I want to breed pleco's and got some questions

[camdee]

Hi,

I want to breed a fancy pleco's for my next project. I have been breeding dwarf crayfish and shrimp for a few years and want a new challenge.

I have a 55gallons that I can use for this.

I was thinking of L134, but got told to go for something more rewarding to start with.

I am really looking at L046, zebra pleco's, but have a few concerns, mainly waiting 2-3 years to have proper specimen that will breed, Am I right ? unless i pay big bucks for adult size one, if I can find them.

Do you have suggestions about less common but easy pleco's to start with.

Also, more of a general question, but a few years ago, I had a common pleco in a 29 gallons, that poop alot. Is it the same for fancy, smaller pleco ? In a 55gallons with 5-7 smaller pleco's will I have to constantly vaccuum and do water change ?

Last thing, is baretank better, or minimal sand is required or ?

Thanks In Advance

[bekateen]

Hi camdee,

It's always fun to start breeding a new kind of fish, so I wish you good luck and success.

I was thinking of L134, but got told to go for something more rewarding to start with.

I am really looking at L046, zebra pleco's...

As for the advice you cite, ("...go for something more rewarding to start with."), I'm not sure what your source meant by that. If they meant "start with a fish that will reward you with babies either sooner or with higher probability," then I fully agree. But if they meant "start with a species that you can sell for more money" (implying you probably paid more money for the parents), then I'd have to disagree with that statement... In other words, don't start with zebras.

I certainly do not consider myself an expert, but I have had some success breeding plecos (

Panaqolus

,

Hypancistrus

,

Ancistrus

and

Peckoltia

. However, I've had far more failures than successes along the way and I would never advise someone with no experience breeding plecos to start with a fish like

Hypancistrus zebra

(L046) which typically costs over $100 USD per inch of fish and may take years to grow to breeding size.

Instead, I would recommend that you start with either an Ancistrus or one of the Hypancistrus or Panaqolus which are cheaper to buy and more likely to spawn for you. If you go for Ancistrus, of course you can start with the cheapest (common bristlenoses,

Ancistrus cf_cirrhosus

); but they are so easy to breed that it's almost deceptive. So instead you might consider buying a less common species of Ancistrus that will still provide a good chance of spawning but will also pose some challenge; on the plus side, any fry you get from a less common Ancistrus species will be easier to sell or trade because they are harder to find.

I am really looking at L046, zebra pleco's, but have a few concerns, mainly waiting 2-3 years to have proper specimen that will breed, Am I right ? unless i pay big bucks for adult size one, if I can find them.

It is true that zebras are notoriously slow growing. That said, a reality check is needed regarding how long it may take you to get your first spawn for ANY species. With the exception of the Ancistrus and a few other species, it is the exception rather than the rule that you can buy a pleco and have them spawning in your tank within one year. Even my

Hypancistrus sp(l201)

and

Panaqolus maccus

, both of which I bought as adults and neither of which is considered hard to spawn, were in my tanks for two years before their first spawns. Once they started, both continued to spawn frequently. But getting started was a challenge. So for most species, do not expect to get them spawning without waiting at least a year, possibly two or three (if at all).

Also, more of a general question, but a few years ago, I had a common pleco in a 29 gallons, that poop alot. Is it the same for fancy, smaller pleco ? In a 55gallons with 5-7 smaller pleco's will I have to constantly vaccuum and do water change ?

Many plecos poop a lot. That's just part of the game. Perhaps Hypancistrus poop less because they don't eat as much vegetable matter or wood (Panaquolus are the worst with their wood poop, and Ancistrus aren't much better! )

Last thing, is baretank better, or minimal sand is required or ?

This is a matter of personal preference. There are pros and cons to both. Myself, I prefer a thin layer of sand or fine gravel on the bottom of the tank. Of course, other people like bare bottoms. I'd say there's no right answer here, but depending on the species you choose, there may be a preferred choice.

Whatever you choose, good luck.

Cheers, Eric

[MarcW]

Eric's advice is spot on.

When I started out I think I was in a similar mindset to you, I wanted to breed something which wasn't easy, but not considered hard. So that it would be more of an achievement, and easier to move the fry on. I had trouble getting rid of young kribensis which were my first fish spawn, I gave the second spawn and the parents to my local fish store for free, it was the only way I could get rid of them so I wouldn't be overrun with fry! I didn't want to repeat this experience but with catfish!

Because of that I went with L134, I spent about a year simulating wet and dry seasons, changing food, bigger/smaller water changes, etc. I got no response from the fish at all! I gave up left them alone just did regular water changes with tap water and one day they spawned. I only got one spawn from them before I sold them, but had about 30-40 fry grow up.

Maybe my thread on the setup for them might give you some ideas: https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/vie ... =5&t=32242

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

[TwoTankAmin]

I will go one further than the folks above while agreeing with them. I breed a few Hypancistrus including zebras. But I started by working with the common tank bristlenose. They breed easily and they taught me about the whole process. If one makes a mistake learning on these guys it wont break the bank.

I breed several species of Hypancistrus including L450. This one breeds fairly easily, is not super expensive and there are not a ton of folks breeding them for some reason. Take a look at my recent post in the for sale USA section as I am getting one in years and am willing to sell a couple of my groups.
https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/vie ... 24&t=46776

Unfortunately, when I ship, I do not do so internationally.

[camdee]

Thank you all for the responses.

Yes, by rewarding, I was saying getting babies sooner and with higher probability.

With that being said, I am also looking for the smaller size of pleco, and that is why I was set on the Zebra.

Ill have to do further research before i get set on a specific pleco.

Thanks again

[bekateen]

L201 or Hypancistrus debilittera are pretty small plecos. So is Panaqolus maccus and Ancistrus claro.

Good luck with whatever you pick,
Eric