what kind of pleco?
what kind of pleco?
is there a pleco that doesnt mind a pH of 8? the max size of the pleco has to be 5" or under.
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I definitely agree with the Ancistrus...None of them will grow overly large, and they are **usually** very good with breeder fish.
The first ones I purchased were in African tanks at my LFS, pH 8.2 to 8.4, and quite healthy. (They still use Ancistrus sp. in their African tanks 2 years later, so I suppose they agree) I spent about a week acclimating them to lower pH so I could keep them in my tap water tanks. (I might have done it faster, but this was the minimal maintenance approach, just making small adjustments with the water changes and adding water slowly and in stages)
As was mentioned, I'd stay away from any blackwater kept fish...it'll take quite a bit of work to try to acclimate them to high pH/hard water, and needlessly stress the fish when plenty of hardwater types are available.
The first ones I purchased were in African tanks at my LFS, pH 8.2 to 8.4, and quite healthy. (They still use Ancistrus sp. in their African tanks 2 years later, so I suppose they agree) I spent about a week acclimating them to lower pH so I could keep them in my tap water tanks. (I might have done it faster, but this was the minimal maintenance approach, just making small adjustments with the water changes and adding water slowly and in stages)
As was mentioned, I'd stay away from any blackwater kept fish...it'll take quite a bit of work to try to acclimate them to high pH/hard water, and needlessly stress the fish when plenty of hardwater types are available.
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thanx for all the replys, my LFS has long fin bristlenose in at a tiny size of 1.25"and albino bristlenose at 1.5", im looking into the long fin bristlenose for 11.99, is this a good price? do i have to worry about it eating my dwarf shrimp (1-1.5") when it gets bigger, and how delicate are they at this size?
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As stated, almost any pleco will tolerate pH 8 or so, assuming it's got used to that over a longer period of time. However, it's not exactly the most ideal conditions.
On the other hand, South American conditions vary quite a bit from one river to another, with some rivers being very acidic and soft, and other rivers in the netral to alkaline range and hard. Given this, try to avoid the "blackwater species", such as Ancistrus dolichotperus (Blackwater species Acistrus are those that as an adult has completely WHITE spots and/or a BLACK body).
Bristlenoses of about an inch+ length should be fine to move about and handle. They will be quite tolerant of "handling" and "water condition changes" that are part of moving them about.
What is a good or not so good price is difficult to say, because it's very dependant on the local market. Obviously, the natural brown, short fine variety will be less expensive than any of the versions with long fins/albinism bred into them.
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Mats
On the other hand, South American conditions vary quite a bit from one river to another, with some rivers being very acidic and soft, and other rivers in the netral to alkaline range and hard. Given this, try to avoid the "blackwater species", such as Ancistrus dolichotperus (Blackwater species Acistrus are those that as an adult has completely WHITE spots and/or a BLACK body).
Bristlenoses of about an inch+ length should be fine to move about and handle. They will be quite tolerant of "handling" and "water condition changes" that are part of moving them about.
What is a good or not so good price is difficult to say, because it's very dependant on the local market. Obviously, the natural brown, short fine variety will be less expensive than any of the versions with long fins/albinism bred into them.
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Mats