Gold Nugget Pleco in the Honeymoon Suite?

[DHDiscusMan]

I am setting up a few 30 gallon tanks in hopes that eventually some of my discus would like some privacy. I have a gold nugget pleco in one of my discus tanks and it never bothers anyone but does clean some of the glass.

My question is if I put a couple discus with a cone into a private room, would they mind the company of a gold nugget pleco? Will the pleco go after eggs or fry?

Anyone do this before?

Thanks.

Dan

[Wolf]

I don't know. I have two discus spawning right now with two otos and a spotted pleco and they are keeping them away pretty well. As soon as I get my 30g tank ready, my pair are going in it by themselves and the otos and plecos will stay in the grow out tank. I guess you could try it and see what happens. Worst case scenario you loose a batch of eggs but it could make them more protective and better parents.

[DarkDiscus]

Dan,

Here's a sort of unrelated question for you - How much are the gold nuggets going for these days? When I considered buying one a few years back they were pretty pricey. If they still are, I'd be concerned that the discus might get a bit rowdy and cause some damage. I've tried other central/south american cichlid with plecos and they could get really nasty when they were in the mood... Not to mention the risk to the eggs. I'm now on 24 hour lighting, so it wouldn't be a problem for me, but if you ever turn out the lights, plecs can be pretty effective at wiping out egg clutches.

John

[EthanCote.com]

Hey John,

Why is your light on for 24hrs? Is this a temporary thing you are doing or have you been doing this for a while now?

Thanks.


Cheers,

Chi.

[DarkDiscus]

Chi,

I was having a problem with my fish getting really freaked when I turned the lights on in the AM. I was having the wife turn on the room light 30 minutes ahead of time, but it wasn't helping. I was also considering getting timers.

Al told me he leaves his lights on 24-7 and that it doesn't bother the fish at all. I know a number of breeders (I think Mike Wells is one of them) do this as well. So I thought I would give it a try.

Here we are over a month later and the fish are as calm as can be. They also seem to grow faster. They still sleep at night, I can see them doing the hovering thing, but they seem to doze more than anything else.

Problems: Algae. Electricity bills.

I am not worried about an extra $20 on the power bill. To help with algae I took aluminum foil and placed strips of it between the tank light and the top glass. It dims the lighting and really cuts back on the algae, plus the fish prefer dimmer lighting.

John

[ChloroPhil]

DarkDiscus,

Rather than use tinfoil try some Salvinia natans or duckweed in your tanks. They'll help keep the water cleaner and do a great job of diffusing light. If you're worried about possibly transmitting disease give them a Potassium permanganate bath before putting them in the tank.

[DarkDiscus]

Bio,

I've used duckweed in the past and it has made quite the mess, but I think it looks cool and I'd live with that. I think the main issue is I don't know where to get any...

None of the LFS I know are presently selling plants - or if they are they only a few basic plants.

I would use some if I could get it...

John