Bristlenose fry (unplanned)

[sophiecat]

So ... for a long time, every pleco I bought would mysteriously die. I gave up for a few years, then decided to try bristlenose. The first one seemed to be doing well for 6 months and then died. The second one died immediately. I could not find any reason they were dying, except that the only places to buy them here are big pet stores that get shipments in every week, and the fish just might not be that strong. I got frustrated and bought 3 bristlenose, thinking at least one or two of them might live.
Well, all three of them thrived. Two turned out to be male, so I separated them into two separate aquariums. We have just the two aquariums set up, so I left the female with one of the males.
I have been keeping fish for almost 20 years, and the only fish that have actually multiplied have been the cories, and since they lay their eggs right on the glass, most of them get eaten. If one or two grow up and add to the group, no big deal. I'm not doing anything to try to create breeding conditions.
All this to say, I was not particularly expecting to find at least 10 pleco fry hanging on the sides of the tank this week. The kids are having fun watching them, and meanwhile I am working on finding them homes.
By the way, how big should they be before I rehome them? They are eating algae off the glass, but they are still pretty small, and I don't know if they would eat from an algae wafer at this point. I'm planning to wait a few weeks.

[bekateen]

Hi sophiecat,

First of all, congratulations!

You see 10 fry? Don't be surprised if it turns out to be 50 or 100. The first clutch of adult common BNs can easily be that size.

As for rehoming, my own rule is 1.5 inches TL (3.5-4cm, including tail).

Also, be alert that once BNs discover they know how to spawn, sometimes they don't stop. I had a pair of albino BNs and they spawned 6x, with just 18-20 days between each spawn. And each spawn had more and more eggs, with the last spawn producing over 200 fry if I recall correctly.

I love watching them be so productive, but raising so many fry can be a logistical nightmare. I just rehomed my entire group of 13 adult

Ancistrus sp`rio_ucayali`

for that reason.

Thanks for sharing, and I wish you all success!

Cheers, Eric

[sophiecat]

Thank you!