shy bristlenose catfish

[Bill Krosney]

I'm running a 55 gal community tank:

- 4 grown angels (3 male, 1 female) occassionally spawn
- 3 Boesman Rainbows (beautiful fish)
- 9 Rummy nose tetras (great schoolers)
- 1 male krib (killer krib, has taken out 2 females already)
- 3 yoyo loaches
- 1 bristlenose catfish (specific species unknown)

There's a selection fo driftwood and a rock cave (arch actually).
There are some plants; Java Ferns, Java Moss and some low growing
Anubias. Not heavily planted but not sparse, does provide some
coverage.

The bristlenose catfish I purchased over a year ago and he/she (???)
seems healthy. Or at least it seems so.

Problem is I rarely if ever see the fish. Content to spend much of
its time under a driftwood log in the rock cave. I regularly feed
Hikari algae pellets which I drop in at night and are gone in the
morning. When I do an occassional more thorough cleaning of the
gravel and move the driftwood etc. around to access the gravel I see
it, and it seems to be healthy. I'm not sure of the age of the fish,
it was about 4 or 4 1/2 inches long when purchased and I'm guessing
maybe 5 or 5 1/2 inches now.

Although ugly its a beautiful fish in its own right and I'd love for
more of my friends and family to enjoy it. Any suggestions for
encouraging it to "come out more"?

Thanks in advance.

.... Bill

(remove "spamfilter" on e-mail reply)

[Jennifer Brooks]

Alas, bristlenoses are nocturnal, so unless you want to peek at night, you
won't see him much. He is a night stalker!
Jen

[BK]

You should supplement with Fresh Zuchini, or Cucumber. I have a bushy
that is now 5 years old....I feed a 1/2 of fresh zuchini every other
night and Hikari Algae Wafers on the night I don't feed the
zuchini...And yet, this fish rarely comes out in the light. They are
nocturnal.

I have a great pic of mine with it's long bushy whiskers. If you want
to see leave email.

Bill Krosney > wrote:

>I'm running a 55 gal community tank:
>
>- 4 grown angels (3 male, 1 female) occassionally spawn
>- 3 Boesman Rainbows (beautiful fish)
>- 9 Rummy nose tetras (great schoolers)
>- 1 male krib (killer krib, has taken out 2 females already)
>- 3 yoyo loaches
>- 1 bristlenose catfish (specific species unknown)
>
>There's a selection fo driftwood and a rock cave (arch actually).
>There are some plants; Java Ferns, Java Moss and some low growing
>Anubias. Not heavily planted but not sparse, does provide some
>coverage.
>
>The bristlenose catfish I purchased over a year ago and he/she (???)
>seems healthy. Or at least it seems so.
>
>Problem is I rarely if ever see the fish. Content to spend much of
>its time under a driftwood log in the rock cave. I regularly feed
>Hikari algae pellets which I drop in at night and are gone in the
>morning. When I do an occassional more thorough cleaning of the
>gravel and move the driftwood etc. around to access the gravel I see
>it, and it seems to be healthy. I'm not sure of the age of the fish,
>it was about 4 or 4 1/2 inches long when purchased and I'm guessing
>maybe 5 or 5 1/2 inches now.
>
>Although ugly its a beautiful fish in its own right and I'd love for
>more of my friends and family to enjoy it. Any suggestions for
>encouraging it to "come out more"?
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>... Bill
>
>(remove "spamfilter" on e-mail reply)

[Flash Wilson]

On 27 Sep 2003 21:32:17 GMT, Jennifer Brooks > wrote:
>Alas, bristlenoses are nocturnal, so unless you want to peek at night, you
>won't see him much. He is a night stalker!

Mine comes out *all* the time. And if I can't see him directly
I can usually see signs of him, for example leaves shaking violently
as he cleans them!

He won't come out in the brighter part of the tank though, he
prefers a heavily planted corner, and comes out onto the glass
and the front gravel area under the shade of the leaves.

--
Flash Wilson
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Hard, fast, long. Pick two" - Mike Bristow
[Programmers - please don't apply development criteria to sex!]

[Joe Fisher]

I don't have a bristlenose, but my "regular" pleco comes out all the time. I
guess it's individual. For example, I've got a really large clown loach at
school. He almost *never* comes out, he's always hiding in a rock crevice.
But at home, my 2 clown loaches are never *hiding*.your mileage may vary I
guess.:-)

At school I have no idea when the big clown eats, probably at night, because
when I feed he is always in his crevice. But at home,. the 2 clowns I have
run to the top of the tank to get the food when they see me approaching.
They act like they've never been fed before.
--
Joe Fisher
Teacher, K-8
Kalispell, MT
"Flash Wilson" > wrote in message
...
> On 27 Sep 2003 21:32:17 GMT, Jennifer Brooks > wrote:
> >Alas, bristlenoses are nocturnal, so unless you want to peek at night,
you
> >won't see him much. He is a night stalker!
>
> Mine comes out *all* the time. And if I can't see him directly
> I can usually see signs of him, for example leaves shaking violently
> as he cleans them!
>
> He won't come out in the brighter part of the tank though, he
> prefers a heavily planted corner, and comes out onto the glass
> and the front gravel area under the shade of the leaves.
>
> --
> Flash Wilson
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> "Hard, fast, long. Pick two" - Mike Bristow
> [Programmers - please don't apply development criteria to sex!]

[Victor M. Martinez]

Joe Fisher > wrote:
>guess it's individual. For example, I've got a really large clown loach at
>school. He almost *never* comes out, he's always hiding in a rock crevice.
>But at home, my 2 clown loaches are never *hiding*.your mileage may vary I

That's probably because clown loaches are social critters and like to be in
groups. He's probably not a very happy camper being alone.


--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

[Dan Drake]

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 04:56:58 UTC, BK > wrote:

> You should supplement with Fresh Zuchini, or Cucumber. I have a bushy
> that is now 5 years old....I feed a 1/2 of fresh zuchini every other
> night and Hikari Algae Wafers on the night I don't feed the
> zuchini...

What's the best way to feed bushies that share a tank with clown loaches?
I can drop anything I want in there, and the loaches are on it in a
moment, even if I've just fed everybody. I don't think much of it ever
gets to my bristly friends.



--

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