Chat transcripts

[20:02 08/10/2004] <@craig> Good evening everyone! Welcome to Live! Fishchat!
[20:02 08/10/2004] <@craig> Tonights speaker is one of Badman's very own, the lovely Jessica. Speaking on Bristlenose Plecos.
[20:02 08/10/2004] <@craig> Jess, take it away!
[20:02 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> hehe, thank you
[20:03 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I am very pleased to see such a great number of people have turned out tonight
[20:03 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> thank you for coming. :-)
[20:03 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I have always enjoyed plecos.
[20:03 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I grew up with dad's commons, and played and fought with them, enjoyed their movements.
[20:03 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> However I also knew their size and thought that all plecos got that large.
[20:03 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> discovering bristlenoses was a special delight, then.
[20:03 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I had already had otos (the first non-betta fish i owned, lol) and a rubberlip pleco who's untimely death taught me that they do not like salt at all when I came across some albino bristlenose plecos at the LFS.
[20:03 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I forked out the 20$ each and brought home 2.
[20:03 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> My dad wanted one, so i ended up bringing another home.
[20:03 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Come to think of it, he never did get his albino pleco, lol.
[20:04 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> But the veil tail and missus I gave him made up for that, i¹m sure.
[20:04 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> These 3 little guys grew fast. and started showing their bristles after 4-5 months of being in my tanks.
[20:04 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Sadly enough, I lost 1 male and 1 female to a minicycle last christmas, but the surviving female is now putting out an amazing number of eggs with each spawn.
[20:04 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> And my dream of tons and tons of plecos is coming true.. lol.
[20:04 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:04 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Trying to figure out what the scientific name for bristlenose plecos is hard.
[20:04 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Most common literature says Ancistrus temminckii, however a little reading would show that these are rarely being imported and it is very likely the little pleco in your tank is a mutt or perhaps the most common of bristlenose plecos, Ancistrus dolichopterus.
[20:04 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Thus, we will refer to them as Ancistrus sp. and be safe, lol.
[20:05 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Being a mutt isn't a bad thing. Think of your dog, chances are you don't own a pureblood.
[20:05 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> For those of you who insist on having perfection, there are still a few pureblood ancistrus species running around with fancy-dancy L-numbers.
[20:05 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> This chat will be dealing with the more common bristles, which comes down to the brown bristle, the albino bristle, and the veil tail bristle.
[20:05 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I'm sure some of the basics will apply to all of them, though.
[20:05 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> If you have heard of a pleco called bushy nose, never fear, they are the same fish.
[20:05 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:05 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Bristles are often accused of being ugly.
[20:05 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> It seems that many people don't like the bristles sticking from their snouts.
[20:05 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I personally find this very attractive and is one of the highlights of the species (though there are many :-D ).
[20:05 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Another cool tidbit is that plecos (including the bristlenose) have an adjustable iris in their eye. They are one of the few fish with this feature.
[20:05 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:06 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Bristles originate from south america, but chances are, yours are bred and raised much closer to home.
[20:06 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Bristles are one of the easier fish to breed.
[20:06 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:06 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I'll gloss over their basic requirements.
[20:06 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> These fish are a hardy fish with flexible needs.
[20:06 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> They can handle rather hard water, prospering and spawning in rift lake tanks.
[20:06 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> One site that seemed quite spot on, suggested that some kinds of bristlenose will range into brackish waters.
[20:06 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I would be careful with testing this, but they have been proven to be the most tolerant of their species.
[20:06 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The temperatures desired are 72-80, with some variance in either direction not being a problem.
[20:07 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I have kept them in tanks at 85 for months without any ill effect coming to them.
[20:07 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Like all plecos, a good strong current is desirable.
[20:07 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> These fish grow to 4-8 inches depending on your mutt or pureblood.
[20:07 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The L-numbers that stay 4 inches would be fine for a 20 gallon, but i would suggest a 29 gallon as a minimum tank size for any of the adult common bristles (who are 4-6 in max).
[20:07 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> You can house a pair of adults just fine in a 29 gallon aquarium.
[20:07 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:07 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> These are plecos, and like all plecos, they need their territory, even if you have a male and female, they each need their own little cave and he needs a good one.
[20:08 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> One entrance is preferred, with a very defendable opening and a depth enough to hold all his body with a little more room beyond.
[20:08 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> At one point it has to hold him and the female and their eggs, so it can't be too tight.
[20:08 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> My dad uses a broken clay pot. My male has turned his nose up at anything other than a large white tonna shell he adopted when he was forced to defend his brood from tanganyikan cichlids.
[20:08 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Keeping more than one adult male in a 4 foot tank is recipe for disaster.
[20:08 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> With my veil tails, i could only have one male in a 125 gallon tank.
[20:08 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Multiple females does not seem to be a problem at all.
[20:08 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:09 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Feeding bristles is both easy and hard.
[20:09 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> They aren't picky eaters, but to keep their diet balanced you should offer them a nice variety.
[20:09 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Algae is their primary food.
[20:09 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> They are one of the best algae eaters I have dealt with.
[20:09 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> If you can offer them an unlimited supply of algae, there is little need to supplement.
[20:09 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> If you are not aware, algae also provides a place for microcritters to live. (I learned that from loachkeeping, lol)
[20:09 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> However, if you plan to offer nothing in supplement, your tank has to be severely overgrown with all kinds of algae, flat as well as hairy as well as bacteria-types.
[20:09 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I only offer this as an option because of what I saw with my single male bristlenose pleco I placed in said 55 gallon tank many many months ago.
[20:09 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> He grew faster than i've seen any pleco grow before or since then.
[20:09 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> He's a chunky 4 inches now.
[20:09 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> His missus is also 4 inches and she's at least 6-8 months older than him.
[20:10 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I would advise offering something high protein several times a week, if not daily.
[20:10 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> This means live or frozen, its ok, let some bloodworms land on the substrate.
[20:10 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> It¹s good for the pleco, and he will clean it up quickly once he realizes what the gig is.
[20:10 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Use pellets.. I have hikari sinking wafers, carnivore pellets and algae wafers as well as wardley shrimp pellets.
[20:10 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> They don't get each of them all every day, but they get a nice variety.
[20:10 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Flakes too are nice, but hard to get to them.
[20:10 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I like releasing my flakes below the waterline since the majority of my fish are bottom feeders and the current will drop it into the lower realms faster.
[20:10 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I don't advise placing too much extra flake in there if you cant get a small localized pile for the pleco.
[20:10 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> snowstorms of flake are bad for tank health in general.
[20:11 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Of course, don't forget the vegetables!
[20:11 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Zucchini, cucumber, various greens, peas, squash, carrots, corn, you name it.
[20:11 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The fish love it!
[20:11 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Of course, if you can, encouraging some algae growth for the fish is also a high benefit for them.
[20:11 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The last diet supplement may surprise some of you, and must be offered no matter how much algae or food is given.
[20:11 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> They need some driftwood to rasp on.
[20:11 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Yes, they consume it and it makes long curlies all around the bottom of the tank, but it is a vital addition.
[20:11 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Plus, many pieces omsnbiftwood will double as hidy holes. What more could you ask? lol
[20:11 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Feed them well and they will love you.
[20:11 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:12 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> What seems to be talked about most commonly when dealing with these fish is breeding.
[20:12 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> That is likely because they are among the most easy of fish to breed.
[20:12 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> All you really need is an appropriate hiding place and a mature male and female.
[20:12 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Oh, and water ;-)
[20:12 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> These fish will matt anbetween 10 and 18 months, depending on the fish and character.
[20:12 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The male is easily differentiated from the female as he will have the reverse beard on his nose.
[20:12 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The females can even look like common plecos, so if you are put off by the bristles, then a female BN may serve you well.
[20:12 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> As I said, to induce breeding introduce a male and female in a tank with an appropriate hiding spot.
[20:12 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Keep in mind, if your idea of appropriate doesn't equal his, he will run around the tank, digging holes as he goes.
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> A better option in terms of keeping your tank attractive and not stressing out your poor guy is offering him a nice choice of homes.
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> After he picks you can remove the other options.
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> In fact, you can move his home around and he will simply follow it and set up camp where it ends up.
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> He chose it because he could defend it.
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The fish you keep with the fish will also effect his willingness to choose.
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> My dad¹s as I mentioned before is breeding in a clay pot, however, there is a slight hole in the back side, where the eggs are laid, which doesn't bother him.
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> But then he knows that guppies aren¹t a problem.
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Mine, however, first started breeding in a tanganyikan cichlid tank with fish whose food in the wild was fry.
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> He learned fast and hard, and defends his babies with a fury, even if it means sacrificing some younger fry or eggs.
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Perhaps you¹ve noticed that I have only been referring to the male pleco.
[20:13 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> That would be because he does most of work.
[20:14 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The female pleco lays the eggs, and if she isn¹t well fed enough, she will lose *alot* of weight.
[20:14 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Be prepared to offer her lots of recovery food as that is all she will do from there on out for the next 3-5 weeks (depending on how much you feed).
[20:14 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Everything else will fall to the male.
[20:14 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> After the eggs are laid, he will fan them.
[20:14 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> In fact, when he comes to age with a female in the tank who is also of age, he will begin fanning constantly.
[20:14 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I guess he realizes that he needs to work up those muscles.
[20:14 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Perhaps eventually, it just becomes a habit and he doesn¹t realize that he¹s fanning the side of the tank while hunting for food... :-D.
[20:14 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:14 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> During this time, (egg fanning) it is dangerous for any fish to enter his designated cave.
[20:15 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I¹ve only seen a botia sidthimunki in the shell once.
[20:15 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The lesson he learned has kept *all* the sids in that tank out of the shell.
[20:15 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:15 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The eggs will hatch about 4-5 days later, and the results will be orange loppy eggs attached to a tiny head and backbone ending with a sliver of a tail sticking out the back end.
[20:15 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> This is the fish¹s most vulnerable stage.
[20:15 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> They are trying to move around, and dad is doing his best to herd them back to the safety of inner depth of the shell.
[20:15 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Once they are fully hatched and all that dad can get into the back, he will herd them as deep as he can.
[20:15 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> My male lets the eggs be laid in a visible place, but once they hatch, he himself disappears from view.
[20:15 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> He understands their vulnerability and need to explore.
[20:15 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:15 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> About a week later, he gets fiercely angry as his brood, now brown and trim, start to leave the nest.
[20:16 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The tank will appear littered with little plecos as they cover large territories in an attempt to fill their little tummies.
[20:16 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Algae-tanks don¹t stand a chance when a horde of hungry baby plecos appear :-D.
[20:16 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:16 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> At this stage, they have a good amount of armor to them, and the only danger I¹ve seen is the more persistent fish, obviously calvus and other cichlids.
[20:16 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> In my tank, the baby pleco eaters are the banjo catfish, who¹s presence at the front of the shell means the initial hatching has occurred, and the female betta.
[20:16 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The female betta had to be removed when she was caught catching a baby pleco from the side of the tank.
[20:16 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Seeing as she had literally split her side open on the freshly hatched baby plecos, i wasn¹t going to risk having her aggravate the wound with an all-you-can-eat-baby-pleco-buffet.
[20:16 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:16 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> That is about where I am. My plecos have been breeding for several months now, but i have only gotten fry from the last 2.
[20:17 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Presently, daddy pleco is herding his new hatchlings for the safety of the inner realms.
[20:17 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> My father¹s pair is also on their second batch of baby plecos.
[20:17 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> For those worried about them being eaten... my 50 gallon loses alot of fry, and still I ended up with over 25 from the first batch.
[20:17 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> and this one, with the removal of the betta, i imagine will be even greater.
[20:17 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:17 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> My dad doesn't have predators in his tank, so just imagine every single egg.. hatched and the little pleco running around.. . wow, do they lay alot of eggs!
[20:17 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> just wait til his little female gets to be 4 inches.. heehee.
[20:17 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:17 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> on the genetics of things, I¹m still not certain how they lay.
[20:17 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> The veil tail gene appears to effect the younger fish in that those with the gene have slightly longer side fins and huge tails as compared to those who are not carrying it.
[20:17 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Albino for all purposes is a recessive gene, meaning you will need two albinos for albino fry.
[20:18 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> I¹ve read of parital-albinos, so I will have to wait and see if my fry grow up to be mottled, :-D.
[20:18 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:18 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> If your fish are well-fed, expect more eggs every 3 weeks. Poor dad just doesn¹t get a break, lol.
[20:18 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:18 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> an interesting story happened with my dad and his pair.
[20:18 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> there had been an accumulation of snails in the cave, and long after the fry had swam off, daddy pleco stayed fanning, persistant
[20:19 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> he thought the snails were eggs!
[20:19 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> he freaked when the cave was removed, but when it was returned the next day, snail free, he calmed down and went back to life as normal
[20:19 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> eating and swimming around the tank.
[20:20 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> .
[20:20 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> Whether you choose to breed or not, these are a great fish, and I recommend them to anyone interested in them. Thanks for listening.
[20:20 08/10/2004] <@craig> Nicely done Jess!
[20:21 08/10/2004] <@craig> If you have a question for Jess, please type: /query Craig I have a question
[20:21 08/10/2004] <@craig> Go Geoff. :-)
[20:22 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> just say you have a question, don't type it out there. :-)
[20:22 08/10/2004] <+Noname> Great job. ^_^, I was wondering, do you know at what size the father becomes teritorial to his brood?
[20:23 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> afraid not. from what i would suspect it would only be once the young males started becoming sexually mature or close to there.
[20:23 08/10/2004] <+Noname> right oh. ^_^
[20:23 08/10/2004] <@craig> Blang, its your turn.
[20:24 08/10/2004] <+blang> Jessica, I have a dwarf pleco, how big will he get?
[20:24 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> do you know what kind he is?
[20:24 08/10/2004] <+blang> bristlenose
[20:25 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> in general, you can count on the standard bristlenoses getting to 4 inches. some may get to 6 inches. but more likely 4-5"
[20:25 08/10/2004] <+blang> So the bristlenose I have is not really going to stay smaller than what you have?
[20:25 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> no. 4 inches would be the smallest
[20:26 08/10/2004] <+blang> One more question, I have a 15 gallon tank, is that just too small for him?
[20:27 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> a 15gallon has the footprint of a 20gallon. With proper water mainenance, you can house him there, provided there are few other fish. however, he would be better off in a 29F
[20:27 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> 29G
[20:27 08/10/2004] <+blang> thank you.
[20:27 08/10/2004] <+Kimrin> Jess, you know I'm planning on getting one but I'm concerned for the safety of my driftwood now. :) Do they wreck your decorative pieces? Do you through in ugly pieces for them to rasp on?
[20:27 08/10/2004] <@craig> Kim. :-)
[20:28 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> hehe... kim, i have never noticed any change in the driftwood, just the poo piles. Your driftwood will be quite attractive years after it meets a pleco :-D
[20:28 08/10/2004] <+Kimrin> whew!
[20:29 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> now, a 2footer, might do some damage ;-D
[20:29 08/10/2004] <@craig> Any other questions?
[20:29 08/10/2004] <@craig> Don't be shy folks. ;-)
[20:29 08/10/2004] <+NatFinck> thnx
[20:30 08/10/2004] <+NatFinck> my lfs advised me to only feed the pleco 3 times a week. From what I gather, this is inadequate?
[20:31 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> totally. well, it depends on its purpose. those who have planted tanks with significant algae growth don't feed them as much to none. ..more
[20:31 08/10/2004] <+NatFinck> ahhh...may I ask another question?
[20:31 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> With my breeding pair, i fed them lightly for the last spawn. the algae growth in that tank was atrocious. The female lost more weight, than i cared after she laid.. more (one moment)
[20:32 08/10/2004] <+NatFinck> sure!
[20:32 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> so, to actually answer your question, unless you have algae out of control, feed them daily, and plenty of food :-D
[20:32 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> and now, you can ask your next :D
[20:32 08/10/2004] <+NatFinck> hehehe....aren't they nocturnal? is it a bad sign if mine is out and about alot in the daylight?
[20:33 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> they are techically nocturnal. the young are active all the time, especially during the day. as they age, they become more reclusive. however, i see my 4inchers all the time :-D
[20:33 08/10/2004] <+NatFinck> thank you!
[20:34 08/10/2004] <@craig> Any more questions?
[20:34 08/10/2004] <@craig> Its the doorway to your spot in the limelight, come on! Ask away! ;-)
[20:36 08/10/2004] <@craig> All righty then...
[20:36 08/10/2004] <@craig> The floor is now open..
[20:36 08/10/2004] <@craig> Good job Jess!
[20:36 08/10/2004] <Noname> yaay!!!
[20:36 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> lol :-D
[20:36 08/10/2004] <NatFinck> thx Jess
[20:37 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> your welcome. thank you all for coming :-D
[20:37 08/10/2004] <@craig> Nice to see you here Cindy and everyone else.
[20:37 08/10/2004] <Kimrin> hey jess, your betta?
[20:37 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> my betta?
[20:38 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> wb :)
[20:38 08/10/2004] <Kimrin> she ate till she bust?
[20:38 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> yes, she litterally burst her side open
[20:38 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> i could see her eggs
[20:38 08/10/2004] <Kimrin> omg!
[20:38 08/10/2004] <Noname> ew...
[20:38 08/10/2004] <cindy> thanks, Craig and great job, Jessica!
[20:38 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> thanks, cindy :D
[20:38 08/10/2004] <Kimrin> Hi Cindy, nice to see you
[20:38 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> i would have put her down, except that she acted like she was uninjured
[20:38 08/10/2004] <russ> Jess, great presentation:-)
[20:39 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> thanks russ.
[20:39 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> got anything to add ;-D
[20:39 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> ?
[20:39 08/10/2004] <Kimrin> has she recovered?
[20:39 08/10/2004] <russ> Jess, I can't honestly think of anything at this time...I like the part of your little critter trying to fan the snails:-)
[20:40 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> yup. she has an area that isn't covered with scales, but she's happy even without plecos to hunt.
[20:40 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> hehe russ :-D
[20:40 08/10/2004] <blang> Jessica, should you clean the driftwood?
[20:40 08/10/2004] <cindy> I believe all threeof my BN (different 55's) are males...ever since I saw Jess's pics I am interested in getting a female and trying for a spawn...
[20:41 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> if you can, boil it, or rinse it off, but nothing drastic needs to be done.
[20:41 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> hehe cindy.. they are so much fun
[20:41 08/10/2004] <blang> How often?
[20:41 08/10/2004] <cindy> I'll add that if the algae begins to take over, I take the driftwood out for a day or two
[20:41 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> before you place it in the tank. once inside you don't need to do anything
[20:41 08/10/2004] <cindy> They get hungry enough, they clean it up
[20:42 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> :-D
[20:42 08/10/2004] <cindy> When you get a chance, Jessica, I would love to see some current pics of your fry
[20:42 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> hehe.. sure thing :-D
[20:43 08/10/2004] <blang> My lfs says not to feed him anything extra, the veggies and algae wafers are for the bigger plecs.
[20:43 08/10/2004] <cindy> That's how they get bigger...
[20:43 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> lol, even little guys need food, just not as much of it :-)
[20:44 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> ok, cindy... italics?
[20:44 08/10/2004] <@craig> blang, all fish, regardless of type, need proper nutrition from a varied diet. :-)
[20:45 08/10/2004] <blang> They told me just pellets and flakes
[20:45 08/10/2004] <@craig> They've obviously never seen an oto attack a large algae wafer. :-D
[20:45 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> lol
[20:46 08/10/2004] <blang> How do I get started in knowing how much and what to give them?
[20:47 08/10/2004] <@craig> blang, a lot of it is trial and error.. Give a little bit and see if they eat it.
[20:47 08/10/2004] <blang> a little bit of what?
[20:47 08/10/2004] <Kimrin> where do you even find that stuff? I dont' see anything to allow me to play with fonts
[20:47 08/10/2004] <@craig> Whatever other food you want to get them to eat.
[20:48 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> with the veges, just dice and slice and let them sit in the tank. you can remove the extra after a day. then for pellets and wafers.. think about how large the tummy is, offer at least 1/4 that in diameter.
[20:48 08/10/2004] <blang> do they need to be blanched?
[20:49 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> ah, blanching... i would blanch all veges but zuccini and cucumber
[20:49 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> ah, that would be the letter :D
[20:49 08/10/2004] <blang> Are veggies treats or do they replace one of their regular meals?
[20:50 08/10/2004] * Booger is craig's alter ego. ;-)
[20:50 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> i would say offer them it 1-2 times a week. usually in replacement of any non-meaty foods you'd give them that day
[20:51 08/10/2004] <blang> Do you peel the skins off the zuccini/cucumber?
[20:51 08/10/2004] <cindy> Thanks! How do I turn it back off?
[20:54 08/10/2004] <NatFinck> do you know if plecos are prone to disease?
[20:55 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> blang, did you hear what i replied to you? woven in between?
[20:55 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> nat, not that i've seen.
[20:55 08/10/2004] <cindy> Can I put a second BN in any of my 55's if they aren't old enough to sex? I can't tell females from immature males so far, the only reason I bought 3 males - so I could be sure they were BN's
[20:55 08/10/2004] <blang> Yes, but I asked if you peel the skins off the zuccini/cucumber
[20:55 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> but you still do not want to buy a pleco with a shrunken tummy
[20:55 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> ah, i'm sorry blang.. i don't. my plecos like that best
[20:55 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> cindy, you can
[20:56 08/10/2004] <NatFinck> are there fish that are no-no's for sharing a tank with a pleco?
[20:56 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> you may even be able to keep 2 males in a 55, if you have enough hidy holes. you'll know if you can't. frayed fins comes first
[20:57 08/10/2004] <Noname> why is CIndy blue?
[20:57 08/10/2004] <Noname> bright blue that is
[20:57 08/10/2004] <cindy> Thanks...night all...bed time for the twins and I have papers to grade...great presentation, Jess, I couldn't read it as fast as you posted it, and that is saying something
[20:57 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> i'd avoid any super aggressive fish. they can take care of themselves...
[20:57 08/10/2004] <Noname> byebye
[20:58 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> lol thanks, cindy
[20:58 08/10/2004] <NatFinck> cool
[20:58 08/10/2004] <Christine> Hello folks! I missed it:(
[20:58 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> in general, plecos are compatible with most fish and tanks. :-) provided tank size is met
[20:59 08/10/2004] <NatFinck> :o)
[20:59 08/10/2004] <Noname> plecos rule
[20:59 08/10/2004] <Noname> Catfish rule in general
[21:00 08/10/2004] <Noname> I plan to do a little Spoofy thing on this later, but, The loach collective if gonna have some competition
[21:00 08/10/2004] <Jess> sorry about that
[21:00 08/10/2004] <Noname> np...
[21:00 08/10/2004] <Jess> spoofy?
[21:01 08/10/2004] <Noname> uhm, just spoof
[21:01 08/10/2004] <Noname> you will see if I end up doing it
[21:01 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> ah... no, you aren't doing a spoof. you will be doing a nice L-number coverage
[21:01 08/10/2004] <@Jessica> i'm looking forward to it :D
[21:02 08/10/2004] <Kimrin> Hi Christine