Bristlenose breeding stalled/need advice

jimmyB · Post by **jimmyB** » 05 Jan 2006, 16:48

I have a male and female BN in a 40 gallon tank. Sand bottom, temperature around 78 degrees, pH of about 6.8 to 7.0. I have a HOB filter and a bubbler on the opposite corner. There is a piece of driftwood in there, and 3 different caves. The male prefers one particular cave, it is an overturned flowerpot base about 1.25" tall with a half-circle hole cut in it for a doorway, about 6" diameter, placed on top of a flat piece of slate. I previously had them in a mixed tank where I fed the fish a lot of brine shrimp and bloodworms and my bristlenose in that tank were fat and happy and active, and now that I have moved them to their own tank, I continue to feed them blood worms, brine shrimp, as well as various shimp pellets and algae tabs and catfish pellets. They are big fish, at least 4"++ for the female, maybe 5" for the male. They both seem to hang around motionless, the female is often on the driftwood, the male sits hidden in the cave a lot. I never see them swimming around. I change about 20% of the water twice a week, where I vacuum up the pellets that aren't eaten. When I change the water, I often use cooler water to see if that gets a reaction from them. It has been 4 weeks and no sign of any interaction between them. Anything I can do?

Kana3 · Post by **Kana3** » 06 Jan 2006, 05:37

Have they previously bred?

blueguava · Post by **blueguava** » 06 Jan 2006, 05:49

I would warm it up a bit to maybe 27degrees C and add some veg to their diet. I breed thousands of these and feed them 90% zucchini and 10% HBH Vege Flake and OSI shrimp pellets.

Kind Regards

jimmyB · Post by **jimmyB** » 06 Jan 2006, 14:46

No, they have not bred before.
I noticed my female this morning was resting on a rock, and I had put in some bloodworms for breakfast. My activity got her attention, probably waking ehr up form a doze, and she flared her gills a bit, and I could see some bristles under her gillplates. She has no signs of bristles externally so I am assuming she is female. She is very plump around the belly, but thin on her tail. Almost shaped like a teardrop. There is no doubt about the male.

I had them in the same comunity tank for a while and they got along and grew and thrived, but did not breed in that tank. I thought I would take them to a new tank to see if that would help.

Thanks for any advice. I checked the temp, it is at 78 so I might try to bump it up a couple over the weekend.

Kana3 · Post by **Kana3** » 07 Jan 2006, 01:57

I've often wondered about moving a pair to breed. Particularly a species that like to stake out a territory.

My pair bred in-situ, however I wasn't out to get them to breed. If you don't have success in a reasonable time frame, I'd be inclined to put them back where they're comfortable, and just wait and see. They will look after the young.

If predation is a risk, move the young after 2 or 3 weeks, when they're about ready to roam.

My tank is at 26/27c. Nuetral Ph. I never fed them fresh food until after breeding (I'd sort of forgotten about it over the years).

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 09 Jan 2006, 11:53

If you do a forum search on Ancistrus or Bristlenose breeding, you will find several hundred posts on the subject...

Here's my thoughts:
1. Moving the fish will probably not be a bit problem. I've had mine breed within days of returning the female to the breeding tank .

2. A drop in temperature when changing the water may well set off the breeding. If your normal temperature is 25'C, do a 30% water change with water that is around 20'C. This makes the fish believe it's "Rainy season". Spawn will happen a couple of days later, assuming the female is well conditioned and the male is "up for it".

3. The male needs to have a good cave to breed in. This can be in many forms, but a pipe or terracotta saucer [1] is good.

[1] Placed upside down, with some of the edge cut off to make an entrance.

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Mats