sturisoma sp. with discus

[illumnae]

I've tried doing a search in this forum, and besides Apistomaster's 1 bad experience with his heckels, has anyone else had bad experience keeping sturisomas with discus?

the reason i'm considering these as my algae cleaners together with malayan shrimps is because i've been told bn plecos can wreak havoc with my hairgrass foreground lawn (it's a planted discus tank) due to the tail thrashing that plecos tend to do.

alternatively, would otos be a better choice? so far i've had good experience with otos in my apisto tanks (keeping an apisto. bitaeniata "tefe bauna" F1 from wild pair and an apisto. sp Rio Mamore pair) but i've read more "horror stories" on otos with discus than sturisomas with discus

[pcsb23]

I have not kept sturisomas ever, so can't help with the compatibility. I do know they should do fine in discus conditions, if memory srves they originate from the Amazon, and need similar levels of water quality as discus.

I would not advise keeping otos with discus, I have several BN's in my planted tank, no real probs, and I had masses of E.Tenellus at the front, they didn't cause any isues. BN's are just about the best algae eaters imo.

[illumnae]

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[Apistomaster]

Young Sturisoma don't seem to bother smaller discus.
I found that as both grew up they Sturisoma began to attack the larger discus.
I had ten Sturisoma with ten Heckels and all the Sturisoma indulged in feeding off Discus slime. Don't think this is an isolated incident.
It is a shame since Sturisoma are such an interesting fish. They are diurnal so that means they are day active unlike so many plecos and their relatives.
If you want a safe algae eating pleco to keep with your discus I really recommend Ancistrus sp. 3, the common BN. The albinos are nice looking(for albinos). I also use Hypancistrus and Peckoltia L134 "Leopard Frog" as "scavengers with discus. I have used L260. L66, L333 and L318 with my discus. They are well suited as discus tankmates because they also require warm water and because they are basically carnivorous they are very helpful in cleaning up food the discus may over look or cannot reach. They stay small. Rarely more than four inches except L66 which can reach about five inches. I have never had them bother discus.
I have five L46 Zebra Plecos with my Heckels.
Just for the fun of it here are some photos of baby Sturisomas and breeding adults.
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t41/apistomaster/P6090035.jpg
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t41/apistomaster/P6210006.jpg

I breed Sturisoma and have placed a group of their fry with my adult Heckels but this is a temporary arrangement. I am just accumulating a lot off Sturisoma and the fry have to go somewhere

[illumnae]

Thanks for the info apistomaster :) i got 5 juv (about 3 inches including the tail extension) sturisomas for my 120 gal. tank, but so far have lost 2...and the other 3 are constantly hiding in my plant mass. Quite a pity to see the 2 gone as they are not too cheap over here..hopefully the other 3 survive.

i may soon have to resort to BN plecos or otos as the sturisomas don't seem to be eating my algae...guess they're not as hardworking algae eaters as i've been led to believe. nonetheless, they're beautiful fish and i enjoy seeing them on the rare occassion they do appear from hiding. hopefully the 3 i have left will grow and reach maturity!

oh, one last thing. if they aren't finishing up all my algae, is it safe to assume that they have more than enough to eat and i won't need to supplement them with cucumber or algae wafers?

[Apistomaster]

I find the Sturisoma aureum to be good algae eaters but when it comes down to it the are primarily interested in live black worms, frozen blood worms and my fish's favorite, earth worm sticks.

I read many other accounts from other's who say they breed S. aureum and raise them with almost no losses using fresh frozen Collard greens. I have reason to doubt them. Most breeders experience high losses among their fry. I am one of them. I have a spawn every two weeks and my fry care nothing for Collard, algae wafers or anything else but earthworm sticks. Just like their parents. It is interesting to see a 1/2 inch Sturisoma sucking on a black worm three times it's length. They can't eat the worms but it's fun to watch them working them over. (Maybe they are practicing up for discus later on?) I think they are very inquisitive fish and maybe smart as fish go. Sometimes maybe they learn to bother discus for a snack while sometimes they may not.

I would be a little surprised if three inch Sturis would bother discus.
I think it is an adult behavior trait. I am putting my money where my mouth is. I have been adding larger fry to my Heckel tank to test my hypothesis.