Another breeding question, need experts!

fishthoughts · Post by **fishthoughts** » 02 Aug 2005, 18:14

Okay.

I have been breeding african cichlids for a while now, and its time to get into plecos!

I have the following groups, some proven, some just "trios" or what have you.

1) L007 (1 Male @ about 9" 2 females closer to 6-7")

2) L114 (Still way too young, only 4-5", 2M 1F)

3) L333 (all fish 4" or so, 1M 2F)

4) L204 (Iknow, impossible, but 2M 3F,3.5")

5) L174 (1M 2F, 2.5")

6) L002 (2M 4F, 2-4")

Just curious as to who has spawned these and waht they've done to get them to spawn, if they have, what diet they were on, tank setups, etc etc. Justneed as much info as I can, and inthe Cat-e-Log, there isnt hardly any info on some of these species.

Pturley this would be a good post for you! You too Ken!

Thanks!
Steve

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 02 Aug 2005, 18:36

Looking for a "Closest match" would be a good way to get some knowledge. For instance, L333 is a Hypancistrus, so spawning would be similar to L260 or L46, both of which I know are in the reproduction articles in Shane's World.

That's obviously not necessarily the exact recipe for getting them to breed, but it's a starting point. The same applies to other genus that you may want to try.

The other point is that if you want to spawn any Loricaridae, it's probably a good idea to start with the "spawns by themselves", just to get the hang of bringing up the young and "knowing" how to get a spawn. Such as common bristlenoses (albinos or longfins are a question of taste, but I prefer the "natural" variety).

This is like learning to walk before learning to run...

General hints on triggering is:
A sequence of:
- Warmer water, fewer/smaller water changes.
- Higher conductivity.
- Slower water movement.
- Plenty of live-food/meaty food.

- Lower water conductivity (hardness)
- Lower temperature.
- Faster water movement.

- Back to "normal".

This simualates the "dry" and "rainy" seasons. Most (if not all) Loricaridae will spawn after the rainy season.

--
Mats

laurab5 · Post by **laurab5** » 02 Aug 2005, 19:19

Some of those will be an extreme challenge. I would start with L333, L174, and L002. I used to breed over 30 kinds of mbuna and plecos are so much harder, but so much more unique.

fishthoughts · Post by **fishthoughts** » 03 Aug 2005, 00:08

Thanks for the info guys. I know the L204 are NEAR IMPOSSIBLE to spawn in captivity, but I think I can do it. There are a few harder Cichlids that most breeders can "NEver Spawn" that we've done already, so Im always up for a challenge!

I plan on working with the L007, L002 and the L333 at first, I also have 14 lil 2.5" Albino Longfin BN Plecos that Im growing out (had em sinec 1.5" only lost 1 because he got stuck in the sponge filter tube somehow, what a wierd lil dude lol), and have a standard and albino BN Male/Female respectively that are real close to breeding size/maturity.

So, the order goes like so: I am pretty sure the Bushynose will spawn first. Then I want to target the L007 and L333.

Once I get good with those and have some spawns, I hope for the other species to follow along. Evenually, I plan to stick to our original breeding plan here : 15 Aulonocara, 10 Haps, 10 Mbuna, 8-12 Tanganyikan species, 3-5 Victorian, and 5-6 good Plecos, possibly a handful of Cories or other neat fish.

I will keep searching this board every day formore info as I ahve one hell of a boring job and have lots of free time while Im at "work"

THANKS!

Post by **Shane** » 03 Aug 2005, 01:36

The real issue with loricariids is raising the fry. Getting spawns with many of the "beginner" spp. such as most Ancistrus, Hemiloricaria, Farlowella, and Sturisoma is not the hardest part. Raising the fry is. Since you hope to concentrate on ancistrinae, I would look for some Ancistrus to start with (I'll bite my tongue with regards to the deformed varieties) and get down spawning the parents and raising the fry. I can not name a single accomplished loricariid breeder that did not cut their teeth on Ancistrus. As a stepping stone, I would first recommend one of the common Ancistrus, such as A. triradiatus or A. sp. 3. Then move on to one of the blackwater Ancistrus (the black spp. with white spots). The basic aquarium skills you have from keeping sicklids will certainly help, but as was pointed out, loricariids are a far tougher nut than Rift Lake cichlids. Rift Lake sicklids need clean consistant values to spawn. Most catfishes need radical to gradual water chemistry, temperature, feeding, aeration, and/or photoperiod changes to induce spawning. On an interesting note, this why, other than callichthyids and loricariids which are super popular, Rift Lake catfishes are probably the next most commonly spawned catfishes. They are some of the very few freshwater catfishes that just need consistancy and cleanliness.
-Shane