Blue-eyed and bushy nosed!
This past week I added a few Blue Eye Lemon Bristlenose plecos (Ancistrus sp.) to my main tank. These are smaller than the regular normal plecos (a good thing as my tank wouldn’t be able to hold a full-size pleco!) and make for interesting viewing. Although primarily nocturnal, these fish will go about their business during the day, mostly holding on tightly to the tank glass, a piece of wood, or a plant. Their unusual appearance is undoubtedly a conversation starter with those who are not familiar with the species. I had read that these fish need wood in the aquarium to graze on as it is necessary for their digestion. It was very obvious that the plecos enjoyed the wood in my tank as every time I’ve looked, they’ve been busy grazing over the two pieces of wood. In terms of feeding, I’ll be feeding them bottom-dweller-specific food and they’ll also be able to eat the food that I feed to the other fish in the tank as it falls to the substrate. Some folk believe that plecos can survive purely on algae but this is absolutely untrue. I’m grateful that, particularly as juveniles, they do enjoy grazing on algae but it would be wrong to expect them to survive purely on this. I haven’t kept plecos before so I’m looking forward to learning more about this fish. I’m hoping to breed them as part of my fishroom project. Once that process gets underway, I’ll post photos and share progress.
Where did this all start?
I remember having my first fish tank when I was a little boy. I manage to persuade my mom that a tank filled with water and wildlife would be a good idea in my bedroom! I can’t remember exactly what was in the tank but I seem to remember neon tetras and guppies. Of course, I had absolutely no idea about the nitrogen cycle and sweet nothing about what species would live peacefully in a community tank! Success in this adventure in those years was very much about luck! I did my best to read a lot of information in the books I could find in the school library and in second-hand book stores. Over the years some of my fish thrived, while others met an early demise… It was in my teen years that I tried again and this time also branched out into keeping tadpoles and growing them into adult frogs (on a tank without a lid!). Although I had gained knowledge of keeping an aquarium successfully during my earlier years, there was still a great deal of good fortune involved in keeping my livestock alive! I kept the usual neon tetras, zebra danios, Siamese algae eaters and guppies, while also trying to keep myself as informed as possible by reading all I could lay my hands on. The fishkeeping hobby fell into the background in my latter years of high school as what I deemed more exciting things took its place. After-school studies continued without any excursions into further fishkeeping. It was during my student years that the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town opened and offered an opportunity for the first cohort of volunteer guides. I happily signed up, passed the required exams, and spent many happy hours as a volunteer guide at the aquarium. I really enjoyed this experience although I’ve never ventured into marine tanks! I graduated as a teacher and one of the first “decor” items in my classroom was a large fishtank set up in my reading corner. This was a highlight for the children in my class. When I left the school, my tank remained and it would be many years before I started up a new aquarium. When I married the love of my life and were blessed with two active boys, I set up a tank in one of the boys’ rooms and enjoyed teaching them about fishkeeping. I have to admit to not keeping my eldest accountable for tank maintenance and it was nothing short of a miracle that the fish survived! Fast forward several years and now, with much older children, I have picked up the hobby once more and am really enjoying it! My day job is running a large primary school as principal. This is a more stress-filled job than most people realise and I absolutely love being able to come home to feed fish, maintain tanks, and simply enjoy watching the busyness of aquatic life in my tanks. Now that I’ve started Art’s Fish Room, I’m looking forward to growing this passion into a small business and helping to share information and knowledge about this wonderful hobby.