Finally Got My Bn!

Hi everyone

Just got my first bristlenose plec today. At least, I'm pretty sure it's a BN - its what they were labelled, and seem to be the only ones my LFS stock aside from special order large plecos. He's settled in well - hard to take pictures because he was scurrying around so much. I haven't cleaned the back wall of the tank or the ornaments in about 3-4 months so there's tons of stuff on them for him to eat and he's been tucking right in.

I've got some Hikari algae wafers to supplement what's in the tank, also I know they like veggies, like cucumber, and the guy at the LFS said lettuce, too. Also, he told me this lot in particular were very yellow (whereas in other some parts of them would be whiter) - because the breeder they got them from fed them right up on pumpkin! He actually does look quite yellow/orange, especially on his tummy, you can really notice it when he's stuck to the front glass (see one of the pics). Although the flash in the pictures has washed the colour out a bit. Are there any other things you guys would recommend I feed him/her? With veggies, the guy told me to cook it a bit, but I imagine too soft would just make a mess in the tank - how do you strike the happy medium?

Snapped off a few pictures so you guys can check for me that he/she is indeed a BN He/she is so, so tiny at the moment. See the one of him next to the tiny cardinal tetra! He's got two little bumps in front of his eyes, so I don't know whether these are the start of bristles which means I have a male.

Tell me what you think of him/her - healthy specimen?

Thanks

Ncice pleco u have. So are the fish.Ncce pleco u have. So are the fish.

Paul u make me pmsl.....

yes tis a common bn, ancistrus sp3, looks in fine condition as well. TBH it will be tank bred they are pretty bulletproof as a result.

Don't cook the veggies first, raw is fine, courgette (zuchini if you will) is more nutritious than cuke, lettuce i think is not worth the effort as nearly zero nutritional value.

The bumps are more than likely nasal flute rather than bristles, looks too small to sex, but it wont take long

As I said, there's loads of junk in the tank at the moment, but when and how often should I start giving him extras? An algae tab every night or second night? Veg once a week?

I mean my cories get shrimp pellets ands sinking wafers, so I'm sure he'll get some of that too, but I'm just wondering how often I should put extra stuff in for him...

Also, how long will it take him to grow?

My pleco's got fresh veg at least 3 times a week, i'd start with courgette straight away tbh, take it out after 12-24 hours and replace with fresh a few days later.

growth is variable, but they do grow quite quickly at that size and i reckon you will be able to sex it within 2-3 months possibly

hth