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I'm just curious about what everybody has when it comes to breeding groups. I know some people breed with pairs, some with trios and some with groups. I have 2 trios and also a group of 7 sub-adults growing out right now. I was considering putting in some more fish in with the trio that didn't breed last year and see what happens. I have a friend who gets pretty good results with L143s. He keeps them in a group of 5 , i think. Two males and three females in a 20L tanks with just two caves I'm wondering if i can get a spawn from them this year by changing things up a little

Usually when I buy fish I have to have them shipped so I don't get to pick out sex. To make sure I get some females in the mix I always order a minimum of 6 fish. Usually anywhere from 6-12 depending on the amount of money I have to spend at the time and the price of the fish. So most of my groups are 6-12. Some started off as 6 or more but due to various reasons I've lost a fish here and there and the group has been reduced down to a trio or couple.

I always want to keep local populations of fish separate even if the same species. That is why I also buy in groups. To make sure the fish all come from the same place and are the same species. I know some like to buy a fish here and a fish there but I don't believe in doing it that way. I always keep the fish as a group. I never sex them myself and separate them in other tanks. It would be nice but never enough tanks, space, money to do it that way. If I happen to get two different groups of the same species I never combine them. (Usually from somebody shipping me an incorrectly id'd species and winds up being a species I already have) I always keep them in separate tanks.

I do the same as far as purchasing groups. I would like to start combining fishes together to make the best combinations necessary to get more spawns. I'm very curious what the best combination is when it comes to hypancistrus. I heard different types of success stories relating to combining different age and size plecos to create a sense of competition in the tank and hopefully also to create a sense of urgency to breed. In the wild, organisms are always looking for an opportunity to breed, despite all the obstacle that gets in the way.