Bristlenose Pleco's & Bog Wood

[Schmill]

Do BristleNose Plecos NEED bogwood, or as long as you feed them a good diet of algea flakes to suplement their cleanup will they be happy?

I currently have a bulldog Pleco in my 60L tank, and when i move him over to my 300L tank I was thinking of adding perhaps 1 more bulldog pleco and perhaps 2 bristlenose plecos.
Will they all be happy together? the only other 'bottom' fish in there will be some albino cory's. (Currently have 3 as one died, so might get an extra 3 when the tank switch over happens).

Also can I post my proposed stocking list on here for checking? I tried the site with the 'virtual tank' (thinkfish I think?), but it didn't have most of my fish and I didn't know what to substitute instead!

 

[Nick16]

they rasp off and eat the bogwood, i advise it for nearly all plecos. its a must for a BN imo

 

[Davo86]

As nick says that will greatly benefit from bogwood, I have 4 plecs (3bristlenose) and they are around the bogwood 95% of the time
Also feel free to post your stocking here

 

[chesterscot]

have to agree with the above
bog woods a good idea for plecs
scot

 

[Schmill]

Guess I'll be hunting out a nice flatish piece next time I'm at the store then - lol
Will it affect cycling at all? (Should I keep it out until cycled?)

 

[minxfishy]

Wont make any difference to your cycling, put it in whenever you want, just give it a good wash before adding it, preferably boil it to release some of the tannins, it will probably still leech into the water, but this wont effect your water quality, just looks like tea staining.

 

[Schmill]

Thanks all!

 

[ALW]

Wont make any difference to your cycling, put it in whenever you want, just give it a good wash before adding it, preferably boil it to release some of the tannins, it will probably still leech into the water, but this wont effect your water quality, just looks like tea staining.

Actually it can slow the process down, but the chances are it wont. This is because bogwood lowers the pH of the water making it more acidic. The more acidic the water is the longer it takes for the bacteria to multiple. This then will slow the cycling process. Although the odds that it will lower the pH that much are at best slim, it depends on the hardness of your water. If its low then the odds increase, if its high then the odds decrease.

 

[snowflake311]

You know I think there are plenty of plecos living with out bogwood. They will survive with out it. BUT it is best for them to have some it helps with their digestion. They will live a happier and healthy long life with bogwood. So if you want the best for your pleco you would get some. He will not die if he does not have it.

And when you get the bogwood depending on the size it can take a week for a small piece to be ready. 2 weeks for mid size chunk. and any larger well it take a long time to soak the tannins out of it. I have been soaking mine for 9 days I'm almost done. I keep it in a bucket and change that water everyday with steaming hot water. It still takes forever. But it's worth it they love the stuff.

 

[Schmill]

Ok, I think I will get a piece as I want my fish to be happy!
Not a huge ornate piece like I've seen in some tanks, as I'd already bought my ornaments before I found out that I'd need it, but hopefully a flatish piece will be ok for them?

This is how it looks at the moment, but I am going to be planting it up once it has cycled, (and yes, I have a black background to put in place when I get a chance )

Just hoping that the bog wood won't look out of place in there now... I really like the 'artifical' ornaments and think they look pretty realistic, but once there is something REAL in there they may just look plastic


Incidently I bought this 'cave' ornament for my bulldog pleco;

but I am hoping to have maybe 4 plecos in the tank eventually, (2 bristlenose, and 2 bulldogs). Do you think they will be happy with the 'tree stump' too?

 

[Jallen]

Just hoping that the bog wood won't look out of place in there now... I really like the 'artifical' ornaments and think they look pretty realistic, but once there is something REAL in there they may just look plastic

I have an artificial plant and an artificial hand root thing and my Mopani root doesn't look out of place at all. Trust me. Wood cannot look out of place. It's a perfect centrepiece, it looks stunning in the water.

 

[snowflake311]

Your decor looks like rocks and I think the wood will add a nice touch. I don't think bogwood ever looks out of place. Some pieces can be so beautiful I have a small piece in and it is my favourite thing I would rather have all wood. It's a deep beautiful brown and its nature it never looks out of place with plants around.

Yes a small piece would be fine But once you get one you will more its just so pretty. I started with one small piece now I got another med size piece that I am going to put in replace of this fake rock thing I have.

 

[Schmill]

Thanks for the encouraging comments, I decided to get some, and yes when I was there (at P@H of all places!), I found two pieces I liked the look of.
They always seem bigger once you put them in the tank than they did in the shop!
I boiled them for several hours to reduce the tannins, and also let them soak for a few days, but here are some pictures of them sitting in my tanks whilst it does it's fishless cycle, (I shuffled some of the other ornaments around to to try and find something I liked, difficult to tell until I get plants in there though!)

Left:

Right:

Front:

Another one with the bubbles running

 

[snowflake311]

Very nice. Good job and it still looks good and your fish will be happy. All you need are some plants and then the fish I am sure the tank will look great in the end.

I added another larger piece to my tank. It was like Christmas for my bristle nose. I put it right were the filter is so she has a little currant and she LOVES IT. It is her new favourite spot.

 

[B13]

Hi all!!

I was mis-sold a Sailfin Plec (I was told it only grew to 6cms...) but I'm gonna keep the lil' fella until he/she gets too big for my tank. But until then, I want it to be a Happy Fish, so...

Where can you get bogwood from? For a fish that is 6cms long (and growing, thereby disproving the idiot who sold me the damned thing!) how much will it need to nibble on? Do I saw a slice off, boil/soak it and pop it into the tank until it's all been eaten or does the plec like a fresh slice every few days?

And if bogwood has a tendency to leak tannins (even after soaking/boiling) are there any fish that don't like this? (I have Zebra Danios, Coolie Loaches and a Siamese Flying Fox in my tank.)

I'm currently feeding it Tetra Pleco Wafers and as I type, it's currently chomping down on a potato slice...

(I plan on exchanging my fella for a Bristlenose BTW!!)