Bristlenose plecos

[Kurtkoinut]

I bought a few and tossed them in my pond in early april this year. They are huge now, but I fear they will die if I leave them in the pond for the winter. Anyone with experiences with this breed? I live in mid missouri, and the water will reach below freezing a few times during our mild-ish winters here.

 

[Jhn]

Never kept plecos in a pond, since they are more of a tropical fish but my guess is they will die if left in the pond as the water cools down. Do you have room for a stock tank of some sort kept in a garage or basement to over winter them?

 

[JRS]

I had my first breeding success with them in a pond one summer. I have kept them in basement tanks that have been in the sixties overnight but would not want to go much lower. This guy mentions fifties: https://pondinformer.com/cold-water-pleco-pond-guide/#:~:text=Bristlenose plecos, despite their small,(10°C~). I agree with jhn, best bet would be to get a tank inside.

 

[Stephen Noble]

Agree. They are tropicals so best to bring them in. You might find on-line stories about them surviving freezing temperatures in lakes but I seriously doubt it unless they were caught near a power plant.

 

[Kurtkoinut]

Thanks all for the feedback. I have a tank ready inside, and I'll try to get them rounded up today.

 

[Kurtkoinut]

Upon reading further about algae eaters in general, I've come to the conclusion that there is no fish that meets my cold water conditions. I do not like the idea of removing fish in fall due to cold water intolerance. I know my Koi and Shubunkins will eat some algae, but not all types of it. It's not their top choice for food anyway.

Anyone here have any ideas? Maybe a species that my searches didnt come across? I don't have the issue now, but I did during mid summer, and I expect I will again next season.

 

[brokensword]

Upon reading further about algae eaters in general, I've come to the conclusion that there is no fish that meets my cold water conditions. I do not like the idea of removing fish in fall due to cold water intolerance. I know my Koi and Shubunkins will eat some algae, but not all types of it. It's not their top choice for food anyway.

Anyone here have any ideas? Maybe a species that my searches didnt come across? I don't have the issue now, but I did during mid summer, and I expect I will again next season.

I think you'll find your gf AND koi will eat algae. Now, if you're going to feed them regularly, they'll opt for the tastier/easier offering. But, you want algae to grow on pond surfaces for this reason. And as temps go down, though your fish will slow down, there is still some activity re eating, and it'll be algae at that time.

I once thought I'd put a lot of snails in my pond for your reasons but soon found the fish got them and the algae didn't get out of hand. Also, make sure you have a decent amount of shade--the number you want is about 60% coverage. This will keep your algae in check, if you have a problem.

Even if you had a bunch/large algae eaters, they'd still not keep up with any decent size pond's algae colony.

 

[JamieB]

Larger sized plecos tend to prefer plants to algae, more energy from consumption vrs effort put into eating. To reduce algae, try more plants, shade the pond, and if it’s bad enough, try a bog filter if you can set one up. There are all kinds of threads on building a bog.