Hi from the UK

I'm new to Bristlenose Plecos and a bit worried if I'm looking after him (or her) ok.

I have a 100ltr tank, well planted with a largish piece of bogwood.

My tank is cycled Amonia 0; Nitrite 0; Nitrate 10; PH 8

I have 3 corys; 6 Harlequins & 4 Male guppies

I decided to get a BN as there was quite a bit of algea and I love watching them.

I bought him 3 weeks ago and seems quite shy, he spends most of the time on the bogwood or on the glass at the back by the filter or at the side near the airstone. He sometimes venture to the front glass but never stays long.

I feed hikaki Algea wafer 3 times a week and Hikaki sinking wafers (for the corys) twice a week and have also blanched some corgette just before the light goes out. I haven't seen him eat anything I put down, but hopefully he does it when I'm not looking. How can I tell that he is getting what he needs? I seem to be constantly woorying about him.

Any advice would be really helpful.

Thanks

Sounds like things are fine. Ideally BN prefer a somewhat lower PH, but I wouldn't worry much about that. You could buy a couple more small pieces of bog wood, that may lower it a bit, but again as long as it's stable it should be fine.
BN do tend to be nocturnal and shy, and actually the more hiding places he has the more likely it is you will see more of him. They feel more secure. BN love current, that's probably why he spends time near the filter and air stone.
As far as eating, if the tank has algae he's probably eating that at night. You don't need to blanch his veg, raw is fine. Just keep offering a variety of veg, as long as he appears healthy I don't think you need worry.

Sarah

Hi and welcome to Bristlenoseworld



Bristlenoses

Hiya mate

I agree with Sarah, your BN is most likely just fine You are already doing a lot of good things for s/he!

I also believe you did not have to blanch cucumber or zucchini, raw is fine. And as a tip, my BNs love canned green beans (must be no salt added!!) They are good too for those times you don't have fresh on hand.

As for the hiding, you really have to be patient. It takes BNs time to adjust to their new tank. Also they are nocturnal. The best viewing times are early morning and anytime overnight. Also, if your BN is a male then a cave would defiantly be in order. Mine basically lives in his cave but his head is always poking out so I really see a lot of him. Just like Sarah said, the more hiding places the more comfortable they feel and the more likely they will come out to say hi!

What color morph is it? Also if you have any pics we can help determine the sex if it's big enough.

Welcome and feel free to ask questions and post pics!!

Thanks for the replies.

The bogwood has an over hang at the back which he tucks himself into. What do I need to get to make a cave, i have room at the back of the tank behind some plants, I want to keep the front free as my cories love the open space.

I am trying him on a bit of corgette again tonight, lights gone out so have popped it in as the guppies are pretty greedy and will try anything.

He was sold as a bushy head antcistrus and he is nearly the same colour as the bogwood and so I will wait until goes on the glass and I will take a photo.

Hi,are you weighting the courgette down so it sits on the bottom?



Bristlenoses

I weighted the corgette down by sticking a teaspoon through the middle of it. I stayed up a bit longer last night and sat in darkness to see if he ate any, he did start to suck on it, but this morning when I went to take the corgette out it didn't look any different than when i put it in.

I will leave it few days and maybe try him on some other veg.

I've gone and bought a cave today so hopefully he will start to feel a bit more at home.

Do you know that it's a boy then !?

@ktk05 No, I'm not sure, I just couldn't be bothered keep typing he/she and didn't want to just call him 'it'. He has little whiskers coming on his nose, but I'm hoping as he gets bigger I will be able post a picture of him and someone be able to tell me what he is.

Since I bought him a little cave I've started to see him a bit more so hopefully he is feeling more settled.

Firstly, welcome to the forums mate!

How big roughly do you think he is? If he's still smaller than about 5-6cm and has bristles starting on his nose, you're likely to have a little boy there. Females usually don't grow bristles but if they do it tends to happen when they are much bigger. Try a different veggie for him. My bns love cucumber. If he's very new to the tank, he'll naturally be shy anyway, but as the others have said, more hiding places = the more you'll see him. If you want to view him at night there's a couple of ways to do it. You can get a moon light (an tube of blue LEDs) which mimic the light from the moon. Or you can get a small underwater light (red is a good colour). You want something that isn't very bright though so the fish think it's night time.

We'd all love to see a picture of your fish and the tank as well.