4-1.5" L260S

[leej24]

I have 4-F1 L260s that are ~1.5" total length. I really don’t need to get rid of them; however, there’s a chance I will be moving to a different state for school so here’s your chance to get them while I’m in the mood to downsize.

There is no price for them at the current moment so shoot me your best offer. Please, no low balling.
Pictures can be sent on request.

I am from Green Bay, WI so I will be delivering them to the GCCA Swap Meet in Arlington Heights, Illinois on December 6.

Thanks for looking!

[apistomaster]

Some 1" L260 sold for $75 each on aquabid.com this last summer.
I would think $100 each would be a reasonable price based on their scarcity and demand. In many ways, L260 have become the new Zebra Pleco. Maybe $375 for all four?
I have had many requests for my F1 L260 but I don't plan to begin selling any until after I have at least 30 to be kept as my future breeding stock. My L260 don't spawn often and so far only during the winter months and I have been averaging 10 surviving fry per pawn. I only have 3 pairs of wild breeders set up in a 20 long and it takes 9-10 months for the fry to reach a full 1-1/2 inches.

[CanadaPleco]

I would have to agree 100% with Larry's prices... They are for sure the new zebra, except there are fewer people spawning them.

[apistomaster]

I only raised 20 fry to 1-1/2 inches from spawns last winter and had some setbacks.
One water change was too cool for some very young fry so I lost most of those and then I made the mistake of trying to grow some L260 out with L134. L134 are too dominant to raise with L260 and I had 4 that probably starved. The L260 just don't flow like from a faucet. Progress to larger numbers of tank raised fish is going to be slow.

[leej24]

Thanks guys. I did get some offers, some good and some not so good, so I might just hold on to them. Again, I don't need to get rid of them but I might continue to get my PhD so I can't take all my fish with me (even if I wanted to)---Wanted to study plecos, but I might not be able to

[Barbie]

This thread makes it that much more painful to think about losing my colony and their 80 fry to that filter failure last spring! Guess it's time to get the replacements doing something besides eating!

Barbie

[apistomaster]

L260 and H. zebra are so similar when it comes to breeding and their productivity so it will take time to develop a supply of aquarium raised fish.
Hi Barbie, I did not know you suffered such a major setback. ~80 juvenile L260 was a large number to have accumulated then lose. Very sorry to learn about this loss of fish.
L260 are the no 1 species I have been receiving inquiries about this year. I doubt I will have any F1 breeders producing fry for another 2 years. 3 males and 3 females do not make much of a nucleus to build up a large supply very soon. The male you sent me a couple years ago is probably responsible for raising the majority of my few fish.
Not much more than 3 years ago we could acquire wild specimens for as little as $25 to $35 each but I'm afraid those days are over but it hasn't quite sunk in yet for those remembering the old days. I don't think we will ever see those prices again.
And when someone decides to sell f1 specimens only 1 inch long are too small to be sold to most. I recommend buying fish at least 1-1/2 inches. It takes 8 to 10 months to raise them to 1-1/2 inches so responsible sellers will already have so much invested in them that they couldn't possibly cover the costs of raising them if the prices were $30+/- a few dollars.
There is some irony in that there are probably several 1000's of individual specimens in the collections of many people in the States which are cut off from any chance of breeding. Matchmaking between many of these isolated L260 is not practical for many reasons.

[Proteus]

Keep onto those if you can as long as you can- I would say if they all grew out to be females, the prices would have gone way up. I'm having just a hard time trying to get a confirmed female that would make the prices go up even more. Some people just think they can lowball- trying to trade some unbanned plecos for some banned plecos and pull the wool over some of us. I do agree with 100 bucks each to be fair for one fry and 375 for the group of 4 to be more appealing for that size however I do urge you to hold onto them as long as you can grad school takes a while to apply etc so I'm guessing if you decide within a year? so plenty of time?

[bronzefry]

This is a helpful thread for me with my L-201s. Good luck with your education, kiddo! Keep those fish!
Amanda

[Jon]

what grad program are you doing?

[leej24]

what grad program are you doing?

I just defended today and was successful. I'm now a Master's of Science (Environmental Science and Policy--Ecosystems Studies--Thesis: A stable isotope study on food web dynamics of lower and middle Green Bay, Lake Michigan)