Ancistrus cirrhosus playtime?

[JamesFish]

Recent changes as in last few months.

I recently changed my lighting to come on at about 3pm in the afternoon and added some floating plant.

Now that the floating plant is amazon frogbit and silvia mania I think has covered almost all the top of the tank expect where the spray bar ripples heavily.

Added a bio media to eat the nitrate so less frequent water changes required. I still do 1 bucket a week for plant food, help keep PH up as its an inert gravel media I use and keep something from disappearing out the water. TDS slowly drops but not at a rapid rate to concern me.

Nitrates read best ever at 5-10 lower than my house hold tap supply. PH 7.2 to 7.5 nothing terribly high. Temperature still in normal range.

Removed - 3x dwarf chain loaches, added 3 ammano shrimp.

My rather large female ancistrus (4-5inc aka pebbles) has started a new game. She will sucker onto the front glass and swim around in early afternoon even upside down performing a loop the loop into the spray bar current sometimes. Other times just where she happens to be. Other times it will just be round about 2/3 of the tank in a lopsided loop.

She wasn't hungry as I added a wafer sat back she came out again sat on it for a minute or 2 and wondered off. Perhaps it was still to tough to eat, she didn't look skinny but its an easy rule out being hungry.

Is the floating plant confusing her? Or is it simple she normally did this early hours / night time and I never saw it as wasn't about to see it and the light change has meant she comes out more often? I did change layout last week is she still getting used to it?

Tank mates
1x clown loach
5x marble hatchets
1x Male fighter
3x cory's
2x young ancsitrus her off spring to small to sex yet.
6x harliquins
5x ember tetra
4x lemon tetra
2x khuli loach (I think a 3rd but haven't seen more than 2 for a while)
4x rummy nose
3x ammano shrimp
1x porthole catfish
Allot of MTS as my clown appears to be a lazy sod.

All live plant + bog wood and a few silly old ornaments I've had for a long time.

[aquariumhobbyist]

I am looking for something that will drive my nitrates down too... Can you kindly elaborate on what the "bio media to eat the nitrate" is?

[JamesFish]

http://www.lfkc.co.uk/index.php?topic=2712.0 - Been documenting my use of various attempts here. I havent put a full thread on here as its still early on in my use of it. I wouldnt want to recommend something that wiped out peoples tanks.

[FerocactusLatispinus]

I think that your female Ancistrus is confusing the difference in light at the surface (light shining down between the plants) with a solid surface to hold on to. Once she notices it's not solid, I think she just tries to get back to a normal swimming position. If she's doing this into the current, it would make sense because the current might coming against her whether or not she is on the side of the glass or swimming upside-down on the surface. I have one 3" female Ancistrus that will swim against the current up the side of the glass on occassion also. That loop 'd loop would be something funny to see, though!

[JamesFish]

Sorry for the quality of the video. I havent learned yet how to link videos directly on the forum but I can add a link. Pebbles wasnt looking to continue playing for a full video but here is a link to one of the better ones.

http://jamesfishtank.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... -time.html

[racoll]

I would say that a lack of oxygen is causing this behaviour, or alternatively, an excess of C02 if you are injecting.

[JamesFish]

Well come home today and she's perfectly fine but not playing around. Mrs has said its normal for her to play like that but never seen her doing it before. Wife gets far more time with fish than I do. Back to what I normally see of her hiding at back behind bog wood / heater and coming out for dinner.

I don't inject Co2 I have a diffuser but I haven't pushed any in for ages as the spray bar ripples the top so much it just goes out in about an hour.

Adjusted the spray bar to ripple rather than wave the surface. This has moved the floating plant towards the back of the tank and broken up the clumps that were layers deep.

Thank you to those who took time to answer I will keep an eye on her and see what happens. A passing though is perhaps she's worked out that normally I will throw a wafer in if she's out and about looking for food and decided to try for extra food. She is plump as it is she doesn't need more.

[JamesFish]

It appears Racol is correct she was doing it again today added a 150L air pump with a stone and stopped straight away. Leaving it running for a few days to see if it settles the issue. Although I have no idea why with a suitable sized pump, spray bar and no real CO2 injection I am having issues and only 1 fish showing concerns.

I removed the CO2 diffuser for now as well. Wish fish could just talk to us be allot easier at times.

[JamesFish]

The air stone stayed connected with a 150L pump. For about a week no change but has now started to settle and act like normal. She now sits in a ornament ship. No idea why it took so long to put O2 back in but thanks for the help.