CATFISH FOR DISCUS

[tonytheboss1]

:bandana: Anyone with experience or opinions about Otocinclus Catfish (Otocinclus sp.). I know them to be good algae eaters but will they possibly harm discus?? Temps might be a bit warm but I believe they are of S.A. origin & most 'cats' are durable. "T"

[SeaDragon]

I had these little guys a while back in my discus-less community tank. Very nice little fish, I liked them. Though they are fairly small and I'd be afraid of them sucking onto the discus. Their not like most catfish, their sucker-fish (for no better term). I also don't believe they could handle the temperature of a discus tank.


Julia
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[Orange Crush]

Oto cats are not good with discus. I wish they were because I love them but they love to eat the slime coats of discus.
Also, with doing a lot of water changes you might not have enough algae for them to eat so you would have to make sure they got enough food.
BN plecos however are good with discus and will eat algae and left over food on the bottom of the tank.

[tonytheboss1]

:bandana: Thanx SeaDragon & Orange Crush for the info. I guess I'll look into Ancistrus tamboensis I believe that's the right one. I try for scientific cause common names can be misleading sometimes. "T"

[Orange Crush]

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=48
"It is thought that elements in bogwood, particularly lignin, may form an essential part of Bristlenose diet. Certainly they have the immensely long guts common to vegetarians, and although they fall avidly on the occasional meal of live food or prawns, the bulk of their diet must be composed of vegetable matter. If a high protein diet is fed constantly, then they will become prone to stomach disorders. Vegetable roughage keeps the gut in working order, and bogwood is a valuable addition to this."

Discus get high protein diets so this could be an issue with this BN

[John_Nicholson]

I have bred more than one generation of bristlenose that lived and reproduced on a beef heart mix alone. They will do fine and grow fast. They are ideal for discus tanks. You can do what you want but they will do fine in your discus tank. Also they don't need wood to eat...

-john

[tonytheboss1]

Discus get high protein diets so this could be an issue with this BN

:bandana: That's not good. So which BN (bushynose, bristlenose ect.) are you refering to?? "T"

[John_Nicholson]

Any common draft bristle nose ( brown, albino, calico, long fin, etc...) will do wonderful on a bh diet. It has been proven over and over again in real life.

-john

[tonytheboss1]

Any common draft bristle nose ( brown, albino, calico, long fin, etc...) will do wonderful on a bh diet.

:bandana: Gotcha! Ancistrus tamboensis it is then. Thanx. "T"

[Orange Crush]

Any common draft bristle nose ( brown, albino, calico, long fin, etc...) will do wonderful on a bh diet. It has been proven over and over again in real life.

-john
Good to know!

I got the L34 Medusa because I know that they like more meat in it's diet (and I love the look). I have always trusted Planet Catfish's info so it is interesting that you have a totally diff opinion then they do.

[Bill63SG]

My albino bn's have been breeding away with my discus for about the last year.

[BigBruiserAl]

My Otocinclus has been fine at 28.5c, being a small cat the discus just give them a slap if they get to fresh

[John_Nicholson]

My Otocinclus has been fine at 28.5c, being a small cat the discus just give them a slap if they get to fresh

The trouble is at night when the discus "sleep"

-john

[Bill63SG]

I have a couple of ottos,and at first they seemed fine.Then as my discus matured in my community tank,and paired,and laid eggs,and seemed to get a more thicker slime coat,then they started to graze on them.150gal,2 otto's,wasn't that big a deal,but I did remove them as I could catch them.

[aguest]

But plecos in general poop a lot right? Should this affect water's quality?

[Orange Crush]

But plecos in general poop a lot right? Should this affect water's quality?
Yes.
Not if you are doing enough water changes/vacuuming up poop and food.

[Offpath]

I had to pull my ottos after they started harassing my discus. It mostly only happened at night, but I've got some LED moonlights, so it was easy to watch them. BN plecos have been just fine though.

[Chris b 1986]

I have bristle nose and find they seem fine with my discus and good workers to go with my corydoras and don't grow too big

[Rummy]

Are there any pictures of what an attachment site looks like? I have only found one picture in my searches.

[JenTN]

I didnt see any attachment and only noticed one suspicious spot that honestly could be caused by anything..but when I got rid of the ottos the discus came out of hiding and swam on that side. Especially after I got rid of the last fat one. If it looks like a duck....My bn has been fine and he eats everything under the sun! Had him for almost 3 yrs now.

[krislewis3]

I Just invested in a bristle nose cat fish, and since the day I put him in my discus tank, he has been eating on my manzanita wood.....he goes from one piece to the next. And...what I thought was small wood pieces falling off the wood, I now think might be the waste products of the bn cat. Hard to believe, because there is soooo much of it, and he is just a baby. Does anyone out there have experience with this issue?????

[JenTN]

I Just invested in a bristle nose cat fish, and since the day I put him in my discus tank, he has been eating on my manzanita wood.....he goes from one piece to the next. And...what I thought was small wood pieces falling off the wood, I now think might be the waste products of the bn cat. Hard to believe, because there is soooo much of it, and he is just a baby. Does anyone out there have experience with this issue?????

It is perfectly normal. Bristlenose enjoy if not possibly require wood to rasp on aiding in digestion. My bn is 3 years old and had rasped a hole almost clean thru a good piece of driftwood and broke another small piece in half. They also appreciate blanched veggies and raw banana in my tank :-)

[Bill63SG]

It is perfectly normal. Bristlenose enjoy if not possibly require wood to rasp on aiding in digestion. My bn is 3 years old and had rasped a hole almost clean thru a good piece of driftwood and broke another small piece in half. They also appreciate blanched veggies and raw banana in my tank :-)I belive I read somewhere that they need it almost like birds need some grit to digest food.I know alot of us keep them in bb's without wood,and they survive,it's just not ideal.

[JenTN]

Yup. My bn always have really fat bellies!

[Psionic]

Anyone tried honeycomb catfish with their discus?


-Val