Bristlenose Catfish Fry Question

[starsplitter7]

My bristlenoses (BN) started breeding about 3 years ago, and I have had a steady stream of fry. I have about 6 varieties of BN, and they are one of my favorite fish. Useful, pretty, Interesting, and easy to keep -- a perfect fish.

Luckily as long as you feed the fry and change the water, they are pretty easy to grow out.

I usually feed my fry what I feed the parents: Hikari Algae Wafers, Repashy Scavenger and Aufwucks diets, algae flakes and zucchini. The especially love the Repashy diets and grow rapidly.

Recently I acquired 4 adorable blue eyed albino Bristlenoses. They were tiny -- about 3/4" long. They are now up to 1.25" and have little brown bellys like my other well fed BN babies.

Unfortanately, I can not figure out what the fry are eating. They are growing, but all the food is molding at the bottom of the tank and I never see them eating the food and their tank is next to my bed. Right now they live in a small tank with driftwood, tube, gravel, a little bit of Almond Leaves, sponge filter, . . . I see the fry actively munching on the glass, gravel, almond leaves and wood.

I do not believe that I am overfeeding. I give them 1/2 Hikari Wafer or a 1/4" cube of Repashy, . . . but I only find these food moldy in the tank. I do change the water regularly.

I plan to move them to a tank with Panda Garras, guppies and Bamboo shrimp, so the others can clean up after the BN. All these fish are used to BN fry since I grow them out in this tank regularly.

I need to know:
1.) What else could I feed these fish?
2.) What else are they eating? They are growing and appear healthy.

[FishFanatic245]

try feeding them some spinach, i have heard that they normally love it. if they can not actually eat it then boil it for a minute or 2 to soften it up.
they are probably eating algea and rasping lots on the drify wood.
if they are growing and healthy then i think you are doing good. the blue eyed plecs aren't wild are they. my advice to you is feed before you go to bed or around 10/11pm and turn of the tank lights and leave the room lights on for a lttle bit and just watch. if the food is still there in the morning then siphon it out.
good luck,

[starsplitter7]

Thanks FF.

I just worry they are not getting enough to eat. They ar enot wild, tank born, just now my tank.

I caught one eating zucchini the other day. I do think they rasp the wood and on biofilm. Just doesn't seem like it's enough to support growing bodies.

[FishFanatic245]

also try using a commercial algae waffer, but, only one, they may actually like it. if you have a chance ask the lfs owner what he was feeding them. they may have gotton used to it and don't really know that the zucchini is a food.

[starsplitter7]

I had tried them with hikariwafers. All my BN love them, and the blue eyes are not interested.

All my BN have their diet supplemented with zucchini and love it. I caught these guys eating it.
It just doesn't seem like they eat enough of it.

They are still growing. I just don't get it.

[FishFanatic245]

well, if they are growing and seem happy then just keep doing what you are doing, is all i can say. bad idea to fix something that is not broken, lol. is there a certain spot they like to hide?

[starsplitter7]

Normally I don't worry so much, but these are my blue eyed fry, and I only have four. I want them to become adults so hopefully I can breed them.

My biggest worry is if I can not get them onto commercial food, how will I continue to feed them when they are larger and can't subsist on biofilm.

[starsplitter7]

Ha! Caught the little buggers eating the Hikari wafer last night.

I also added about 7 amazing blue Pearl shrimp. They are blue! Really, really blue and there are a few berried females. The shrimp are cleaning up after the BN, so now I am not too worried.

I also acquired an adult male blue eyed albino male from a friend. I put him with two of my girls, who were immediately quite taken with him. Cross my fingers to have more blue eyes soon.

[FishFanatic245]

good to know what they are eating! the blue shrimp- are they shrimp or crayfish. i think that the adults will eat them, unless, the shrimp are in the juvi tank.

[starsplitter7]

I am so happy to see them eat. Good thing.

These are shrimp. I think they are a color morph of the red cherry shrimp.

They look like this But mine are much bluer!: http://www.planetinverts.com/Blue%20Pearl%20Shrimp.html

I keep BN and dwarf shrimp togehter. They breed and grow up together nicely.