princessbride10
New Member
I just thought I'd share this story with other pleco enthusiasts...
I have two bristlenose plecos about 2 1/2-3 inches each. While both are active day and night, my definite male is a gymnast!
One day I was sitting at my desk next to my tank when I heard a very distinct splash. I looked over at the tank but couldn't see any darting or jumping fish. I checked to make sure everyone was accounted for, but my male BN was missing. I turned over every rock and piece of driftwood with no luck. Panicked, I dropped in some algae wafers to lure him out of wherever he was so I could have some peace of mind... About five minutes later, there he was, munching away on the wafer.
About two or three weeks later, the same thing happened. I knew I was not imagining this splash, so I thought perhaps my filter was clogged somehow and water splurted out the back of my tank. I lifted the hood (I have the Eclipse 3 system with the filter cartridge and bio-wheel in the hood) and reached in to pull out the filter cartridge. To my shock and surprise, something slimy darted across the cartridge, brushing my hand. Naturally, I screamed, slamming the hood back down. After a few seconds I realized I had found my BN...
It turns out, in his quest for algae and leftovers, he'd gone against the fast-flowing current coming from the filter outlets and inched his way into the hood. He'd then passed under the spinning bio-wheel and then had flung himself over and into the hood portion where the filter cartridge was. That was apparently the big splash that I'd heard earlier.
I watched as he jumped back down into the bio-wheel level, shot out the outlets and drifted gracefully back to his favorite piece of driftwood...
I managed to take a picture of him in my hood, just contently hanging out and eating...
He's also managed to fling himself into my breeder net to clean up the brown algae and leftover flakes that my fry haven't eaten yet...
Thought some of you might enjoy that story!
I have two bristlenose plecos about 2 1/2-3 inches each. While both are active day and night, my definite male is a gymnast!
One day I was sitting at my desk next to my tank when I heard a very distinct splash. I looked over at the tank but couldn't see any darting or jumping fish. I checked to make sure everyone was accounted for, but my male BN was missing. I turned over every rock and piece of driftwood with no luck. Panicked, I dropped in some algae wafers to lure him out of wherever he was so I could have some peace of mind... About five minutes later, there he was, munching away on the wafer.
About two or three weeks later, the same thing happened. I knew I was not imagining this splash, so I thought perhaps my filter was clogged somehow and water splurted out the back of my tank. I lifted the hood (I have the Eclipse 3 system with the filter cartridge and bio-wheel in the hood) and reached in to pull out the filter cartridge. To my shock and surprise, something slimy darted across the cartridge, brushing my hand. Naturally, I screamed, slamming the hood back down. After a few seconds I realized I had found my BN...
It turns out, in his quest for algae and leftovers, he'd gone against the fast-flowing current coming from the filter outlets and inched his way into the hood. He'd then passed under the spinning bio-wheel and then had flung himself over and into the hood portion where the filter cartridge was. That was apparently the big splash that I'd heard earlier.
I watched as he jumped back down into the bio-wheel level, shot out the outlets and drifted gracefully back to his favorite piece of driftwood...
I managed to take a picture of him in my hood, just contently hanging out and eating...
He's also managed to fling himself into my breeder net to clean up the brown algae and leftover flakes that my fry haven't eaten yet...
Thought some of you might enjoy that story!
