Rubber Lip Pleco?

[wet44]

I think he is stripes. But he might not be old enough to actually see what they are.

 

[Seed_Lord]

Only fish i ever had a problem with keeping them with was discus, because they'd attach themselves to their body, so should be fine with anything that hasnt got a broad body like cories tetras etc

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

As xingumike has already written, most Chaetostoma species (of which there are 30+) need sub-tropical temperatures in the 68-72F ballpark with a realtively massive current compared to most fish, so that the levels of oxygen are high enough for their specialised needs like "hillstream loaches."
Even planetcatfish does not list every known species to date, but it it is an excellent starting point, http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/genus.php?genus_id=26.

The first few weeks of settling into you tank setup are critical for these fish, they can be a nightmare to get eating, so putting your "Rubbernose" in its own quarantine tank is verging on vital.
"I wish I could take credit for this, but my hat is off to Norbert Flaugger of Casa Maria, Venezuela who, in conversation with Shane Linder passed on this method that works wonders for raising tough fry and acclimatizing picky loricariids.

1. Grind your favourite fish food to bits. You can add any kind of fish food and even ground, dried vegetables.
2. Separate an egg white from the yolk.
3. Mix the egg white and fish food.
4. Paint the resulting mixture on a flat rock or driftwood.
5. Let it dry rock hard.

Place it in the tank. The dry egg white will only dissolve very slowly in water. Your happy loricariids will eat away since this mimics their "natural" foods. Fry also benefit from the protein in the egg white." (taken from http/www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/shanesworld.php?article_id=294)

 

[wet44]

Could I do this, but not use a quarantine tank? Because I don't really have a quarantine tank or have room for one.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

These catfish tend to be incredibly weak, due to how they are caught and shipped to the LFSs, who then usually underfeed their tanks. If you can get them eating and putting on weight with a good diet, they become "hard as nails", for example Tizer has three Chaetostoma milesi doing very well in a community tank. I bought a L444 this time last year and sadly saw it pass away several weeks later, almost certainly through starvation as I never saw it eat in a community tank (but then I could say the same about some of my Synodontis who are still healthy over a year on).

By all means, try the "rock painting" technique in your community tank, placing newly painted rock(s) in the same location as and when the old one is cleaned off. Placing the rock(s) in a relatively quiet are of the tank seems to help, away from the turbulent current.

What powerheads and filters are you using to create a heavily rippled water surface? You ought to be looking at 8x true water (eg. 2000lph in a 240l) turnover at least, if not more in the ballpark of 12x.

 

[wet44]

Should I get a small rock from the store? Or just find one outside and wash it off?
My filter is a 250 gallon per hour. I have a 50 gallon tank.

Should I buy a small rock from the pet store?
My fish tank is 50 gallons and my filter is 250 gallons per hour.

 

[xingumike]

I posted the egg white on rock method in the Gold Nugget thread that is running, although it doesn't list it in such easy steps, great post Goat.

If Shane says it I tend to listen

Edit, any rock should do, one with a flat surface is best, like a large pebble.

Ideally your tank needs more turnover, maybe add a powerhead?

 

[wet44]

I have the tetras and cories too, will they be ok with the powerhead?

How should I dry the egg? Just leave it at a windowsill for a few hours?

 

[wet44]

And I also have quite a long air rock in there. Would that neutralize the need for a powerhead?

 

[xingumike]

Yes the tetra and corys will be fine.

Air stone isn't a substitute for the gas exchange at the surface and current a powerhead will provide.

I've never run an airstone, I'd prefer a powerhead with a venturi as an alternative.

Other option would be to put another filter in, depends how much room you have

 

[snazy]

Air stone isn't a substitute for the gas exchange at the surface and current a powerhead will provide

I thought that watever makes the water surface more turbulent is fine for aerating the tank, whether a powerhead or air stone. Of course, if the air stone is making only some decorative bubbles without disturbing the surface at all, then it is useless in terms of oxygen and a waterfall type spray bar from the filter, or additional powerhead positioned to disturb the water surface will do better. So it all depends ot the type of setup.

 

[wet44]

I'd prefer a powerhead with a venturi as an alternative.

'

What is a venturi?

 

[xingumike]

Powerheads that allow you to attach an airtube to them so they spray air out with the water