MRSkz Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 I've got 2 GBA's (in tank A) and 3 B/N's (in tank B) now neither tank has drift wood in it as I found it kept killing the PH in the tanks. They have been without for some time now and seem to be ok. I've recently noticed my female GBA is noticably lighter, not as rich goldy, as the male I was wondering if this is normal or caused from a lack of wood. I also would like to know do the GBA's or the B/N's actualy NEED wood in with them? The trio of B/N's are 2 males and 1 fem and have not breed yet, I was wondering if this could be the cause. There are lots of rocks in both tank A and B but there are other fish in both tanks as well. Tank A has some guppies, 1 male cockatoo cichlid (looking for another home), 3 cory's and the GBA's. Tank B has 6 electric yellow cichlids and 6 blue zebra cichlids with the trio of B/N's. Advice, oppinions, suggestions all welcome. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 As far as I know, they do need wood in their diet. You might be able to avoid having wood in the tank by feeding them with pleco chips that contain wood. Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 my BN Bred in a tank which did not have wood in it and they had not had wood for a while..... so obviously they dont NEED it.... Good Luck Rogan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishboi Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 they differently need wood in their diet to help digest if they are getting protein in their diet. besides drift wood looks great in a tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 I can't answer your question because I've always had driftwood in my tank and my bristlenose certainly does an excellent job of scraping it clean. I have read that bristlenoses need wood as an essential part of their diet, but cannot verify this as I haven't experimented to see how long mine will live without it! When my driftwood was causing my pH to drop (I assume it was the driftwood doing it) I added a shell to the tank. I tested the water constantly, and the pH rose a little bit and stayed steady for a couple of weeks. I added another shell and now the water stays at a steady pH of 7.0 despite having a huge piece of wood in it. The shell will gradually dissolve in the acidic water and keep the pH steady for as long as it's in there. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRSkz Posted May 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 whetu, what kind of shell please? That is very helpful and gives me more options thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Any shell will do it MRSkz as it is calcium. The bird grit you feed hens works too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRSkz Posted May 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 so you just sprinkel that on the bottom of the aquarium then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Most people put it in a fine mesh bag, or pantyhose and tuck it in a filter or behind a rock or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Feed them plecochips, it has wood fibre in it to keep them regular, like prunes for humans :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted May 13, 2006 Report Share Posted May 13, 2006 What are GBA's? The algae wafers you get here don't have wood in them...oh, can't get that here...what a surprise :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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