# Are all plecos diggers?



## JoshMKB24 (Mar 10, 2018)

Hi guys,

I added a bushy nose pleco to my tank and he was pretty disruptive. He would try to burrow under rocks and swing his body all over and build up huge piles of sand. The cichlids didn't like it because they spent time digging some holes for themselves and he would ruin them! I moved him to my other tank with gravel and thought maybe it would be different, but he still likes to "dig" until he gets to the bottom of the substrate and to the glass. Is this normal? Does this mean he doesn't have enough to eat? I do throw in those algae cakes for him.


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## Cyphro (Mar 23, 2018)

No, I have never seen one dig ever. I never had that type before though, just the larger black kind.


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## JoshMKB24 (Mar 10, 2018)

Yeah I haven't either which is why I was wondering if mine was just crazy or not? Through the years I've had a few, granted I've never had the bushy nose/bristlenose but I figured their behavior would be pretty similar to the others. There is a bristlenose in the tank at the office and he seems normal.


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

Every night when the lights go out in the 55 it isn't long before I hear the gravel flying (and pretty good-sized gravel at that)

The tank has two BNP's in it ... 

So yeah, I'd say it's pretty normal.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

My BN don't dig at all. I have them in every tank.


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## JoshMKB24 (Mar 10, 2018)

wryan said:


> Every night when the lights go out in the 55 it isn't long before I hear the gravel flying (and pretty good-sized gravel at that)
> 
> The tank has two BNP's in it ...
> 
> So yeah, I'd say it's pretty normal.


Hahaha, I know the exact sound and when I heard it behind me in my office the 1st time late at night it scared the bejesus out of me!

Does anyone know why they do this? Is there something I'm doing wrong like he isn't being fed enough? I've heard that if they're swimming around a lot it means they are hungry, but it doesn't appear he's moving around a lot.......he just likes to stay fixed under a rock and thrash about to burrow deeper it seems.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

My Syno's do this when they lay eggs, but I did not see my pleco lay eggs so IDK if it is the same.


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

Do you have caves available for them? Appropriate caves have to be deep with a reduced opening size. Many fish that spawn in caves will make one if they can't find one to their liking.


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## JoshMKB24 (Mar 10, 2018)

I do have caves set up. I mean they're not specifically set up for them. However I noticed I did rearrange the rocks and "Nate" as I call him...........seems to be less active and hanging out under 1 rock. I still can hear him sometimes thrashing about, but its only been like twice since I rearranged the rocks 2 days ago. He was doing it like every 20 minutes before.


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

DJRansome said:


> My BN don't dig at all. I have them in every tank.


As I understand it there are various species of "BN" ... in fact, the two that I have were purchased at different times, and possibly at different locations ... which might imply that I have two different species, given that they actually look somewhat different (one has substantially longer bristles ... and way more of them ... plus some differences in coloration/spotting)

It could be that only one of the ones I have is responsible for the nightly ruckus.

It also could be that you don't have a species that is inclined to dig.

Could be other factors at play as well (different substrate, lack of one sex or the other, etc.)

Really hard to say exactly what accounts for the observed difference in behavior ...


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

JoshMKB24 said:


> Hahaha, I know the exact sound and when I heard it behind me in my office the 1st time late at night it scared the bejesus out of me!


It can be pretty startling ... particularly when you aren't expecting it ... 



JoshMKB24 said:


> Does anyone know why they do this? Is there something I'm doing wrong like he isn't being fed enough? I've heard that if they're swimming around a lot it means they are hungry, but it doesn't appear he's moving around a lot.......*he just likes to stay fixed under a rock and thrash about to burrow deeper it seems*.


Sounds pretty similar to what mine do.

Mine tend to stay "hidden" for the most part ... until food is put into the tank.

Then they come out and start looking ... although the one with less/shorter bristles will often make its way around the tank, sucking on the glass ... even when I haven't put food in the tank.


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## JoshMKB24 (Mar 10, 2018)

wryan said:


> JoshMKB24 said:
> 
> 
> > Hahaha, I know the exact sound and when I heard it behind me in my office the 1st time late at night it scared the bejesus out of me!
> ...


Glad I'm not the only one. In my line of work, its always best to know of small problems ahead of time before they become big ones so I always err on the side of caution with fish since I'm no expert. I guess that means though he is staying in the tank with gravel and not moving back to the tank with sand since he was quite the menace digging into the cichlid's little caves.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

True. I have a couple of species but no diggers. I'm sure bristles vary by variety but males should have them or longer ones and females have none or barely any.


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

DJRansome said:


> True. I have a couple of species but no diggers. I'm sure bristles vary by variety but males should have them or longer ones and females have none or barely any.


DJ,

From what little I've read on the BNP's that's my understanding as well.

There's a big difference between the two I have ... the one I take to be the male has major bristliness going on and has grown into a somewhat larger fish. The one I take to be the female is smaller and the bristles are much less pronounced in terms of both their length and their quantity.


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

JoshMKB24 said:


> Glad I'm not the only one. In my line of work, its always best to know of small problems ahead of time before they become big ones so I always err on the side of caution with fish since I'm no expert. I guess that means though he is staying in the tank with gravel and not moving back to the tank with sand since he was quite the menace digging into the cichlid's little caves.


FWIW - if you have a male and female BNP in the same tank, all that ruckus may be a sign that they are gettin' busy ... 

Got up this morning and looked in the 55G and found this:


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## JoshMKB24 (Mar 10, 2018)

wryan said:


> JoshMKB24 said:
> 
> 
> > Glad I'm not the only one. In my line of work, its always best to know of small problems ahead of time before they become big ones so I always err on the side of caution with fish since I'm no expert. I guess that means though he is staying in the tank with gravel and not moving back to the tank with sand since he was quite the menace digging into the cichlid's little caves.
> ...


Haha nice!

Nope just have 1 male. Maybe he needs a female companion!


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

JoshMKB24 said:


> Haha nice!


Yeah, I was impressed ... mostly because of the amount and size of the eggs ... hard to believe that the female could have been carrying that load, given her size (probably less than 4" O.A.L.)



JoshMKB24 said:


> Nope just have 1 male. Maybe he needs a female companion!


Yup ... he's probably getting lonely ... :thumb:


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## JoshMKB24 (Mar 10, 2018)

wryan said:


> JoshMKB24 said:
> 
> 
> > Haha nice!
> ...


Will the cichlids eat most of the eggs/baby plecos? I wouldn't be opposed to getting a female, but I wouldn't want a ton of plecos hah


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

JoshMKB24 said:


> Will the cichlids eat most of the eggs/baby plecos? I wouldn't be opposed to getting a female, but I wouldn't want a ton of plecos hah


Honestly I don't really know ... the male is currently guarding the eggs though.

If I had to guess I'd imagine the cichlids are probably opportunistic ... if they can get to the eggs or small fry they'll probably eat them ... depending on what species you are keeping.

Might be a function of how many hiding places/how much cover there is in the tank.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Mine always eat them. The only time I had a batch survive the plecos were in a mbuna fry tank...tiny ones.


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