PlanetCatfish.com

Hello
My name is Alex and I am a new member
I have a tank...juwel rekord 60 which is well planted with 7 penguin tetras and 1 panaque maccus.
The problem is that panaque maccus is always hiding and he never cames out.
I have increased the water flow...and i am going to increase it more tomorrow with an extra water pump.
What should I do to make my fish more active?
I am thinking o finding him (?) a female panaque...but I am not sure if I would be able to find one.

Do i have other choices ?
Could i place any other pleco in my tank (suchs as hypancistrus,ancistrus etc)
Also I can't stand the waste this fish produces...
I post a picture of two pieces of wood, i bought some days ago, to tell yout opinion and if they are good for a wood-eating pleco


Alex

If you bought the wood in a fish-shop, it should be fine.

As to suggesting a fish for your tank, anything small would be fine, such as , smaller variants of Hypancistrus, Panaque and Peckoltia.

My P. maccus are also very good at hiding, and rarely come out to be seen.

Male P. maccus have a "hairy back section", and it's pretty obvious.
Here's a photo of my male:


--
Mats

ive got some Ancistrus claro great little fish only grow to about 3" also see them
male just say in there caves all the time but would highly recomend them

Here is my pleco
He doesn't come out for food...or I don't see him coming out...


What do you suggest me to feed him...?
What should I do with the waste he produces?


(sorry for my english)

to me, it looks like Panaque maccus - or related. Assuming I'm right (quite an assumption ) they should get enough wood, but don't require anything else

What should I do with the waste he produces?

Despite being small, P. maccus is not the easiest fish to maintain in a 60L tank, for the reason you give.

To clear up the sawdust, you need an external power filter and a small pump in the tank to keep the filth in suspension.

What do you suggest me to feed him...?

He will eat the wood in the tank, along with most vegetables and the odd algae wafer.

He doesn't come out for food...or I don't see him coming out...

Dwarf Panaque are not shy, and they will become more active after being settled down for several months.

Adding loads of wood will be the best way to give him more confidence to venture out.

Thnx very much for the answers
I will place the pieces of wood that I posted in my first post...
What tank mates do you recomend me to put in the tank...?
Penguin tetras are right?What else?

What tank mates do you recommend me to put in the tank...?
Penguin tetras are right?What else?

Penguins are fine. What else you want is totally up to you. Probably easier if you just list some fish you like and we can advise you on their suitability. Visit some stores, and see what's available to you.

Another factor that may make your Panaque more active is the temp. They should be kept at 26-29C.

racoll wrote:

Another factor that may make your Panaque more active is the temp. They should be kept at 26-29C.

So I will increase the temperature of the water 1c
I want to change the penguin tetra because they never swim as school... they swim alone...through the plants.
I was thinking of 10-12 harlequins but they are not from south america.
I like neon cardinals as well but I am not s o sure if they 'll swim all together...
Any ideas...?


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http://planetcatfish.com/catelog/specie ... ies_id=905
Can I place this pleco or my tank is small?

Neon tetras are a good choice. They do school a lot and of course their brilliant colours are lovely, particularly in a planted tank.

Ancistrus sp(l144)

Can I place this pl*co or my tank is small?

What do you think about this one?

I have a Sp.3 albino in my 10 gal, with some tiny dwarf rainbow fish. He's about 1 1/2", and seems to grow very slowly.

I'm sure the one you linked would be fine, as long as you stick to small/few other fish.

Of course, finding genuine is probably not very easy - it's easier in Europe than North America or Australia, but it's most likely to not be genuine, but rather a in a form that is "albino with black eyes" - these are commercially bred in for example the Czech republic.

Either fake or genuine L144 would be OK in a Juwel Rekord 60 tank.

--
Mats

Plecos of the genus Hypancistrus produce so much waste as the plecos of the genus panaque?

Alex_gr wrote: I was thinking of 10-12 harlequins but they are not from south america.

Harlequins won't school either, unless alarmed. Try some rummy nose tetra (hemigrammus rhodostomos), which are from SA. I have 10 in a 75g (280L) planted tank and they look great and school all the time. In your tank, if they are the only fish (besides whatever plec you keep), a school of 8 - 10 should work. Also they can be used as an indicator fish, as their red heads lose color when they are stressed (ie, water conditions get worse), which has it's advantages.

What are these advantages?

Alex_gr wrote:What are these advantages?

That they are good indicators of water quality - if the red nose starts to fade, the tank water is going bad.

--
Mats

pl*cos of the genus Hypancistrus produce so much waste as the pl*cos of the genus panaque?

No, they do not produce anywhere near as much waste, as Hypancistrus do not eat wood like Panaque.

I want to change the penguin tetra because they never swim as school... they swim alone...through the plants

Harlequins won't school either, unless alarmed.

Indeed. Most fish only shoal tightly when they are "scared". Usually when they happy in a tank with no threat, they just form a loose group, but always within sight of each other.

keeping more of them together, not 10, but 40, will also improve schooling behaviour a lot

a few innocent, but large, fish will do the rest.

keeping more of them together, not 10, but 40, will also improve schooling behaviour a lot

a few innocent, but large, fish will do the rest.

Very good point, and an observation that I have also made.

I keep 50 cardinals in a 60" tank with green discus, and yes they shoal much better this way.

Not much use for a 60L tank though.

Bas Pels wrote:keeping more of them together, not 10, but 40, will also improve schooling behaviour a lot

I guess I'll go out and at least double the school then!

On a side note, I always thought "schooling" was the term in the States for the British word "shoaling", but apparently they are different.

"A shoal is a loosely organised group where each fish swims and forages independently but is attracted to other members of the group and adjusts its behaviour, such as swimming speed, so that it remains close to the other members of the group. Schools of fish are much more tightly organised, synchronising their swimming so that all fish move at the same speed and in the same direction."

Here is a pic of my maccus...