Gatito Posted April 19, 2006 Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 Hey guys, i'm getting some baby bristlenose catfish tomorrow!! :bounce: So cute!! They're gonna be joining my siamese fighting fish in 2 tanks, and helping out as a mini cleaning crew Other than some driftwood for roughage, is there anything else i should specifically get/know? Have done some homework, but the best knowledge is through experience, so any tips or help would be much appreciated... Cheers!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kookie Posted April 19, 2006 Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 yep, the love courgette. Good to supplement their diet with spirulina or algae discs too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted April 19, 2006 Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 do you know how small they are? they often dont move tanks well if under a couple of cm long. good luck, they are great fish and you should be able to breed your own with out too much trouble. keep an eye on any food you feed them as they usually have plently of food in the tank anyway so might not eat added food which will rot after a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatito Posted April 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 they're just under 3cm, hopefully will be just fine - i'll wrap them in cotton wool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted April 19, 2006 Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 Excellent they will be fine at that size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted April 19, 2006 Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 The bristlenoses I have brought recently were only about 1 to 2 cm total length I adjusted them to the tank gradually and ive had no losses so you should be fine.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatito Posted April 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2006 They've arrived!!! Yay!!! The courier guy was tipping the box and i was like "oh, been playing footie with that one?" He laughed and smiled at me and i was like "No, look at the box" (It had 'LIVE FISH' clearly written all over the box). He glanced at it and smiled again - a smile that quickly wilted when i shot him a look of disapproval and asked if i should really sign for it after how careless he'd been. That got him. Very funny after. Babies looking fine and SO MUCH CUTER THAN EXPECTED. Don't really want them to get much bigger now.... awwwww..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Posted April 20, 2006 Report Share Posted April 20, 2006 they are just as cute when they get up to a few inches through accidents and 'newbeeism' i have managed to put bristlenoses in a lot of situations that would (or did ) kill other fish - extreme temperatures, high ammonia levels, dirty buckets outside for a week (siphoned one out) the only one that ever died managed to get itself stuck inside my cannister filter and (hope this isn't too graphic) got munched by the impella. again, my fault as i didn't take care to protect the fish from the equipment. be warned - when they start to breed there is a high chance of an epidemic one male will take eggs from multiple females and guard them - enjoy them when they are small and cute! so yeah, i give these little guys a 10/10 for toughness, cuteness, and longevity. others opinions may vary, results may be localised time/space distortion effects, not suitable for tanks without water or children under three, batteries not included etc etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modern Angl Posted April 20, 2006 Report Share Posted April 20, 2006 I successfully killed about 40 baby bristlenose by incorrectly setting up a trap made from a plastic bottle for them to move them out of the tank they were in. Let's just say that some food in the trap to lure them in and insufficient water flow through the trap overnight is not a good combination.... live and learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatito Posted April 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2006 Ok, so no carnivorous filters or silent-but-deadly bottles.... Thanks for the advice so far guys, they're so cute i can't wait to see them loose in the tank (water temp nearly done adjusting)... Lol, what's the bet that in the future i'll be making another panicked post because suddenly there are little clones of my bristlenoses zooming round? Actually, what size will they be when i'll have to keep an eye out for signs of mating? Cos they ARE with the fighting fish, and if any little swimmers emerge in 6 months or whenever, they won't last long with the bettas... :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Posted April 20, 2006 Report Share Posted April 20, 2006 mine were at least a couple of inches long before i noticed they had spawned - about three years old perhaps? the babies tend to hide out with dad until they are free swimming, and even then slowly leave their cave. you might be lucky and not get any eaten. on the other hand, one tends to notice that bristlenose cats have spawned because the tank is suddenly covered in small fish anyway - if they do take three years to grow, imaging the number of tanks you'll have by then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatito Posted April 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2006 *shudder* I'll have spent all my $ on aquatica, will be unable to get to work due to the maintenance, and my partner would have moved out due to neglect. Sounds like bliss!!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 Congrats on your new fishies :bounce: :bounce: Can't get them here So I've only seen pics of them...hint hint...don't forget to post pics From what I've read about them, they do like to have a hiding place, like a cave or :oops: something :oops: , those who have them & the experience can correct me if I'm wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatito Posted April 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 Lol, they're going well - as soon as i released them into the tanks, they zoomed down to the bottom and started making their way over the stones like little vacuum cleaners!! So cute!! My male fighter was investigating them, and i was a bit worried he'd try a nibble, so i've put a couple of speedy little blue neons in that tank to keep him distracted if he feels like chasing something. One smaller one managed to get down the pipe that my airstone sits under, and ended up down under this grid i have under my gravel (creates about 2cm empty space between gravel and tank bottom) - i had to clear the fish and plants out and completely set the tank up again after lifting the grid to 'rescue' the little bugger (he was quite happy down there it seems). No gratitude from wee bubs, but at least now i have him in full view at all times. I think i'll console him with a nice cave.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharn Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 it seems the grid is a UG filter (under gravel), if you had to lift that up you will have some nasty water in your aquarium now, thats poop and food etc that gets trapped under there and pretty much rots and if its let out... well you can guess the effects it would have on your water, id do some water changes just to be sure the BN gets points for managing to get under there though :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatito Posted April 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 i took out two thirds of the water before i lifted it, and took the opportunity to clean out the tank before refilling it - used what i'd taken out and 1/3 fresh water, so that was fine. Yeah, he's a crafty one - probably sulking a bit now he's lost his sludge-pit playground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted April 23, 2006 Report Share Posted April 23, 2006 probably sulking a bit now he's lost his sludge-pit playground. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 24, 2006 Report Share Posted April 24, 2006 BNs love getting under filter plates. Don't clean out too much under there as that 'sludge' is full of the good bacteria doing all the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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