Hello.
I do the same as Pleco_breeder, and just use tubing (from my gravel siphon) to collect them. It?s a bit fiddly. I siphon them into a bucket, as I don?t get a good flow if I siphon to tank height. I then stand on a chair and siphon them again from the bucket into the breeding net. (Which is in the same tank they spawned in.) Once the fry reach about 2cm, I separate them into 3 or 4 breeding nets so that they have more room.
The fry hatch 7 days after being laid ? almost to the minute. So if they start spawning at 9pm on a Saturday, I simply hang around the tank the following week at 9, with my tubing. Interestingly, it?s always at about that time. You?d think it would be during the night when it?s darker. ?
The eggs are always laid on the internal filter. When they hatch, they nearly always stay on the filter so it?s easy to grab them. I have also experienced ready to hatch eggs bursting, and fry being sucked from the egg as I was capturing another fry.
It really worried me at first, but the fry survive.
I have never witnessed mum eating fry myself. I was warned about this by people on here and on Plecofanatics. So as a result ? have never left them together to see what happens.
Some spawns, I have no loses. Occasionally I have one, and once I lost 2. These deaths occurred within a couple of hours of hatching.
I also lost 5 fry from my grow on tank a while ago. My heater died and I ended up with white spot. Though I have a feeling that it was the Protozin that killed them and not the white spot, as the deaths occurred within an hour of the tank being treated.
My only other loses have been if I was working a night shift and not there to collect them ? as this is a community tank and they get eaten.
I also lost one complete batch of eggs to an opportunist L47. Which was odd, as he never touched other spawns, and hasn?t done again since.
I can?t explain my success, as I have never tried to breed anything ? not even BN.
And to be completely honest, I didn?t even realise until they spawned that I had a pair.
![Embarrassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon/redface.gif)
The male didn?t fill out or grow a beard until after the first spawn. I hadn?t, and still don?t do anything different to try and induce spawning.
I have discovered something over the past 2 weeks, that isn?t exactly related, but I thought I?d mention it. I don?t use RO water or anything special. Simple tap water with Tetra Aqua Safe as dechlorinator. I got to visit some babies that I rehomed recently, and others have posted pictures on PF and stayed in touch.
The fry that have been rehomed to those that use RO, seem to grow much faster than those of us that don?t use it. While mine appear to be thriving, I?m wondering if they prefer RO ? and maybe those without as high a survival rate could try switching.
Also, those that have them in RO tanks, also keep theirs at much higher temperatures than I do. Maybe that speeds up growth? Mine are spawned at 25.8. My grow on tank is 26.2, only because I can?t seem to get an exact match.
I got 3 L46 at the weekend and have added 6, 2 inch fry to their tank, which is rather warmer at 28. I plan to keep an eye on them and see how it affects their growth.
Lastly, as this has turned out to be rather epic. Sorry!
It should be noted that Shane has said that these are a long finned Sturisoma species that haven?t as yet been scientifically described. It?s possible that these guys are just much more hardy than other species.
I consider myself a complete novice and realise that the survival rate is probably predominantly sheer luck. Which I realise must be slightly annoying (and I apologise!) to breeders who try to actively spawn them.
L46 L001 L18 L47 L128 L333 L190 L351 L104 BN Whiptails.