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Simple question really. How 'normal' is it for adult (15 cm) P. nigrolineatus to be active during the day?

I've had my specimen about 11 years, and she's been in the present tank for almost exactly a year. During the last couple of weeks she has become very active during the day. If I put any food in the tank for the other fish, such as bloodworms, she comes out and forages quite happily, and she's spent most of this morning chowing down on a bit of cucumber peel I put in the tank.

http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/files/panaque_high.mov [high res, 5 MB]
http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/files/panaque_low.mov [low res, 1.6 MB]

Is this unusual? I recently read that when plecs start feeding during the day, it's a warning they aren't getting enough food. I'm not immediately worried about her health -- her belly is rounded and her eyes are bluging. But I tend to let her mostly eat wood, and only infrequently provide small amounts of other foods such as a single Hikari algae wafer three or four nights a week. She also grazes on the aquarium plants (Amazon swords seem a favourite!).

Am I doing something wrong, or is she behaving normally? I'm not a catfish expert, but I am very fond of this fish!

Cheers,

Neale

nmonks,

My male P. nigrolineatus has been Lord of All He Surveys in a 350 gallon tank for many years. It's perfectly normal for them to come out during the day when food is available, or even if its not, especially when they feel secure (good hiding places, double-digit schools of tetras). Bigger ones are much more visible.

P. nigrolineatus is well-nigh bullet proof as long as good water conditions are maintained and get more so the older they get.

Something you may want to add to your Royal's diet is leaf spinach. For two reasons: the fiber and minerals in spinach is very good for him, as well as us, and it'll keep him off the swords. Your is grazing on the swords because she's looking for that kind of nutrition, which spinach provides,

Many different vegitables are suitable (mine is partial to whole apple).

Rubberband the leaf stem to a rock where the leaf is pretty flat on the bottom. Put them in just before lights out, and take out the skeltonized remains in the morning.

By the way, 15 cm is very small for a P. nigrolineatus as old as yours. Mine is 38 cm.

Dave

The behavior you describe is very normal. In fact, I would say that what your Royal is
doing shows the signs that it's happy, healthy, and has very little stress in it's life.
My L190 gets a variety of foods including spirulina (wafers, pellets, and flakes), zucchini,
raw sweet potato (a favorite), and I will soon be adding broccoli stems and spinach as
suggested by a friend. Some type of driftwood or bogwood is a must. I have always used
African root (Swahala wood) and the current L190 I'm keeping is growing (slowly) and
appears to be very vibrant and healthy. Some feel that Cypress is a better choice for
Panaque because it is softer and more open grained. I also have Malaysian wood in
tanks with other types of plecos and they seem to like that as well. I feel the Malaysian
wood is softer than the Afrcan root but I'm also in the process of finding some Cypress.

As long as your water parameters are right, do not worry.
They come out whenever if healthy or under no stress.

Thanks for all the feedback.

She does get various veggies, but not spinach, so I will have to try that. While I was in town today, she seems to have finished off the cucumber and moved onto the stand of Bacopa monnieri at the other end of the tank. Perhaps keeping her in an underwater salad bar isn't a brilliant idea!

She lives in quite a busy tank, though the tankmates are all small things like glassfish and cardinals, and I suppose act as dither fish.

I'm worried to hear she is small for her age. The tanks she has been in were not huge (for the last 8 years a series of tanks around 180 litres). Possibly that's the issue? Otherwise, I don't think she's been starved; I do try and keep an eye on her belly to make sure it's nice and full. I have avoided meaty foods generally on the assumption these fish are herbivores.

Cheers,

Neale