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I have 2 bristlenose plecos (1m/1f) and they have bred sucessfully twice. The first time they were in seperate tanks, and i introduced them together when the female was plump, they bred within a few days. Second time i did the same thing.

Since the second spawn, i decided to leave them both in the same tank to see if they would breed again...it has been about 4 months, and still no breeding. I have also noticed that the female is not plump at all, and if anything her tummy is a tiny bit sunken.

So, i was wondering if you all think i'd have better chances of them breeding again, if i took out the female and fed her lots of good foods to get her plump and in good condition?

What are everyone's thoughts on this?

well a plump belly is always better than a sunken one..

Is it likely that the male is preventing the female from getting enough food?

In my experience, they will breed fine in a shared tank, but there are so many things that can go wrong with breeidng that it's not easy to just say "this is what you should do", without also understanding much more than a 5-6 line post can describe.

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Mats

ok thanks alot! . I looked at the females belly again today and shes looking alot bigger that she was! . I think i'll just leave them together for abit longer and feed lots of good foods and if they dont breed in about 2 weeks, i will take out the female and make her plump again

Once the female is full (gravid), you may want to try a drop in temperature (cool water change).

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Mats

MatsP wrote: In my experience, they will breed fine in a shared tank, but there are so many things that can go wrong with breeidng that it's not easy to just say "this is what you should do", without also understanding much more than a 5-6 line post can describe.

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Mats

Mats,
please share with us your experience regarding this (the things that can go wrong with breeding)

Thank you in advance,
Cristi Ionescu

Well, I think that should be done, but I can't just post that. I have promised (a long time ago) to write up an article on "all I know about Bristlenses", acompanied with a selection of the 100 or so pictures I took of a spawning (and possibly other pictures that I've got).

If you have direct questions, I'll try to answer, but it's too much like hard work to spew out all my gathered knowledge over the past few years.

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Mats

Just describing what I have noticed my Ancistrus sp 3 breeders do and that is after a run of six months of near continuously spawning the fish will take breaks. These may last as few as a couple of months to more than six. Mine spawn best in the Northern Hemisphere Fall until beginning of Summer. They don't care much for the much higher average Summer temps my tanks reach then.

Hello,

Like the others, I don't have time to type everything again, but do have this already made up.

edit: Link fixed

http://www.plecobreeder.com/ancistrus.htm

Larry Vires

Hi Larry,
I couldn't get the link to work. Get a "not found on server" message. Just FYI FWIW.
Larry W.

My longfin ancistrus male (one year old) show no interest regarding PVC pipe or coconut (and of course is shows no interest regarding the longfin ancistrus female). It is in love with a driftwood. Is is in a 70 liters tank among with the female (which is plump and it is also one year old) and a very small longfin male (its bristes are about 1 mm long). The water's parameter are: ph = 7, gh = 12; kh = 4; NO2 = 0; NO3 = 5mgl, temp = 26.

So, why no interest? is it still to young? is it becauese of the second male?(even it is so young)

The health of all fishes is very good, they eat very well their behavior is normal. I think that the driftwood is the favorite place of my male, but why not the coconut (or PVC pipe)? because the can spawn on driftwood ....

I don't think are particularly sensitive to material of the "cave" as long as it's (roughly) the right size and shape for the male to feel that it's a good place to spawn in [and what makes him think one place better than another is one of lifes many mysteries - perhaps someone could make a real study of it in the future and get a PhD with the paper on it? ]

I don't think having a second male in itself prevents spawning (but it does tend to distract the male, so the IDEAL situation is to have only one male and a couple of females).

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Mats