Troubleshooting a bristlenose pleco

[dr.tran]

I got 8 baby bristlenose plecos about 6 months ago. Half were albino. Sadly most of them died and I'm left with 3. 2 abino and from what i can tell, one to be a male.

But after all this time, there has always been a few things that troubled me. I never ever seen my plecos eat. I used the sonic pellets it first came with.
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/aucti...odp&1206311398

But I never seen them go for it. Everyone else tells me they go wild for it. I think in the begining they died because they slowly starved to death. Then I tried blanched, boiled, frozen vegtables. Nothing. I think the 3 survied by eating algae in the tanks. Which would explain their slow grow. I tried algae wafers but only the shrimp goes for that.

So what should I do?

They are also extremely shy. When ever I turn on the lights they hid in the back. I rarely do see them.

Also do they eat GSA?

[lauraleellbp]

I'd try catfish wafers. My catfish all love them, plecos included. Hikari makes the one I use.

Drop a few in the tank at night; it's likely that they are nocturnal feeders and the food keeps getting all eaten during the day by the time they come out to feed.

[Lee]

What are your water parameters?

[dr.tran]

I'm not too sure of my parameters. I know its around 6 pH and its very soft. No ferts in my pleco tanks.

I'm using hikari already Hikari shrimp and algae wafers. Well I would get more food but the problem is I feel like I live in a warehouse. I thought peas and cucumbers would get them to eat.

[lauraleellbp]

Are you feeding at night, though?

And I think that Lee is asking also for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte levels.

[dr.tran]

Yeah I feed at night. I tried that, in the morning and around noon just too see if theres any difference. At night with the lights off, I check on them every few hours to see if they ate or got near it. So far nothing.

Yeah I know lee was asking for that but I don't have test kits. The only parameters I know are when I tested my tank many months ago.

[lauraleellbp]

Another possibility is a genetic issue. Albinos are particularly susceptible b/c of the inbreeding that goes into producing them...

[eyebeatbadgers]

My bristlenose are also very skiddish. I've had them for about six months as well, and though I do see them eat often, if they see me walking up to the tank, or even feel my footsteps, they dart off to a hiding spot. They may be eating, but taking off before you can get up to the tank.

[greenleaf888]

I have had a bristle nose pleco for around 1 year now and I have had similar problems. Mine has always been very skittish and too nervous to take food. But lately it has gotten slightly larger and more boisterous, to the point it will dart at my larger armored catfish and rip their fins.

Mine has very poor color and marking, a poor example at best. As was mentioned above, I often wonder if inbreeding is the cause for the poor quality and it's strange behavior.

I would strongly suggest adding driftwood if you don't already have it.
it seems the biggest part it's diet like many other plecos, is wood. It spends 90% of it's time eating away at the underside of driftwood, but it will come out for the Hikari algae wafers or blanched cucumber at lights out. Sometimes it will come out at night to rake algae off the glass or forage but not often.

[mistergreen]

let the tank grow algae just in case they're not eating the other foods.

I have a rubber lip pleco that's the same way. I catch him grazing the glass at night... And he has grown in the past year so he's eating something. I have bottom feeders too so he might eat those wafers.

[rmc]

Bristlenose will almost always go after zuchinni even during the day. I cut mine in 1/4 inch slices and put them into a pot of cold water, bring the pot to a rolling boil, then let cool. The zuchinni should sink as it cools..... you can add cold water to speed up the process. When you drop a piece in their tank they should be all over it in just a few minutes.