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Can anyone help me. I am trying to find out if there are any plecs that burrow in the substrate. My water is hard with a PH of 8.2. I currently keep two clowns and one bristlenose and would want a burrowing plec of similar size.

Is this http://www.planetcatfish.com/cotm/cotm. ... cle_id=361 the sort of thing you are after

is also caught in the Rio Itaya, and possibly also the Rio San Alejandro (the same river as the popular Panaque sp. L204)

The Rio San Alejandro has a higher ph than is generally expected from South America which would go with what you have for a ph

Birger

Panaque sp. L204 is a pretty good burrower in its own right. They will dig out caves under the wood they like to feed on.

i currently have a couple of l204s but they dont seem to burrow into the substrate at all. i have a 6" dsb -f 1-2mm grade seafloor aragonite. i only have a three plecs at the present but would like to add more. i have an issue with 'stirring' the dsb without a major upheaval of the decor/caves which i am trying to get around with burrowers. the whiptail is an option but due to its size it would restirct on further numbers

I think the question here need to be clarified. Most plecos do not "burrow" in the a strict sense of the word. They will dig in the substrate to make a cave under something, e.g. a piece of wood or a rock. But only if there isn't a suitable cave available elsewhere.

The only species I can think of that actually "burrow" to some extent would be - these will dig themselves into the substrate, a bit like a plaice or flounder or ray. But we're still not talking "burrowing" in the sense that a Kuhli loach would do, for example.

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Mats

LDA025, the Bulldog plec, also likes to hide in the sand/substrate. Each time I do a gravel vac in their tank, I'm surprised when they shoot away from under the sand. They only grow to about 1.5 - 2 inches - is this more like the size you were thinking of? Your pH is a bit high, but if your other plecs have adapted, these probaly will as well.

http://planetcatfish.com/catelog/specie ... ies_id=236

Although it's not a cat, have you considered the horse-face loach? It is the greatest burrower i have encountered (that i can remember)

Acantopsis choirhorhynchius, if I remember correctly

Boy these were fast through the sand - the only way to get them out of a tank was remouving all the sand, and loking very closely at it

Do bristlenose plecos 'burrow'?
I ask because i lost 2 of them mysteriously and found the remains of one half under a rock and couldn't understand how it got there.

Sabi wrote:Do bristlenose pl*cos 'burrow'?
I ask because i lost 2 of them mysteriously and found the remains of one half under a rock and couldn't understand how it got there.

The males may certainly try to build a cave under a rock or some such. If your rocks aren't placed in such a way that they are "fall-proof", the fish may get stuck and die. Always make sure that all your rocks are placed so that they can't be toppled over or such by digging fish - push them down so that the rock touches the bottom of the tank is my tip.

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Mats

MatsP wrote:

Sabi wrote:Do bristlenose pl*cos 'burrow'?
I ask because i lost 2 of them mysteriously and found the remains of one half under a rock and couldn't understand how it got there.

The males may certainly try to build a cave under a rock or some such. If your rocks aren't placed in such a way that they are "fall-proof", the fish may get stuck and die. Always make sure that all your rocks are placed so that they can't be toppled over or such by digging fish - push them down so that the rock touches the bottom of the tank is my tip.

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Mats

Yea i do put my rock firmly into the bottom thats why i was surprised but i will definitely be more careful in the future!