okay folk, time for another update on Mr. Zippy the Zebra Peco..
Mr. Zippy was purchased last Sunday. He's approximately 1" in length and is currently residing in my Eclipse System Six with one purple male betta tankmate. There is a "coral air" stone run by a TetraTec 30 pump in the coner by the intake tube, and I've placed in lots of rock and driftwood to make it look like a riffle part of a stream. I've lowered the water level slightly so that the waterfall from the filter aggitates the surface more and puts extra bubbles in the water.
Luckily Mr. Zippy (or Ms. Zippy I can't tell<G&gt
, has choosen as his hiding cave one that is easily viewable. Actually, I gave him really no choice. The driftwood piece I gave him lays on its side, propped up by rocks, and it is really the only wood-roofed cave in the tank. He has choosen none of the rock crevices to hide in. So I do get to see him pretty often. He doesn't do much, just stays in his cave and occasionally hops around behind one of the rocks if he catches me peeking at him. He isn't even bothered when Purple Betta decides to enter his hidey-hole and do a little bit of flaring. Purple betta seems disgruntled suddenly with all this new decor in his tank, but he is fat on bloodworm.
Thus far, I have not phsically witnessed this zebra pleco eat. I place a small fingernail size hunk of bloodworm in the tank at night before I go to bed (the betta eats a good chunk of that), and a wafer in the tank in the morning (the betta seems to eat that too). I might simply place wafer in the tank at night since I'm worried the bloodworm might create an ammonia spike. I see no evidance of food left over in the morning, but it could just have dissolved and gotten into the rock crevices.
Since he won't suck to the front glass to let me see if his belly is full, I can only assume he's eating something since he's still alive after six days. The betta certainly looks fat though. I did place a second piece of driftwood in the tank, but he seemed to have taken no notice of it, and it started to grow a nice white fuzz. I took that wood out and placed it back in my 20 gallon, where it seems the Rainbow shark and perhaps the Clown Plecos there have cleaned up the white fuzz. From what I can see of his color, it seems clear and fine, no odd patches or red spots or any sign of disease or stress.
The temp on that tank is currently 78oF. That is without a heater (we're in a summer heat wave, tank temps have been up to 82oF 'round here lately). I put on my air-conditioner last night (ahhhh....) and today it seems Mr. Zippy was none the worst for it. Tank temps have dropped to about 74oF when I have the AC on. I am considering placing a heater in the tank once winter comes. I know my other tropicals can handle the lower temps (68oF-70oF) of winter since they did last year without a heater just fine. Of the Zebra pleco, I don't know. I'm willing to bet he probably could but why chance it.
I've been doing a 2 gallon water change first thing every morning. I can't tell if it is the new driftwood that is leaching, or if the bloodworms are causing minor spikes, but the water is very subtle yellow and it is not that color in my other tanks which I have recently change (I use the same water in all tanks). I am picking up a new carbon today to see if that will help remove any of it. If it is the drift-wood, I'm not too worried about it, zebra plecos are suppose to like slightly more acidic conditions anyway and the betta does not seem bothered at all.
So there you have it, my first week with my first really expensive fish. I hope it continues to go well like this. If anybody has anything more to add, please do so. I'll probably give ya'll weekly updates since I know there are people interested in zebra plecos from the practical aspect of their care.
~~Colesea
