New gold nugget pleco (L018)

[Blinky]

I'm doing a happy dance --> :dance:
The new plec is acting a bit shy, hiding under the wood - seems to me this is a good thing, I've just learned on Plecofanatics.com that sick plecs tend to hang out in the open and not react to much. He's a little pale, but looks healthy, and he's EATING!! He ate frozen brine shrimp this morning, and tonight he gobbled up about ten frozen bloodworms. I'm absolutely over the moon, I think my husband thinks I'm insane, grinning from ear to ear because a fish ate some food

 

[Swimfins]

:coffee2: I'm happy dancing this morning too. I dropped in some spinach tied to a spoon yesterday and some cucumber rings last night. The spinach is gone and the cuc's have telltale holes in the middle.

 

[nursie]

My little pl*co died yesterday am. I saw it poo a little, but never saw eating much. I tried zucchinio...peas.

 

[Blinky]

Sorry to hear that nursie
SF, glad to hear your little guy's doing well, that's wonderful!
It's official, the gold nugget is eating well and behaving normally - I'm thrilled

 

[Swimfins]

Sorry Nursie, that's the ups and downs of the hobby. Its a heartache.

I try to buy fish that have been in the store awhile. I've lost out on fish, however, by waiting too long and then going back only to find them gone.
But you can reserve a fish by putting a down payment on it and coming back to see it for a week or so. If you decide you don't want it, you just lose the ten bucks or so.
Good news Blinky I hope it continues.
Yes my royal is doing fine and I found a new LFS that has beautiful big tanks at very reasonable prices, so who knows. :huh: OMG! Did I say that?

 

[Blinky]

Update

Just another update for anyone following the little guy's progress
Yesterday I noticed he seems frustrated with all the plants in the tank (micro swords), whenever a plant blocks his way he takes off and goes back to his hiding spot. I decided to remove about half of the plants and leave a large open area - that way he can either hide or come out in the open at his discretion.
As soon as I'd finished the water change and pruning, he was cruising around exploring, much less shy than before - he's obviously not as much a fan of planted tanks as I am!
He's eating everything from frozen shrimp and bloodworms to algae wafers and pellets, and doing very well. I'm starting to see a little personality as he gets used to things, he's a real cutie pie

 

[Swimfins]

I see mine out alot scrubbing down the plants. Its funny to see his round little body hike up a vals leaf and then see him work his way to the tip and the whole leaf slowly bends to the substrate and he hops off. I don't know if that will be so cute at 10 or so inches long however lol. He thinks he's an otto. He's usually grooming the driftwood. I drop in tabs, but I haven't seen him actually eat. But they're gone by morning so I think all is well.
sounds good Blinky..
I am of the opinion that a sandy, less heavilly planted tank is more suitable for these guys with rocks and lots of wood.

 

[TorturedSOUL]

Well I picked up a gold nugget about 1 week ago for 25 bucks. It seems to be eating pretty well. I usually find it attached to some of the wood in my tank. The guy said it was a dwarf and wouldn't get over 4 inches..I guess on the bright side, at least it is a cool looking fish for when it does get huge.

 

[Blinky]

It may not get huge, but I'm guessing it'll top 4" - there are a few kinds of GN, some of which apparantly won't get much larger than six inches. Others reach more than a foot in the wild, but I've seen many posts where people say they've rarely seen one more than seven or eight inches long, which is plenty big enough for me