Bristlenose And Caves

[Ashley1991]

hi

i am getting 2 bristlenose babies tommorow i have one cave made out of a plant pot will they both go into this or will i need a cave at each end??

Cheers
Ash

 

[waterdrop]

Interesting question Ash, I don't know the answer but maybe one of our other forum members will. Bristlenose Plecs are one of our most popular bottom dwellers, I think because they don't grow to be so huge and they are quite interesting to look at. I don't even know if they particularly need caves, so I'll be interested in the answer if we get one.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[roadmaster]

hi

i am getting 2 bristlenose babies tommorow i have one cave made out of a plant pot will they both go into this or will i need a cave at each end??

Cheers
Ash

Babies would use the same pot or cave but I have found that adult Bristlenose ,even mated pairs,often prefer their own cave or piece of driftwood to rest near. When they mate,the male will often drive the female away after she has laid the clutch of eggs and he gaurds the nest quite vigorously.
I use clay pots,Pieces of dark PVC pipe siliconed to a flat rock to hold it down ,or place a rock on top of the PVC pipe to hold it down. They seem not to care for PVC pipe much wider than their heads and feel more comfortable around wood than any other form of cover but they will also use rock caves. Hope this helps.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

This thread nicely links up with my current interest in BN Plecs for the community I hope to start within the next few weeks.

Is natural driftwood/bogwood an absolute must for these guys in the tank?

Given that the wood will leak tannins and try to lower the water pH, I'm a little concerned.

 

[Jenste]

yes, it is one of the very few "musts" needed for this species - - it is essential for them to rasp on

 

[Ashley1991]

Thank you all for your replies very interesting reading i shall keep in mind that 2 caves may be needed when they grow older but by then i most likely will have more wood for them to hide under

Is natural driftwood/bogwood an absolute must for these guys in the tank?

from the research i have done yes wood is a must but nowhere could i find actually why they need to do it there are some theory's i have found while reading and its rather interesting having a look at the theories.

maybe someone has a definate answer from this forum??

Ash

 

[sic0198]

I imagine the tannins would be good for 'em.

 

[england]

Bristlenoses need going hiding places, the darker the better, ensure you have more than enough hidey holes. beleive it or not these plecs although small are pretty aggressive so try to keep bottom dwellers to a minimum, all aside they are a great fish,one which i have bred quite a few times..

 

[Gilli]

This thread nicely links up with my current interest in BN Plecs for the community I hope to start within the next few weeks.

Is natural driftwood/bogwood an absolute must for these guys in the tank?

Given that the wood will leak tannins and try to lower the water pH, I'm a little concerned.

Some people say yes you need it some say you dont. I err on the side of caution for my 2 x BN and have put bogwood in. You can buy it already pre-soaked and with plants growing on it inexpesively from Ebay, it doesnt have to be huge - this way you dont have to worry about your water turning yellow, with the added bonus of it looks good with a plant on it.

 

[Ashley1991]

Bristlenoses need going hiding places, the darker the better, ensure you have more than enough hidey holes. beleive it or not these plecs although small are pretty aggressive so try to keep bottom dwellers to a minimum, all aside they are a great fish,one which i have bred quite a few times..

its very dark inside the cave so hopefully they will like it

thanks for the replys

ash

 

[OldMan47]

There are two very common but essential needs for a BN plec. They must have some real wood to aid their digestion and each adult male must have his own hidey hole for him to dominate as a territory. I find that a nice big real wood ornament means lots of places for my BNPs to get their wood fix and the individual cave-like structures should run at the number of males you have in the tank plus one extra. If you have two males, that means get 3 cave-like structures, etc. I want my BNPs to breed so I try my best to give them the required cave structures for their efforts.

 

[Ashley1991]

There are two very common but essential needs for a BN plec. They must have some real wood to aid their digestion and each adult male must have his own hidey hole for him to dominate as a territory. I find that a nice big real wood ornament means lots of places for my BNPs to get their wood fix and the individual cave-like structures should run at the number of males you have in the tank plus one extra. If you have two males, that means get 3 cave-like structures, etc. I want my BNPs to breed so I try my best to give them the required cave structures for their efforts.

i am currently looking for a huge extra piece of wood which will have lots of holes in thanks for the advice

Ash

 

[fuzzynicki]

I bought some lovely pre-soaked bogwood on e-bay. I re-boiled it once it arrived, but have had no problems since. I have two clown plecos, and albino bn plus a breeding pair of long fin bn's in my aquarium. Also quite a number of juvenile longfins! I have two lots of bogwood and 6 caves. The aquarium is also densely planted so there's no shortage of hiding places. My plecos all live very peacefully together and I have never experience any aggression between any of them.

My clowns are hardly seen, but my bn's are always out and about and are such prolific algae eaters they are a must!