Food for Super Red Bristlenose

[Fenway]

Hello everyone,

I've got a mixed group of long fin and short fin super red bristlenose that I'm growing out to breed. I was wondering if anyone had any foods that seemed to make a noticeable difference in the red coloration of their fish. I watched the members video on plecos where she said New Life Spectrum food seemed to make a big difference. Currently I feed Sera O-Nip tabs and bottom pellets, Repashy soilent green and community plus, and occasionally some pieces of algae wafers. They also get various frozen foods when I'm feeding them to other aquariums and I recently started culturing moina. I feel like a lot of super red plecos really look more orange, but I've seen pictures and videos with one that look more red. So, I'm trying to breed some more that are actually more of a red than an orange. 

[lefty o]

i would think foods with krill in them might help with reds, but id not guarantee it.

[nabokovfan87]

CC @Odd Duck

I would stick with spirulina or krill based foods.  There's the NLS algaemaxx foods as well as stuff like krill pro foods. They sell them in various size pellets and I would think one of them works for the plecos. (I believe they go up to 6mm)

When it comes to something like shrimp, there are a few studies I can link and share for red coloration. Maybe those types of boosters can be used.  Generally speaking though, as soon as you stop using those boosters coloration would drop off.

Also.... If you have a light that can do it, try using light after hours to trigger certain color cells to develop. It's from shrimp, but it just helps them to develop color quicker and more vividly.

[Lennie]

First thing is genetics I believe. As a person who has been keeping and having many batches of babies until today, I can easily say that I have seen many lighter colored fish than mine in comparison online. As these fish are selectively bred for their coloration and look, you gotta make sure the genetics are the way you want as a starting point.
 

As an example, we may consider it like german blue rams I think as they are commonly selectively bred for the coloration. I have never seen any normal colored gbr that is as colorful as @Guppysnail’s pair. If I go to a local store and get me a random pair, I would very likely not end up with what she has when they breed in terms of the look/coloration.

Good food is also important. In my country we feed them blanched cappia pepper to boost red coloring too from time to time. Their main diet is about algae and grazing aufwuchs in general anyway. They are majorly on the herbivore side so Im not sure if feeding a krill diet would be any good. Especially young ones are even more prone to issues if fed animal protein. I dont think it would be ideal to feed something out of their ideal diet range just to potentially color them up. I guess red/orange is more about carotine and axanthines. My fish dont show interest to carrots much so I mix it to a snello to feed it.
 

I would say lots of high quality algae based foods and cappia pepper and maybe carrots if they like it.  Ideal environment and genetics that are similar to what you desire them to look like at the first place. And yes, they are deep orange color at best, at least mine are even tho I got my pair as their main super red pair as a gift from a very well know breeder here. I have never seen any actual “reds” to be honest. These are what my babies look like and at best they are still orange not red.

[Guppysnail]

On 1/19/2024 at 4:45 AM, Lennie said:

If I go to a local store and get me a random pair, I would very likely not end up with what she has when they breed in terms of the look/coloration.

I have actually learned a lot about coloration from my GBR.

Many babies went to friends and acquaintances.  Those that kept them at the temperature best suited to them and fed them my recommended foods in variety got the same same and coloration from my babies as the parents. 
 

Those that kept them at lower temperatures but did feed the food did not get as much size and coloration. 
 

Those that kept correct temperatures but did not feed the foods had the same low results. 
 

One kept them at lower temps and did not feed the foods saw very stunted growth and almost no coloration. 
 

One did everything recommended but had poor tank maintenance also saw stunted growth and lower color.

One friend @dasaltemelosguyhad some GBR prior to mine. Followed all recommendations when he got mine and got excellent growth and color but his others never got the color of mine.

 

All that info has led me to understand that food and conditions can influence and can bring out to their fullest extent maximum coloration obtainable in a genetic line. However if the genetics are not there food and conditions cannot make them appear. 
 

My lemons are very lemon.  Their babies went to folks I know as well. Proper diet and low nitrates bring out the lemon.  
 

Diets lacking protein causes them to be lighter. Not enough food causes very pale looks.

I feed my lemons EBO spirulina tabs, Ken’s ultra meat wafers, Kens veggie wafers, live and frozen baby brine shrimp, Ken’s growth formula, Kens high protein fry green, occasionally Xtreme bottom wafers and they always have fresh steamed vegetables including carrots and red bell peppers.

A friend makes his own for his super reds and they are crazy red.  He cooks fresh salmon a variety of vegetables and uses agar agar as a binder (I don’t know all his secret ingredients just those) 

I’ll tag @Colu who has much more experience with a variety of bristlenose than I do. Maybe they have some other recommendations. 

[Colu]

I think a good varied diet is the  best when it comes to enhancing the colour of your bristlenose at the moment I have  common bristlenose black with yellow spots and  25-30% of there spawns are yellow bristlenose  I feed mine a varied diet of tropical hi-aglae discs and tropical pleco tablets I also feed EBo youngster grow paste spirulina and Artemis paste and EBo veg sticks which are 50% pumpkin 50% peas EBo algae tabs and frozen blood worms twice a week and cucumber and blanched spinach and lettuce repashy super green and solient green they get fed a different food most days this variety does enhance the colour of my yellow bristlenose a good diet will also mean you have healthy fish less out breaks of disease overall more hardy fish @Fenway

Edited January 19 by Colu

[knee]

I'd focus on foods that have krill, astaxanthin and spirulina if you really wanna improve the reds. My lampeye killifish started showing orange on their tailfin because I fed them with a mixture of northfin pellets with this ratio (50% krill, 30% community and 20% veggie). Haven't kept super red BN but it really did help with the red, oranges and yellows on my other fish.

[gardenman]

Mine used to love the small frozen shrimp (60-70 per pound) sold for human consumption. I'd drop one in and they'd graze on it most of the day.

[Odd Duck]

I got tagged but it looks like you’ve already gotten some great suggestions.  Bristlenoses are considered primarily herbivorous but nudging toward omnivorous.  They will eat angelfish eggs (ask me how I know) and do appreciate some meatier foods.  Variety is key and feeding foods high in pigment precursors seems to help them color up along with appropriate general husbandry.  @Guppysnail raises some of the nicest fish I’ve ever seen.  If you want to pick one person’s advice, that’s where I’d go.  She spelled it out for you.

[Fenway]

Thanks everyone. I knew it would be a combination of diet, genetics, and proper living conditions. I handpicked my fish at a show to try and get the reddest I could. Obviously I'm staying on top of water changes to keep water quality high and I have driftwood and numerous caves so they can feel comfortable. I was really looking for other foods to add to what I'm currently feeding and you've given me some suggestions to look into. Also, I keep dart frogs and have a repashy carotenoid supplement to boost orange/red pigments. I'm starting to mix in some of the carotenoid supplement powder when I make up batches of soilent green and community plus. We'll see if it helps or not. I will say that while my fish darken and lighten up I do believe after being in my care for a bit they've darkened consistently some. Recently I picked up two females from a local fish store as my group of five juveniles is starting to look really male heavy and the store just happened to have adult super reds. I was a little hesitant because they were honestly kind of pale, but I felt I was really going to need some females. After having them for some time those two light females have darkened quite a bit and seem pretty similar to my other fish. I'm sure part of it was that they were stressed and washed out in the store tank.