes in a small dish containing water, when it's done cool it straight away under a cold tap and drop it in and it should sink to the bottom, this brings all my plecs out of hiding."make sure the cucumber is cold though or you will end up with a burnt plec"
Also try frozen prawns from the supermarket, boil 1 or 2 so they are cooked and drop them in, if you do this make sure you take the remains out after 24 hours or they will start to degredate the water quality.
Regarding a home: I use for mine several clay flower pots which I have broken holes in, they seem to be very happy with them size should be about 6 inches in diameter, if youre lucky a male and female may produce fry after a time given the right conditions, my BN's just spawned 50 small fry without even trying.
My plecs change colour all the time from light to dark to patchy, I have read that it reflects moods, they seem to be fine though.
Have you tried feeding your plecs on cucumber, I feed all mine on it, chop obout 2 inches off the cucumber and microwave it for about 3 minutes in a small dish containing water, when it's done cool it straight away under a cold tap and drop it in and it should sink to the bottom, this brings all my plecs out of hiding."make sure the cucumber is cold though or you will end up with a burnt plec"
Also try frozen prawns from the supermarket, boil 1 or 2 so they are cooked and drop them in, if you do this make sure you take the remains out after 24 hours or they will start to degredate the water quality.
Regarding a home: I use for mine several clay flower pots which I have broken holes in, they seem to be very happy with them size should be about 6 inches in diameter, if youre lucky a male and female may produce fry after a time given the right conditions, my BN's just spawned 50 small fry without even trying.
My plecs change colour all the time from light to dark to patchy, I have read that it reflects moods, they seem to be fine though.