Panaque Maccus " clown pleco "

Catinthehat · Post by **Catinthehat** » 16 Dec 2003, 21:58

Hi All,
Does anyone have any experence breeding these . I have obtained 8 of these and would like to give breeding them a try.

Thanks.....

pleco_breeder · Post by **pleco_breeder** » 16 Dec 2003, 22:52

Hello,

I haven't kept them for several years, but they were one of the first I bred. Therefore, they still hold a special place to me. The tank should be set up with some driftwood and appropriately sized caves. I used a 20 gallon high for a trio. The water should be soft, and have a pH between 6.5 and 7.0. I don't know if the pH requirement is of importance, but that is where I had my success. Make due with small weekly partials of the same chemistry for 6-8 weeks just to get the waste out of the tank. During this time period, keep some sort of vegetable available and feed a good live or frozen food once or twice a week. The females should plump up nicely as long as the water parameters don't get too bad. Keep an eye on the nitrate and pH as a guide for tank maintenance.

Once the females are ripe, you can tell by the slight bulge that develops around the vent, start doing daily partials with stabilized reverse osmosis water. The replacement water should have about half the TDS and as close to neutral pH as possible. About 20 percent a day works. The water change should lower the temp from 78' to ~72' F. They should spawn with only a couple of weeks of this.

Larry Vires

Catinthehat · Post by **Catinthehat** » 16 Dec 2003, 23:02

Thanks for the quick reply. I was hoping to get your insite. I am going to have to get a RO unit before i proceed. I think they are an amazing fish, although very shy. That is until i drop some bloodworms into their tank.

Thanks again.

pleco_breeder · Post by **pleco_breeder** » 16 Dec 2003, 23:58

One more option,

When I first spawned them I didn't have an r.o. unit either. I boiled the water for water changes a few hours earlier so it could cool. The boiling breaks down the bicarbonates and releases them from solution. This may or may not work, but that is going to depend on how much carbonate hardness in the water. If your tap is already soft you may even be able to get by just allowing the tank to evaporate enough to increase the hardness. It's all about the change in conditions, and once they start they will usually continue as long as the parameters are kept steady.

Larry Vires