A Small Herd Of Zebras

[ncguppy830]

500 each are they wild caught and aquarium bred wonder if wild is cheaper

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yes, $500 is a lot for a single fish.  I was wrong though, they are listed as out of stock anyway.  The ones from liveaquaria claim to be tank bred, just not sure which generation they would be.
 
 
The goal is always to find a better deal.   That is the American way, after all.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Store rices are insane. Wild aughts removed illegally from Brazil sell for about $180 in the states at about 2 inches or so. F1 fish which would be "legal" in terms of not being removed from the wild would run about $150 for 1.5 - 1.75 inch fish.
 
These fish are likely to be extinct in the wild in the not too distant future due to the Belo Monte dam project. Fortunately, over the last 6 to 8 years there has been an explosion in the number of fish keepers worldwide who keep and spawn these fish. I am beginning to feel confident that, when they are wiped out in the wild, they will live on in tanks across the globe and the species will not be lost to the hobby or the planet.
 
I can also tell folks that over the years of selling these fish I have never sold them at auction or to stores. I have always tried to insure the fish ended up in a proper stetting and hopefully one where they might spawn. I do donate fish now and then to causes which help out fish and fish keepers and they may use an auction to convert the fish into money they can use.
 
As for getting to see them, you have to work at it. Wilds are much more skittish than tank bred. They are hard wired to bolt and hide at any movement, so it takes work to be able to catch them out in the open in a tank. My method is to plop myself down in front of a tank and remain motionless. Of course, I also have to keep tabs on them so I will often be shining a flashlight into caves, crevices and under wood and into rock piles to spot them. At the peak of breeding years back I actually had 13 adults and 50+ assorted babies in a 30 gal. breeder tank and would have visitors asking why there were no fish in the tank.
 
Just a heads up to the Brits- there is currently a good group of 5 zebras listed on PlanetCatfish for sale from a source in Surrey. Bring a fat wallet if interested.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

That's how it works for me with my BN.  I feed at the same time each day, and I drop his algae wafer in and sit patiently as he slowly inches his way out.  If I scratch my nose sometimes he bolts away and then slowly returns.  Silly little guy... He's been with me for almost 2 years, and it hasn't changed.  He was far more out and about as a small little thing... always cleaning the glass, etc.   Now the glass is spotless, but he's always resting in his cave.

 

[xingumike]

They are such striking fish, especially in the flesh, I remember seeing them for the first time in Singapore.

 

[5-star_plakat]

Anyone who is newly considering L046 zebras needs to understand these guys are extremely timid even in comparison to other plecos. I did have 5 at one point and all they did was hide in their caves. Before deciding on some, just know you're going to be spending a lot of cash on a beautiful fish that you'll rarely ever see out in the open.

 

[Sophie]

Gorgeous - couldn't justify spending that much though. I thought my Gold Nugget was expensive!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

There is a saying among zebra keepers. A happy zebras is a hiding zebra. One of the surest signs that there is a sick zebra or a problem in a zebra tank is when they stay out.
 
But then there is something that makes actually spotting your zebra(s) which makes it such a rush. I doesn't happen as much, so it is all the more amazing when it does.

 

[balraj_bangar]

I had one. I found it was hiding so i sold him. I do enjoy them but yes they are shy and love to hide. Ot the best plec to keep if your expecting it to swim about infromt of you?.

 

[ncguppy830]

well if your paying that kind of money he better talk and dance

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You mean like this:
 
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsROL4Kf8QY

 

[5-star_plakat]

There is a saying among zebra keepers. A happy zebras is a hiding zebra. One of the surest signs that there is a sick zebra or a problem in a zebra tank is when they stay out.

Absolutely true. I've had 2 zebras die on me and the first clue of illness was their willingness to be out in the open while I was observing.

 

[ncguppy830]

You mean like this:
 
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsROL4Kf8QY

exactly

 

[5-star_plakat]

I had one. I found it was hiding so i sold him. I do enjoy them but yes they are shy and love to hide. Ot the best plec to keep if your expecting it to swim about infromt of you?.

 
If you want a pleco you can occasionally see, I'd recommend a green phantom or the typical bushynose. This, of course, is just my opinion from my personal experience.