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I have a pair of Ancistrus sp3 in a 72 gallon community tank. I noticed this morning that the male is sitting on a clutch of eggs. I would like to grow out the fry from them since this is my first spawn with bristlenose.

so I have a few questions...
How well do the bristlenose protect their eggs and fry?

Should I pull the eggs now?

They spawned in the crevis between two rocks so I could pull the rock they are on and transfer to a 10 gallon with the male.

here is a pic of poppa on his eggs.

Dan,
You will find many threads that answer your questions if you search the forums. Also, it hard to advise you without more specific details (such as what tankmates they have). They are very good at protecting their eggs.
-Shane

All African Cichlids...

he is in with a few Alto Compressiceps, L. Boulengeri, a couple S. Petricola, and a Pulcher.

The male will protect the eggs and the fry. However, once the fry are turning into miniature copies of mum and dad, they will start to swim around in the tank, and that will cause be the danger point in this case.

Unless your african cichlids [1] are small enough that they will not eat the babies, I'd move the father and the eggs in to a new tank. Best way to move them is to take some suitable container (bucket or something) and immerse that into the big tank, then put the rock into the bucket, and then move the bucket to the new location.

Make sure you use water from the big tank in the baby tank. You can change water regularly while the fry are developing, but you don't want to shock them by changing it all of a sudden by putting the eggs into a newly filled tank.

I would make sure the male goes with the eggs, but keep an eye out if he abandons them. If he does, you need to make sure there is some sort of slow water flow past the eggs so they are oxygenated. Once the fry are free-swimming, you can put the male back in the big tank, as he's finished looking after the small ones.

As Shane said, there's a lot of info on this site about bristlenoses, as they are relatively easy to spawn.

[1] I don't recognise the species you've got. It's about 20 years since I last had any african cichlids, and even then I didn't really know much about any others than the ones I had...

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Mats

thanx...

I have been reading articles about breeding them...

If you are set on saving this spawn (...and yes they are in danger once the Cichlids determine they are edible) you can often remove the male, rock, spawn and all in a bucket.

Quite often the males brood instincts are strong enough to keep him brooding through alot of distruptions. Sometime he'll abandon them in which case they can be brooded artificially in a variety of ways (look online for ideas).

Sometimes they'll eat the spawn, in this case... ...better luck next time!

The good news is that once they start spawning for you, they often won't stop! If you loose this batch, you can almost expect another in fairly short order.

Keep us posted

you answered another question I was wondering about...

I am going to have to remove the rock the is located over him and I thought this might scare him and he will take off. I guess I will find out tonight or tomorrow.

I found a good time to move my bristlenose broods was when the fry were reasonably well developed but still with some egg sac, they were strong enough to grip onto the vertical crevice the male had chosen and he would press himself tightly on top of the brood also making sure none fell out. I put a catch net under the wood to catch any fry that did fall off as I lifted the wood into a container of tank water. Any that missed the net were easy to spot at that size and were easy to suck up with a giant turkey baster pipette. Also at that size they were ok in the new tank without their fathers care.

how long can you leave a piece of zuchinni in a tank before fouling the water.

DanL wrote:how long can you leave a piece of zuchinni in a tank before fouling the water.

Not that this is really an issue that I've had problems with, but I wouldn't leave it more than 24 hours. Mine go through a slice or two in less than that anyways (the skin MAY be left after 24 hours in where the babeis are).

Zucchini isn't the worst fouler of whater, but to be safe, I'd remove anything that hasn't been eaten in 24 hours. If there's lots left after 24 hours, try a smaller piece next time. If there's absolutely nothing left in the morning, make it a bigger portion...

If they don't eat it at first, but start making dents in it after a day or so, you may want to boil it a little bit (or more), so that the flesh is a little bit softer.

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Mats

If there is PLENTY of cracks and crevises in your rock work where the cichlids can't get to, some of the bristle fry will survive with out any interferance from you. I have bristles in just about every tank in my fish room and young turn up in the most unexpected places.

If you are going to raise Ancistrus spawns artificially, move them as eggs.. The eggs are as tough as golf balls, but once they hatch !!!!!! The fry are as delicate as butterflies.

If I did move the eggs, I would leave the father behind, he is as like or not to abandon the clutch after a move except in excepional circumstanse.

Move the eggs to a tank of water taken from the spawning tank.....It is easier to top up the main tank than balance the water in the nursery tank.

Gentle water circulation over the eggs.

When the fry are free swimming they need to eat 'poo' to get their gut flora working, so you need an advanced Ancistrus in with the fry (wont eat them)or a couple of snails work just as well.

Alan.

Alan.