Bad luck strikes twice...driftwood vs. pleco

beviking · 11-09-2007, 07:15 PM

I cannot believe this. I had bought a wicked cool piece of driftwood, lots of nooks and crannies. Had a pair of Long finned bristlenose plecos and they disappeared so I pulled out the driftwood and found the female jammed inside one of the nooks. Never found the male

Bummed, but not completely shocked. However, I had another pair in another tank which I've had albino lfbn spawn in a few times. The male lf was getting to be gorgeous (see pic) and just tonight, I see something odd sticking out of the driftwood! This driftwood doesn't have all the nooks and crannies but somehow he managed to wedge himself in a spot and I didn't notice and now he's gone

I've never been so bummed about losing a fish. Now I have two females. Even worse, I had a third pair but traded them off a while back

I do have a male albino reg. fin that I could breed with the female lf but I'd rather not. Anyone out there have one like in the pic they're looking to get rid of? I could send shipping supplies plus pay/trade for fish and shipping. I could wait another 5 months and hope more show up at the local auction too I guess. Uh...maybe a bottle of rye will help.

DirtyDawg10 · 11-09-2007, 08:12 PM

What a gorgeous fish Beviking. Sorry to hear he passed away.

OrionGirl · 11-09-2007, 09:46 PM

See what TTA has--he's usually glutted with BN, might have some ALF.

beviking · 11-10-2007, 08:05 AM

Thanks DD. The pic doesn't do him justice since the yellow edging on the fins is somewhat washed out.

Thanks OG. I'm not interested in Albinos though, hence the few spawns of abn and I only have one left

Maybe he'll have some browns? I have a pseudo-lead so I'll wait until that comes/falls through before bugging TTA.

Lobo. · 11-10-2007, 12:46 PM

this sounds like a nominee for the fishy Darwin awards

beviking · 11-10-2007, 02:00 PM

Hey! I...you...they...

O.k., maybe for the first one, but the second was uncalled for. I don't know how many plecos lived in that tank with that same piece of driftwood with no problems. I still don't know how fathead got wedged in the way he did? Must be one or both of his facial hooks got caught??? This was two seperate incidents, two seperate tanks, and two different pcs of wood. If it was the same one and I didn't learn from the first mistake I would agree that I am a

and deserve it

RTR · 11-10-2007, 02:36 PM

Despite the many stories of fish getting caught, I have only lost one to such, and that was my own fault. I used synthetic thread to tie some Java Moss to driftwood and left it there. I lost one of a breeding pair dwarf plecs to the thread. I don't think I will ever forgive myself for such stupidity on my part - I do know better. I would feel at least a little better if it were as un-anticipated and unpredictable as yours were.

TwoTankAmin · 11-10-2007, 04:19 PM

RTR- I sympathize. I often use waxed dental floss to attached stuff. I had used it to affix anubias and ferns to wood and rocks in my "Yipes Stripes" pleco tank. Imagine my dismay when one day I spotted a zebra pleco flopping arount under a plant. Upon closer inspection I discovered it was tangled up in the floss. Fortunately I spotted it in time to cut it free before it killed itself trying to escape.

This is not the only thing fish can get tangled up and killed in. Lost a beeder male P nicholsi when it got hopelessly tangled up in a mas of java fern roots behind a rock.

And I agree, I have never lost a pleco to a hidey hole. Had a few get scraped sides on their heads discovering they didnt quite fit in some places. I have had to break stuff apart to get plecos out that I needed to ship though.

beviking · 11-14-2007, 12:50 PM

Thank you gents! Nice to know I'm not the only one. I had a near disaster with thread once too. Realized quickly that the thread had to be tightened down everywhere.

Java roots

That stinks!!! I wouldn't have thought of that one. Mainly b/c I try to keep 'em trimmed so they do not collect so much waste/mulm/detritus/etc....

J2FcM · 12-17-2007, 03:10 PM

hmm. I never thought of that. Sorry for the fish deaths... but I will heed your post and be careful about the next piece of driftwood I pick up for our inbound plecos.

TwoTankAmin · 12-17-2007, 11:23 PM

For bn I use swampwood. It is cyprus and rarely has the kinds of place plecs can get stuck in. It is a very soft wood however, not like bogwood or mopani or swahala etc.

Unfortunately I have everthing but alfs. I have some regular albinos; lots of long fin regulars; one proven male (std fin and color, but the offstpring of alfs and he sired a spawn of both regs and albinos) and assorted regulars which likely carry both the lf and albino genes.

I sold off many of my adults and breeders about 6 weeks ago and the buyer had a spawn from them 5 days later. Now being overrun with fry is her problem :-p

beviking · 12-30-2007, 09:09 AM

Well, I guess I jumped to a conclusion too quickly. The plec I thought was a female has grown fins back and barbels on the nose too! It is a male!!! I can't believe it was so mangles and terrible looking and came back! Unfortunately it's right pectoral fin is but a spindley nub

I don't know if the misses will accept him or not?
Any xp with battered males reproducing TT???
My albino reg fin male is coming into maturity so if all else fails, I may have to breed the two. Then what am I going to do with all those long finned albino offspring?

11-09-2007, 08:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
DirtyDawg10 Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,384	What a gorgeous fish Beviking. Sorry to hear he passed away. __________________ Derek Self-Proclaimed FUTURE Fish Master IN TRAINING

11-09-2007, 09:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
OrionGirl Miss you, Old Man Join Date: May 2006 Location: California coastline Posts: 6,722	See what TTA has--he's usually glutted with BN, might have some ALF. __________________ ~Sheila tempus edax rerum Ideas do not have to be correct in order to be good; its only necessary that, if they do fail, they do so in an interesting way. ~Robert Rosen

11-10-2007, 12:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
Lobo. sheep in wolf's clothing Join Date: May 2006 Location: Nashville Posts: 563	this sounds like a nominee for the fishy Darwin awards __________________ "So long and thanks for all the fish!" The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy He was a playful guy but often used his ink at the worst times.

11-10-2007, 02:36 PM	#7 (permalink)
RTR RTR Join Date: May 2006 Location: Exurban MD, USA Posts: 849	Despite the many stories of fish getting caught, I have only lost one to such, and that was my own fault. I used synthetic thread to tie some Java Moss to driftwood and left it there. I lost one of a breeding pair dwarf plecs to the thread. I don't think I will ever forgive myself for such stupidity on my part - I do know better. I would feel at least a little better if it were as un-anticipated and unpredictable as yours were. __________________ Where's the fish? - Neptune

11-10-2007, 04:19 PM	#8 (permalink)
TwoTankAmin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Westchester Co., NY Posts: 724	RTR- I sympathize. I often use waxed dental floss to attached stuff. I had used it to affix anubias and ferns to wood and rocks in my "Yipes Stripes" pleco tank. Imagine my dismay when one day I spotted a zebra pleco flopping arount under a plant. Upon closer inspection I discovered it was tangled up in the floss. Fortunately I spotted it in time to cut it free before it killed itself trying to escape. This is not the only thing fish can get tangled up and killed in. Lost a beeder male P nicholsi when it got hopelessly tangled up in a mas of java fern roots behind a rock. And I agree, I have never lost a pleco to a hidey hole. Had a few get scraped sides on their heads discovering they didnt quite fit in some places. I have had to break stuff apart to get plecos out that I needed to ship though. __________________ Te audire non possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.

11-10-2007, 08:05 AM	#4 (permalink)
beviking resU deretsigeR Join Date: May 2006 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 457	Thanks DD. The pic doesn't do him justice since the yellow edging on the fins is somewhat washed out. Thanks OG. I'm not interested in Albinos though, hence the few spawns of abn and I only have one left Maybe he'll have some browns? I have a pseudo-lead so I'll wait until that comes/falls through before bugging TTA.

11-10-2007, 02:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
beviking resU deretsigeR Join Date: May 2006 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 457	Hey! I...you...they... O.k., maybe for the first one, but the second was uncalled for. I don't know how many plecos lived in that tank with that same piece of driftwood with no problems. I still don't know how fathead got wedged in the way he did? Must be one or both of his facial hooks got caught??? This was two seperate incidents, two seperate tanks, and two different pcs of wood. If it was the same one and I didn't learn from the first mistake I would agree that I am a and deserve it

11-14-2007, 12:50 PM	#9 (permalink)
beviking resU deretsigeR Join Date: May 2006 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 457	Thank you gents! Nice to know I'm not the only one. I had a near disaster with thread once too. Realized quickly that the thread had to be tightened down everywhere. Java roots That stinks!!! I wouldn't have thought of that one. Mainly b/c I try to keep 'em trimmed so they do not collect so much waste/mulm/detritus/etc....

12-17-2007, 03:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
J2FcM Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 289	hmm. I never thought of that. Sorry for the fish deaths... but I will heed your post and be careful about the next piece of driftwood I pick up for our inbound plecos.

12-17-2007, 11:23 PM	#11 (permalink)
TwoTankAmin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Westchester Co., NY Posts: 724	For bn I use swampwood. It is cyprus and rarely has the kinds of place plecs can get stuck in. It is a very soft wood however, not like bogwood or mopani or swahala etc. Unfortunately I have everthing but alfs. I have some regular albinos; lots of long fin regulars; one proven male (std fin and color, but the offstpring of alfs and he sired a spawn of both regs and albinos) and assorted regulars which likely carry both the lf and albino genes. I sold off many of my adults and breeders about 6 weeks ago and the buyer had a spawn from them 5 days later. Now being overrun with fry is her problem :-p __________________ Te audire non possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure. Last edited by TwoTankAmin : 12-17-2007 at 11:27 PM.

12-30-2007, 09:09 AM	#12 (permalink)
beviking resU deretsigeR Join Date: May 2006 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 457	Well, I guess I jumped to a conclusion too quickly. The plec I thought was a female has grown fins back and barbels on the nose too! It is a male!!! I can't believe it was so mangles and terrible looking and came back! Unfortunately it's right pectoral fin is but a spindley nub I don't know if the misses will accept him or not? Any xp with battered males reproducing TT??? My albino reg fin male is coming into maturity so if all else fails, I may have to breed the two. Then what am I going to do with all those long finned albino offspring?

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