bristle nosed pleco, tankmates

Question
HI, (again)

after waiting for a bit from the gourami ordeal, i have added some zebra danios and an albino bristle nosed pleco. My bristle nosed peco will not eat any of the algea wafers i give him, they just get soggy and break apart. i have tried feeding him at different times and at night, but nothing will work. seeing as my tank is still relativly new, i cant imagine there is enough algea to sustain him.. he is about three in long. What sould i do? also, i heard driftwood is benifical for them. is it nessisary? if so, dose it mater what type i add?

my second se of questions is about tank mates. I love bosimani rainbow fish, but how many should i get? can i get all males?

i also want to add a dwarf gourami. a dwarf flame gourami, and a dwarf powder blue gourami. i have been told i need 1 male and two female for each, but i can only find males at pet stores. will 3 male be ok?

Thnaks,
Mike

Answer
Hi Mike,
This is very unusual that your pleco is not eating.  They do need wood, and any kind of driftwood will do.  I would try sinking shrimp pellets, and if he still refuses to eat, then he might be sick.  Watch him closely for any sign of sickness.  You don't want to add fish until you know what is wrong with your pleco.

Bosemani rainbow fish need at least a 4 ft tank, and must be kept in groups of six or more.  I would not recommend little gouramis with them.  They would do well with mollys, swordfish, and danios, and other rainbow fish.  They need lots of room to swim, so need a big tank.

Gouramis are nice to see, and yes the rule would be 3 females to a male, but I would not mix them, because when they do start to mate, unlike other fish, they build their bubble nest, and it is a hassel in a community tank.  They get aggressive when mating, so I would definitely put in only the same sex, either males or females.  These little gouramis do well with platys, guppies, harlequin Rasboras, glass fish, tetras,  and cory catfish (Corys must be kept in groups of six)
I hope this helps
Lynda

You are very welcome.  Some pet stores do not feed their fish well, so they end up sick in our tanks.  I know some do not care about the poor plecos, and most are starving when we bring them home.  If you have a choice, do not go back to this pet store. If one fish is sick, and he sells it just the same, you can bet that all of his fish are sick.  Make sure that your pleco is not sick before putting another fish in your tank.  If he is sick, then it could easily spread from one fish to another.  Wait to see if he gets better.  Maybe his tummy has shrunk because he was starving, and maybe it is too late for him to get better.  Try the shrimp, he may start eating again.  I hope so.
Lynda