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Okay, so I noticed my bristlenose is a moveer. He'll be all over the tank. Rubbernose stays under a rock, but at night I can see him on the glass.

So, I was thinking about removing the BN, but I wasn't sure if the RubberNose would be able keep the tank clean?

Also, I've got a lot of driftwood. My rubbernose is never on it, Bristlenose on the other hand seems to love it. Is the driftwood not needed for the rubbernose?

And finally, bristlenose will eat algae wafers, actually pretty fun to watch him locate them. I don't know what rubbernose eats. I put wafers in at night, wake up and they aren't there. But just until recenlty there was a pictus in there too, so who knows who ate what when the lights went out.

So... Just was wondering, whats the better plec?

Hello.

Just a couple of questions to try and help you.....

What is the tank size, set-up, decor, tank-mates, filtration, hardness, pH, temperature etc.

55 gal (within the next 6 months should be between 90-125 gal)

Filtration is 2 55 gal hang on back filters, so I suppose about 110 gall filters

tankmates are an Oscar and female con.

Tank has loads of wood and rocks:


This pic has a jack dempsey in it, but he has been removed. The plecs are both about or a little bit longer than the white Oscar in the pic.

Well the tank looks like a nice set up for them both.

What is the temperature of the tank?

One reason why the Ancistrus is so much more "well adjusted" is that they have been tank raised so long that they have essentially become a domesticated species and one willing to eat a variety of foods.

The Chatostoma sp., Rubber lip, is a wild caught fish. It may be that they use their sucker mouth to hang on to the rocks in the fast flowing and I might add, cool water streams they come from. They may be an algae eating catfish but they are as likely to be an aquatic insect eating catfish, specializing on eating the various aquatic insect larvae of mayflies, Caddis fies and stone flies that are common to fast cool running waters and feed on the accompanying slime layer made up of diatoms,algaes and other organic films forming organisms incidental to their search for more nutritious foods. The fact is what ever they eat, Chaetostoma are a more specialized fish than the common generalist feeding Ancistrus.
Chaetostoma are almost always kept at higher temperatures by aquarists than they normally live in the wild. Research the requirements of Chaetostoma and compare them to your current set up.

There is no reason to assume their behavior and diet should be identical.

Okay, so that means I should expect bristlenose to be a cleaner, where as rubbernose is more like a 'watch me' and not a cleaner?

Or does that mean bristlenose is better adapted, and the rubbernose may need sometime to become adapted?

Tank temp is generally 77-80 degrees given the temp of the room.

It means that the BN is more adapted to what you consider to be a cleaner. Chaetostoma, rubbernose, are not going to associate with driftwood as much because they are more used to sitting in rock rubble. The question really becomes what you are looking for a fish to do. Both of these are doing exactly what would be expected to be their norm.

Larry Vires

Thanks everyone, I suppose I got it. Brisltenose... adapted... eats algae, where as Rubbernose, rocks, not as adapted... only eats certain things.

I suppose I got it. Brisltenose... adapted... eats algae, where as Rubbernose, rocks, not as adapted... only eats certain things.

I don't think that was quite what Larry meant.

As far as I know both Ancistrus (bristlenose) and Chaetostoma (rubbernose) have pretty similar diets in the wild.

However, as the your bristlenose has probably descended from generations of tank raised fish, he is quite at home in the aquarium and is happy to eat any food given to him.

As the Chaetostoma is from the wild he is a lot more shy and picky with food. He will come out and eat wafers etc eventually, but it will take time. How long have you had him?

This is however assuming the Chaetostoma is not unwell in any way. It doesn't sound like it though, as a hiding plec is usually a healthy plec.

I would also try to drop the temp to about 75F, as the Chaetostoma comes from cool mountain streams.

You may also have a bit too much sand in there. There is a tendency for old bits of food to go rotten in deep sand beds. This can cause the whole tank to go stagnant. I would go for 1/2" max.

Will the oscar be okay with the plecs when it is bigger? I don't know if they could eat them?

Jake Jackson wrote:
tankmates are an Oscar and female con.

Jake, you may want to rethink the Oscar/Chaetostoma thing. I don't know what a "con" is. Can you please help me out on that one? Chaetostoma spp., the smaller ones, tend to be quite shy and retiring among other species. They can hold their own with species their own size, but will get lost with others that are larger then them. In all, I've found they do best in species tanks. I don't have experience with Oscars, but I have had a few Chaetostoma spp. They like their water cool(low 70's-high 60's, depending on the species) and on the neutral to hard side with a swift current. They like a smooth rock to call their own. Driftwood is also good for hiding when threatened. They are considered aufwuchs eaters(they scrape the stuff off of surfaces). I haven't had any specimen larger than 3-5" so please take my writings with a grain of salt!
Amanda

Hi Jake, I also wanted to compliment you on the nice aquascape.

I bought siz Chaetostoma before learning that they needed cool water and they died off while trying to keep them with Apistogramma agassizi at 80F.

The Oscar also needs warm water but the female Convict Cich. can take the low 70's I could use a producing pair of Convicts to help me condition my two pairs of Dwarf Pikes, C. regani(':P')
Mmm mmm good...ni.

Whoa, must have missed that somewhere. I do have a little 10 gall setup for quarintine/hospital.

I guess I'll remove the heater in it, and put the rubbernose in there until the weekend is up. Then I'll bring him to the LFS. I wouldn't want to be responsible for his death cause of hot water.

One more thing. Would 1 bristlenose be able to keep the 55 gal clean?

EDIT: Con = convict cichlid. W/ the removal of the rubbernose I may add a firemouth. There is gravel and sand in the tank, which is why it seems so much. I think the sand is only maybe 1/2 thick before it gets to the gravel, and thats probably being generest.

Thanks for the response on the Convicts. (I'm a dunderhead on these things.) I think if you don't have the room, you're doing the right thing. Personally, I love the Chaetostoma spp. But, you do need the right conditions for them. Think mountains and such. That's where they generally reside. It is a lovely tank you have!
Amanda