Breeding Bristlenose Plecs - First Time!

[Lnbates2000]

Firstly hello... I'm new here and looking for advice!!

I set up my tropical fish tank this summer ('07), and my 2bristlenose plecs have had babies without intervention! I'm not sure how many, as my male is guarding them in a make-shift cave amongst small slates! I found 1 escapie in the main tank (must have been after I cleaned the filter) and put this in a breeding tank in my main tank - I wasn't sure if it would survive alone as it didn't find it's was back to dad.

I have 2 clown loaches in my tank - still fairly small - will they eat the babies?

The rest (I've seen at least 3 through a small hole!) are with dad - do I leave them with him (nearly 1cm long)? - I don't want to leave it too long if once they are out of the cave they are in danger of being eaten!

Any advice greatly appreciated,

Laura

 

[hyak2]

Firstly hello... I'm new here and looking for advice!!

I set up my tropical fish tank this summer ('07), and my 2bristlenose plecs have had babies without intervention! I'm not sure how many, as my male is guarding them in a make-shift cave amongst small slates! I found 1 escapie in the main tank (must have been after I cleaned the filter) and put this in a breeding tank in my main tank - I wasn't sure if it would survive alone as it didn't find it's was back to dad.

I have 2 clown loaches in my tank - still fairly small - will they eat the babies?

The rest (I've seen at least 3 through a small hole!) are with dad - do I leave them with him (nearly 1cm long)? - I don't want to leave it too long if once they are out of the cave they are in danger of being eaten!

Any advice greatly appreciated,

Laura

Hi there

I have bred bristlenoses for a while and find them to be relatively indestructable providing you make sure you don't have any fish in the tank which are likely to eat the youngest babies, I have a feeling clown loach may do this!

Mine first bred around the time I set up a new tank and transfered a few big pieces of bogwood from a mature tank into a brand new one with approx 50% old water from the mature tank. I didn't realise the bristlenoses were breeding and the next day when I turned the lights on I found out that I had transfered a young father and his nest of 30+ babies! - all of which survived and now are adults. When that tank was mature as well, I transferred the mother to be with the male and they have continued to breed every 4-8 weeks. I just leave babies of all ages with the adults until they are just a bit smaller than the adults themselves, then I take them out to avoid the confusion of who's who.

I have since transferred the pair to a tank with only bogwood and caves for cover and shared with 4 elephantnoses. I have found this to be an ideal set up because the elephantnoses do not compete well with active fish, but since the bristlenoses are slow feeders as well there is plenty of time for all to eat enough. The 'noses also have mouths too small to eat all but the smallest babies and they don't even seem to bother them.

Another thing which some people have probs with is young dying from starvation, they eat a lot and I always keep a couple of bits of cucumber weighed down in the tank with plant weights so there is always something available, I also feed flake tetra pro and frozen artemia/bloodworm and the bristlenoses will take all of these types of food. I do 50% water change every week for them. The babies grow fast and in 2-3 months can be 2inches + in length. The males seem to start to sprout their bristles at 4-6months old.

 

[Lnbates2000]

Firstly hello... I'm new here and looking for advice!!

Thank you for your information about feeding - slightly worried about this as the only way into the make-shift 'cave' is through a small hole which the male plec is half stuck out of!
The male has started to have a break every now and then away from the 'cave', but still keeps a watchful eye on the entrance - shall I try to aim food into the hole? - I have tried with algae wafers but mainly for my male plec.

Do you think I just leave the babies with 'dad' and hope nobody eats them!?

thanks

Laura

 

[hyak2]

Baby ancistrus survive off their egg sacs until they are a few days old and only then do they start to venture out of the cave to look for other food. I would drop food around the entrance to the cave so they find it when they do come out. But as soon as they have used up the egg sac you will find them about all over the tank, so I wouldn't worry too much, they find the food anywhere!

If you have got a spare mature tank you could move the babies over to ensure they survive, however the clown loachs, if they are very small might leave the fry alone. You can leave fry with their parents for as long as you like - there is no problem with that.


Hope that helps!

 

[Lnbates2000]

Thank you

It helps a lot!

I'll leave the babies with dad for now, they are free-swimming now and have eaten their sacs. I guess their cave must be too cosy to leave just yet!

Thanks you the advice

Laura

 

[dane261]

your clown loach wil have a feild day with the fry bn in the batch you will be looking at around 50-60 not all we survive i have about 600 at them min at various sizes in albino and brown and have starlight bn watching eggs


cheers dane

 

[Lnbates2000]

ooh I really don't know what to do!! My clown loaches are small maybe 3inches, so I don't know if they'll eat them,

plus I have to disturb the 'cave' to get the fry out!

Hmm ... I will see!

Thanks for your advice.

Laura

 

[dane261]

you got a sepperate tank for them



cheers dane

 

[Lnbates2000]

only a mini breeding tank which floats in the main tank

 

[jim566]

i keep both BN's and clown loaches in the same tank and have bred several batches of fry with out problems, The clowns seem to prefer the eggs rather than live fry as i discovered the first time i noticed eggs in a non secure cave. Since then with the introduction or a proper cave (1 entrance) had no problems and shipped out 100+ babys to my lfs and still got around 80 in the tank all in around 6 months. Hope that settles your nerves a little

 

[Lnbates2000]

i keep both BN's and clown loaches in the same tank and have bred several batches of fry with out problems, The clowns seem to prefer the eggs rather than live fry as i discovered the first time i noticed eggs in a non secure cave. Since then with the introduction or a proper cave (1 entrance) had no problems and shipped out 100+ babys to my lfs and still got around 80 in the tank all in around 6 months. Hope that settles your nerves a little

It does - thank you! I actually spotted a baby bristlenose in the main tank out of the cave last night - it had found a nice safe spot behind the heater! - haven't seen it this morning but lots of hiding places and they're tiny!!

Good to know that they will hopefully be safe!


Laura

 

[Teelie]

IMO it's best to move free-swimming fry as soon as possible to a seperate tank with only them in there. I've had the best success this way. I've had a few breedings but only two fry ever survive and those two were moved to a planted aquarium on their own and are no longer fry but small juveniles. I'm going to do this with all my future batches as it seems to work better when there are no other fish around.

 

[Lnbates2000]

IMO it's best to move free-swimming fry as soon as possible to a seperate tank with only them in there.

Think I'll try to move them when I spot them out in the tank - if I can catch them! Then reintroduce them when they big enough to look after themselves!
As it's my first time, and was unexpected - I'm not expecting complete success!

Laura