common bristlenose breeding tank

[FINNAGEN]

hi how are you all?!
im new so let me introduce myself, im sean and i love fish!

yesterday i purchased a pair of common bristlenoses, 1 male(cm) and 1 female(cm)

ph:7.4
tempurature:26 degres celcius
hang on filter, 500l/h
cave
plastic plants
shell
rock
driftwood with anubius attached
substate (light in colour)small in size
tank 2ft
food zucchini, flake, and i have some lettuce, frozen peas and cucumber.

the fish have been in there for about 22hrs
tank has been runing for a yr but it was not filtrated about a week ago for a week becoz i had no fish in it.
and the bristle nose have no other tank mates.

is there anything i can improve on for perfect breeding conditions?

thanx for reading,
sean

[PlecoCrazy]

Its quite possible since you've had no fish in your tank for so long that you may lack the beneficial bacteria you need to break down ammonia and nitrite. Pay close attention to those two chemicals at least for a month or so and if they get high you will need to do a water change. You should always cycle a tank first and/or have a seasoned filter available when setting up a new tank. Otherwise plan on alot of water changes.

[Barbie]

The no filtering is a very bad idea, IMO. Just leave the filter running next time and feed the tank like there are still fish in there. It will keep your biobed alive in your filter. For this first month or so, underfeed the fish a bit, and I would definitely recommend not leaving zuchini, cucumber, or any other vegetables in the tank to put off waste. Weekly 30% water changes will also help keep your levels in bounds, but plecos aren't necessarily going to tell you they aren't happy with their water quality, they'll just flop over and die on you.

If you have another tank with an established filter, you could swipe media from it to add to this tank, or even rinse out the existing media in the new tank to jumpstart the bacteria colonies.

Other than your problem with water quality, the tank should be fine for a pair, IMO.

Barbie