Extremely Shy Pl*co

[Gill Passman]

I bought a Pl*co around 8 weeks ago. I've now correctly identified it as a
Queen Arabesque...I think it's a male coz on the very rare occassions I see
more than his bottom/tail it appears to have a marbled underside.

Since it went in the tank he found a hollow in a piece of driftwood and just
basically doesn't leave it....except on very rare occassions when I've
caught it coming sitting just a little way out of it but still on the wood.
I've never seem him eat but the back of the tank is a bit clearer of algae
than it used to be.

Anytime he senses us near to the tank he scurries further into his
hollow.....

He doesn't appear to be ill - for the fleeting seconds I see him I try to
check him out.

His he just very, very nervous? Or is there something wrong maybe? Or is
this all normal?

Is there anything I can do to encourage him out of his driftwood? He's a
nice looking fish and I would really, really like to see more of him than
his bottom....

Thanks
Gill

[dfreas]

As odd as it sounds the best way to see more of your pl*co is to
provide him with a better hiding place. You say "he scurries further
into his hollow" and my guess would be the reason for this is that he
feels inadequately hidden. How large is the piece of driftwood? Does it
provide enough cover for him to feel enclosed, and is he completely in
shadow when he hides in it? If not he probably feels like he's out in
the open. Give him a cave or something to really hide in and he won't
act so nervous.

Still don't expect to see him swimming happily through the center of
your tank in the middle of the day - pl*cos don't do that much. But if
you give him a good hiding place he'll be less likely to try to cover
himself up whenever someone walks by the tank. A lot of times a pl*co
will stay half way in his cave and they rarely go running for cover if
they feel safe.

Another thing that will help is if you start feeding him algae wafers.
Hikari is a good brand, I've never had much luck with Wardley - my
pl*co will eat them if it's all that's available but he was never very
happy about them and would continue to look for something better until
he was convinced that it was the only wafer I had dropped in the tank.
If you feed him at the same time every day (just before lights out is
best) then after a week or so you'll see him come out and start looking
for his wafer around feeding time.

They hide a lot and aren't very active but it doesn't take long to find
yourself thinking of that inactive shadow as your favorite fish.

-Daniel

[Gill Passman]

"dfreas" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> As odd as it sounds the best way to see more of your pl*co is to
> provide him with a better hiding place. You say "he scurries further
> into his hollow" and my guess would be the reason for this is that he
> feels inadequately hidden. How large is the piece of driftwood? Does it
> provide enough cover for him to feel enclosed, and is he completely in
> shadow when he hides in it? If not he probably feels like he's out in
> the open. Give him a cave or something to really hide in and he won't
> act so nervous.
>
> Still don't expect to see him swimming happily through the center of
> your tank in the middle of the day - pl*cos don't do that much. But if
> you give him a good hiding place he'll be less likely to try to cover
> himself up whenever someone walks by the tank. A lot of times a pl*co
> will stay half way in his cave and they rarely go running for cover if
> they feel safe.
>
> Another thing that will help is if you start feeding him algae wafers.
> Hikari is a good brand, I've never had much luck with Wardley - my
> pl*co will eat them if it's all that's available but he was never very
> happy about them and would continue to look for something better until
> he was convinced that it was the only wafer I had dropped in the tank.
> If you feed him at the same time every day (just before lights out is
> best) then after a week or so you'll see him come out and start looking
> for his wafer around feeding time.
>
> They hide a lot and aren't very active but it doesn't take long to find
> yourself thinking of that inactive shadow as your favorite fish.
>
> -Daniel
>
Hi Daniel,

Thanks for your reply. You've reassured me a lot :-)

He sits pretty much half hidden most of the time but when he does go totally
into his hollow you can't see him at all. It's a pretty big bit of driftwood
(I would guess around 1 foot in length). There is a similar size piece at th
e other end of the tank that he tried first before selecting his current
home after a day or two of being in the tank.

I'll certainly give the late feeding a try. He doesn't look as if he is
going short but this is something that has been worrying me. Hopefully the
Clown Loaches will be less active by then and won't take it before he gets a
chance which has been happening - they normally take themselves "off to bed"
around an hour before lights out.

Other than that, I guess I'll have to resign myself to only seeing the tail
end of this very lovely fish most of the time....until he feels comfortable
enough to put in more appearances.

Thanks again

Gill

[Justin Boucher]

You got some good advice here.

I would just like to add that Pl*cos are nocturnal and will avoid the light
as much as they can.
I recently added a pl*co to my tank and after the first few hours, he seemed
to disappear. I was concerned that I may have had a casualty when nearly a
week went by and I never saw him. But, the back glass (which I don't clean
so it can be a good source of algae for snails and fish) was getting cleaner
and cleaner with each passing day.

So, I staged a flashlight near the tank and late in the dark of night, I
would search the tank with the flashlight. Sure enough, there he was having
a grand ole time with all the food along the back glass looking as healthy
and beautiful as can be. (Even though he constantly swam away from the
flishlight beam).

He's just got one hell of a good hiding place during the day and I don't
need to worry anymore.
Justin

"Gill Passman" <gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk> wrote in message
.. .
>
> "dfreas" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > As odd as it sounds the best way to see more of your pl*co is to
> > provide him with a better hiding place. You say "he scurries further
> > into his hollow" and my guess would be the reason for this is that he
> > feels inadequately hidden. How large is the piece of driftwood? Does it
> > provide enough cover for him to feel enclosed, and is he completely in
> > shadow when he hides in it? If not he probably feels like he's out in
> > the open. Give him a cave or something to really hide in and he won't
> > act so nervous.
> >
> > Still don't expect to see him swimming happily through the center of
> > your tank in the middle of the day - pl*cos don't do that much. But if
> > you give him a good hiding place he'll be less likely to try to cover
> > himself up whenever someone walks by the tank. A lot of times a pl*co
> > will stay half way in his cave and they rarely go running for cover if
> > they feel safe.
> >
> > Another thing that will help is if you start feeding him algae wafers.
> > Hikari is a good brand, I've never had much luck with Wardley - my
> > pl*co will eat them if it's all that's available but he was never very
> > happy about them and would continue to look for something better until
> > he was convinced that it was the only wafer I had dropped in the tank.
> > If you feed him at the same time every day (just before lights out is
> > best) then after a week or so you'll see him come out and start looking
> > for his wafer around feeding time.
> >
> > They hide a lot and aren't very active but it doesn't take long to find
> > yourself thinking of that inactive shadow as your favorite fish.
> >
> > -Daniel
> >
> Hi Daniel,
>
> Thanks for your reply. You've reassured me a lot :-)
>
> He sits pretty much half hidden most of the time but when he does go
totally
> into his hollow you can't see him at all. It's a pretty big bit of
driftwood
> (I would guess around 1 foot in length). There is a similar size piece at
th
> e other end of the tank that he tried first before selecting his current
> home after a day or two of being in the tank.
>
> I'll certainly give the late feeding a try. He doesn't look as if he is
> going short but this is something that has been worrying me. Hopefully the
> Clown Loaches will be less active by then and won't take it before he gets
a
> chance which has been happening - they normally take themselves "off to
bed"
> around an hour before lights out.
>
> Other than that, I guess I'll have to resign myself to only seeing the
tail
> end of this very lovely fish most of the time....until he feels
comfortable
> enough to put in more appearances.
>
> Thanks again
>
> Gill
>
>

[Elaine T]

Gill Passman wrote:
> I bought a Pl*co around 8 weeks ago. I've now correctly identified it as a
> Queen Arabesque...I think it's a male coz on the very rare occassions I see
> more than his bottom/tail it appears to have a marbled underside.
>
> Since it went in the tank he found a hollow in a piece of driftwood and just
> basically doesn't leave it....except on very rare occassions when I've
> caught it coming sitting just a little way out of it but still on the wood.
> I've never seem him eat but the back of the tank is a bit clearer of algae
> than it used to be.
>
> Anytime he senses us near to the tank he scurries further into his
> hollow.....
>
> He doesn't appear to be ill - for the fleeting seconds I see him I try to
> check him out.
>
> His he just very, very nervous? Or is there something wrong maybe? Or is
> this all normal?
>
> Is there anything I can do to encourage him out of his driftwood? He's a
> nice looking fish and I would really, really like to see more of him than
> his bottom....
>
> Thanks
> Gill
>
>
I had a zebra pleco who would disappear for weeks on end into the jungle
of my 29 gallon plant tank. I'd only see him to know he was alive when
I gravel-vacced near wherever he happened to be hiding. This critter
wouldn't even come out to let me see him eat the bottom feeder wafers I
faithfully dropped in. $$$ for a drop-dead gorgeous invisible fish!

A year later out of sheer frustration, I dumped the invisible pleco into
a Tanganyikan tank half-filled with rocks. Suddenly, he was out and
about every evening to get his chunk of Hikari algae wafer. Now that I
know more about zebra pleco habitat, I think maybe the stronger water
movement and rocks in that tank made him feel more at home. The light
was also dimmer because I wasn't growing plants other than Anubias.
Finally, he was also the only nocturnal fish so perhaps competition from
the boisterous clown loaches made him uncomfortable in the other tank.

So...if he's similar to H. zebra maybe more current, some rocks, dimmer
lighting, and fewer nocturnal competitors?

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[McEve]

"Gill Passman" <gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk> wrote in message
.. .
>
> Anytime he senses us near to the tank he scurries further into his
> hollow.....
> His he just very, very nervous? Or is there something wrong maybe? Or is
> this all normal?
>
> Is there anything I can do to encourage him out of his driftwood? He's a
> nice looking fish and I would really, really like to see more of him than
> his bottom....
>
> Thanks
> Gill
>

I found that having several makes them feel more secure. I had two Queens in
the tank, and "never" saw any of them. After buying one more I now see all
of them much more. I've found the same goes for L46 and LDA33 as well.

Might be worth a try?

[Gill Passman]

"Elaine T" > wrote in message
om...
> Gill Passman wrote:
> > I bought a Pl*co around 8 weeks ago. I've now correctly identified it as
a
> > Queen Arabesque...I think it's a male coz on the very rare occassions I
see
> > more than his bottom/tail it appears to have a marbled underside.
> >
> > Since it went in the tank he found a hollow in a piece of driftwood and
just
> > basically doesn't leave it....except on very rare occassions when I've
> > caught it coming sitting just a little way out of it but still on the
wood.
> > I've never seem him eat but the back of the tank is a bit clearer of
algae
> > than it used to be.
> >
> > Anytime he senses us near to the tank he scurries further into his
> > hollow.....
> >
> > He doesn't appear to be ill - for the fleeting seconds I see him I try
to
> > check him out.
> >
> > His he just very, very nervous? Or is there something wrong maybe? Or is
> > this all normal?
> >
> > Is there anything I can do to encourage him out of his driftwood? He's a
> > nice looking fish and I would really, really like to see more of him
than
> > his bottom....
> >
> > Thanks
> > Gill
> >
> >
> I had a zebra pleco who would disappear for weeks on end into the jungle
> of my 29 gallon plant tank. I'd only see him to know he was alive when
> I gravel-vacced near wherever he happened to be hiding. This critter
> wouldn't even come out to let me see him eat the bottom feeder wafers I
> faithfully dropped in. $$$ for a drop-dead gorgeous invisible fish!
>
> A year later out of sheer frustration, I dumped the invisible pleco into
> a Tanganyikan tank half-filled with rocks. Suddenly, he was out and
> about every evening to get his chunk of Hikari algae wafer. Now that I
> know more about zebra pleco habitat, I think maybe the stronger water
> movement and rocks in that tank made him feel more at home. The light
> was also dimmer because I wasn't growing plants other than Anubias.
> Finally, he was also the only nocturnal fish so perhaps competition from
> the boisterous clown loaches made him uncomfortable in the other tank.
>
> So...if he's similar to H. zebra maybe more current, some rocks, dimmer
> lighting, and fewer nocturnal competitors?
>
> --
> __ Elaine T __
> ><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

Hi Elaine,
I'll look into this...maybe he would be out and about more in the Malawi
tank...just need to check the conditions and then if it is a goer work out
how to net him and move him without causing him too much stress....the only
plants in there are Anubias but the Mbuna's are doing a good job on the
algae....like you I find it ironic that I only ever see the tail end of the
most expensive fish I ever bought - lol

Thx
Gill

[Gill Passman]

"McEve" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Gill Passman" <gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk> wrote in message
> .. .
> >
> > Anytime he senses us near to the tank he scurries further into his
> > hollow.....
> > His he just very, very nervous? Or is there something wrong maybe? Or is
> > this all normal?
> >
> > Is there anything I can do to encourage him out of his driftwood? He's a
> > nice looking fish and I would really, really like to see more of him
than
> > his bottom....
> >
> > Thanks
> > Gill
> >
>
> I found that having several makes them feel more secure. I had two Queens
in
> the tank, and "never" saw any of them. After buying one more I now see all
> of them much more. I've found the same goes for L46 and LDA33 as well.
>
> Might be worth a try?
>
>
I'd like this option but really cannot put any more fish into this
tank.....looking into Elaine's idea of moving him to the Malawi tank at
which point I can add more fish coz it's nowhere near stocked.

Thanks for the update
Gill

[Gill Passman]

"Gill Passman" <gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk> wrote in message
.. .
>
> "dfreas" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > As odd as it sounds the best way to see more of your pl*co is to
> > provide him with a better hiding place. You say "he scurries further
> > into his hollow" and my guess would be the reason for this is that he
> > feels inadequately hidden. How large is the piece of driftwood? Does it
> > provide enough cover for him to feel enclosed, and is he completely in
> > shadow when he hides in it? If not he probably feels like he's out in
> > the open. Give him a cave or something to really hide in and he won't
> > act so nervous.
> >
> > Still don't expect to see him swimming happily through the center of
> > your tank in the middle of the day - pl*cos don't do that much. But if
> > you give him a good hiding place he'll be less likely to try to cover
> > himself up whenever someone walks by the tank. A lot of times a pl*co
> > will stay half way in his cave and they rarely go running for cover if
> > they feel safe.
> >
> > Another thing that will help is if you start feeding him algae wafers.
> > Hikari is a good brand, I've never had much luck with Wardley - my
> > pl*co will eat them if it's all that's available but he was never very
> > happy about them and would continue to look for something better until
> > he was convinced that it was the only wafer I had dropped in the tank.
> > If you feed him at the same time every day (just before lights out is
> > best) then after a week or so you'll see him come out and start looking
> > for his wafer around feeding time.
> >
> > They hide a lot and aren't very active but it doesn't take long to find
> > yourself thinking of that inactive shadow as your favorite fish.
> >
> > -Daniel
> >
> Hi Daniel,
>
> Thanks for your reply. You've reassured me a lot :-)
>
> He sits pretty much half hidden most of the time but when he does go
totally
> into his hollow you can't see him at all. It's a pretty big bit of
driftwood
> (I would guess around 1 foot in length). There is a similar size piece at
th
> e other end of the tank that he tried first before selecting his current
> home after a day or two of being in the tank.
>
> I'll certainly give the late feeding a try. He doesn't look as if he is
> going short but this is something that has been worrying me. Hopefully the
> Clown Loaches will be less active by then and won't take it before he gets
a
> chance which has been happening - they normally take themselves "off to
bed"
> around an hour before lights out.
>
> Other than that, I guess I'll have to resign myself to only seeing the
tail
> end of this very lovely fish most of the time....until he feels
comfortable
> enough to put in more appearances.
>
> Thanks again
>
> Gill
>
>
Seen him at his most active ever tonight....I dropped a wafer right into his
hollow...he didn;t stop moving until he had totally thrown it out for
everyone else to get - lol.....maybe I should try some other wafers....

[Gill Passman]

"Justin Boucher" > wrote in message
...
> You got some good advice here.
>
> I would just like to add that Pl*cos are nocturnal and will avoid the
light
> as much as they can.
> I recently added a pl*co to my tank and after the first few hours, he
seemed
> to disappear. I was concerned that I may have had a casualty when nearly
a
> week went by and I never saw him. But, the back glass (which I don't
clean
> so it can be a good source of algae for snails and fish) was getting
cleaner
> and cleaner with each passing day.
>
> So, I staged a flashlight near the tank and late in the dark of night, I
> would search the tank with the flashlight. Sure enough, there he was
having
> a grand ole time with all the food along the back glass looking as healthy
> and beautiful as can be. (Even though he constantly swam away from the
> flishlight beam).
>
> He's just got one hell of a good hiding place during the day and I don't
> need to worry anymore.
> Justin
>
> "Gill Passman" <gillspamattaylorpassmanspam.co.uk> wrote in message
> .. .
> >
> > "dfreas" > wrote in message
> > oups.com...
> > > As odd as it sounds the best way to see more of your pl*co is to
> > > provide him with a better hiding place. You say "he scurries further
> > > into his hollow" and my guess would be the reason for this is that he
> > > feels inadequately hidden. How large is the piece of driftwood? Does
it
> > > provide enough cover for him to feel enclosed, and is he completely in
> > > shadow when he hides in it? If not he probably feels like he's out in
> > > the open. Give him a cave or something to really hide in and he won't
> > > act so nervous.
> > >
> > > Still don't expect to see him swimming happily through the center of
> > > your tank in the middle of the day - pl*cos don't do that much. But if
> > > you give him a good hiding place he'll be less likely to try to cover
> > > himself up whenever someone walks by the tank. A lot of times a pl*co
> > > will stay half way in his cave and they rarely go running for cover if
> > > they feel safe.
> > >
> > > Another thing that will help is if you start feeding him algae wafers.
> > > Hikari is a good brand, I've never had much luck with Wardley - my
> > > pl*co will eat them if it's all that's available but he was never very
> > > happy about them and would continue to look for something better until
> > > he was convinced that it was the only wafer I had dropped in the tank.
> > > If you feed him at the same time every day (just before lights out is
> > > best) then after a week or so you'll see him come out and start
looking
> > > for his wafer around feeding time.
> > >
> > > They hide a lot and aren't very active but it doesn't take long to
find
> > > yourself thinking of that inactive shadow as your favorite fish.
> > >
> > > -Daniel
> > >
> > Hi Daniel,
> >
> > Thanks for your reply. You've reassured me a lot :-)
> >
> > He sits pretty much half hidden most of the time but when he does go
> totally
> > into his hollow you can't see him at all. It's a pretty big bit of
> driftwood
> > (I would guess around 1 foot in length). There is a similar size piece
at
> th
> > e other end of the tank that he tried first before selecting his current
> > home after a day or two of being in the tank.
> >
> > I'll certainly give the late feeding a try. He doesn't look as if he is
> > going short but this is something that has been worrying me. Hopefully
the
> > Clown Loaches will be less active by then and won't take it before he
gets
> a
> > chance which has been happening - they normally take themselves "off to
> bed"
> > around an hour before lights out.
> >
> > Other than that, I guess I'll have to resign myself to only seeing the
> tail
> > end of this very lovely fish most of the time....until he feels
> comfortable
> > enough to put in more appearances.
> >
> > Thanks again
> >
> > Gill
> >
> >
>
>

A quick update on this....I've been dropping a wafer onto his bit of wood
morning and night and although he doesn't come of the wood I am seeing the
whole of him rather than his rear-end.

Thanks everyone