Bristlenose Babies

[Dexter Leopard Frog]

Firstly i have posted this in "new to hobby" cause this is first time i have had some babies that have been born into my world (tank). My pair of Bristlenoses seem to have a bunch of eggs every 6 weeks or so ish the first group of eggs i foolishly exposed to air when cleaning tank and they did not hatch. The second batch i left alone but nothing seemed to happen and now the third batch looks like they have a bunch of babies. My tank is a community tank with the listed inhabitants as below.

4x Angels (males females not sure)
1x Redtailed Shark.
2x Mollies 1male 1female (was once upon a time more)
1x Platty (was once upon a time more)
1x Guppy (was once upon a time more)
1x Leopard Frog Pleco
2x Bristlenose Pleco (a breeding pair)
??? Bristlenose babies (maybe about 10)

I only have the one tank (180litres) and do not intend to have more tanks. I intend to allow the babies to try and hide and grow the fittest may survive and grow. My main question is how long before i will need to remove them from the tank or can i allow for more Bristlenoses to share this community?

 

[Benji k]

How do you get your bristlenose to breed im have 130 gal and I have caves just not breeding please tell me. And to get the eggs to hatch you need the male to fan the eggs to keep fungus of the eggs and if he’s not fanning them put them in egg tumblers

 

[Dexter Leopard Frog]

Sorry for late reply. I didn't do anything to get them to breed. What happened in my tank was male cleaned an area in my little oriental house ornament and persuaded the female to join him. He cornered her and got her to lay eggs and then told her to leave. He fertilised them and guarded them and of course fanned them. He stayed around to see them grow some then i'm not so sure what happened as i have not seem any wrigglers bigger than 10mm. ;-)

 

[Benji k]

Sorry for late reply. I didn't do anything to get them to breed. What happened in my tank was male cleaned an area in my little oriental house ornament and persuaded the female to join him. He cornered her and got her to lay eggs and then told her to leave. He fertilised them and guarded them and of course fanned them. He stayed around to see them grow some then i'm not so sure what happened as i have not seem any wrigglers bigger than 10mm. ;-)

Your lucky mine are so hard to breed but today I saw them in the cave so possible spawn

 

[Dexter Leopard Frog]

When cleaning tank today before leaving to go back to work I briefly saw a baby in tank free swimming. Not sure if it will reach to grow bigger as my Angels are hunters. Checked the usual spot and my female has laid a bunch more eggs and Mr Bristlenose is fanning them again. I seems like he has full time job egg watching.

 

[ghyti]

Best to take the babies out if you want them to survive. Everybody likes to eat baby bristlenoses, even your guppy will try to eat them if he can.

 

[Dexter Leopard Frog]

Home in few days time, wife saying we have 20+ babies from this recent batch. Being protected by daddy Bristlenose at moment. Time will tell if we got any clever and strong ones that can survive.

 

[Benji k]

Home in few days time, wife saying we have 20+ babies from this recent batch. Being protected by daddy Bristlenose at moment. Time will tell if we got any clever and strong ones that can survive.

That’s good you get them to breed so easy my females pregnant and she’s not breeding with my male.

 

[Dexter Leopard Frog]

That’s good you get them to breed so easy my females pregnant and she’s not breeding with my male.

Pure luck. Now i am eager for just one to survive but then again if too many start to survive i could have another problem.....

 

[Benji k]

Pure luck. Now i am eager for just one to survive but then again if too many start to survive i could have another problem.....

Yeah

 

[raylove]

Mine used to breed like crazy. A couple of times a year I would catch as many as I could, up to 20 or so at a time of mixed ages and sizes, and take them to my LFS.
I guess on one occasion I took too many and didn't leave a breeding pair as breeding suddenly stopped and I saw no more babies.
Providing you have enough hiding places I believe it's quite common for BNP's to breed in a community tank providing you don't have bottom dwelling predators. I had large Congo tetras, Angels etc... at the time.

 

[nik_n]

Firstly i have posted this in "new to hobby" cause this is first time i have had some babies that have been born into my world (tank). My pair of Bristlenoses seem to have a bunch of eggs every 6 weeks or so ish the first group of eggs i foolishly exposed to air when cleaning tank and they did not hatch. The second batch i left alone but nothing seemed to happen and now the third batch looks like they have a bunch of babies. My tank is a community tank with the listed inhabitants as below.

4x Angels (males females not sure)
1x Redtailed Shark.
2x Mollies 1male 1female (was once upon a time more)
1x Platty (was once upon a time more)
1x Guppy (was once upon a time more)
1x Leopard Frog Pleco
2x Bristlenose Pleco (a breeding pair)
??? Bristlenose babies (maybe about 10)

I only have the one tank (180litres) and do not intend to have more tanks. I intend to allow the babies to try and hide and grow the fittest may survive and grow. My main question is how long before i will need to remove them from the tank or can i allow for more Bristlenoses to share this community?

This is a very common thing to happen. It happen to me last year, in my 180l planted community, stocked with angles, gouramis, appistos and Colombian tetras. I took the babies out the first time they spawned and kept pulling the fry for months to sell to my LFS. Before summer, when I was preparing to leave for 2 months, I got rid off all the fry except 4 fry, about 2 months old. I added them back to the community, and after two months, I noticed that only one survived and grew to a juvenile size. My point is, if you leave the fry in the tank, with predatory fish you should expect some to survive.

However if the fish keep breeding and you do not want the fry, just remove their cave/spawning site and they are unlikely to breed for that point on

 

[nik_n]

How do you get your bristlenose to breed im have 130 gal and I have caves just not breeding please tell me. And to get the eggs to hatch you need the male to fan the eggs to keep fungus of the eggs and if he’s not fanning them put them in egg tumblers

Breeding bristlenose plecos is not that difficult. The most important thing is that your fish are of breeding age, usually about a year old, and can be immediately sexed. The male will then claim a cave and try to entice the female to breed and eventually trap the female in the cave where she will lay the eggs, which the male will then fertilise. Afterwards, the male will chase the female away, and proceed to take care of the eggs until they hatch, and even a bit after. The male will sit in the cave and fan the eggs non stop. If the male is young, it may take him a couple of times before he is successful.

In terms of conditioning you want to feed a mixed diet consisting of algae wafers, green beans, zucchini and blood worms. These fish are primarily nocturnal, so feed right before the lights go off. Make sure that the food reaches to bottom otherwise the bristelnose won't be able to feed on it.

These fish breed during the rainy season in the Amazon, from where they originate. In home aquariums they can breed year round every 4-6 weeks and are easily triggered by a 50% cool water change.

If you intend to breed for profit, I suggest pulling the fry out of the cave once they hatch and setting up a grow up tank for them. There are tons of videos and articles out there on raising the fry.

I have been successful in spawning and raising bristelnose pleco fry in the past using this method and am currently working with a proven pair where I plan to replicate my steps.
Hope this helps

 

[Benji k]

Breeding bristlenose plecos is not that difficult. The most important thing is that your fish are of breeding age, usually about a year old, and can be immediately sexed. The male will then claim a cave and try to entice the female to breed and eventually trap the female in the cave where she will lay the eggs, which the male will then fertilise. Afterwards, the male will chase the female away, and proceed to take care of the eggs until they hatch, and even a bit after. The male will sit in the cave and fan the eggs non stop. If the male is young, it may take him a couple of times before he is successful.

In terms of conditioning you want to feed a mixed diet consisting of algae wafers, green beans, zucchini and blood worms. These fish are primarily nocturnal, so feed right before the lights go off. Make sure that the food reaches to bottom otherwise the bristelnose won't be able to feed on it.

These fish breed during the rainy season in the Amazon, from where they originate. In home aquariums they can breed year round every 4-6 weeks and are easily triggered by a 50% cool water change.

If you intend to breed for profit, I suggest pulling the fry out of the cave once they hatch and setting up a grow up tank for them. There are tons of videos and articles out there on raising the fry.

I have been successful in spawning and raising bristelnose pleco fry in the past using this method and am currently working with a proven pair where I plan to replicate my steps.
Hope this helps

Yeah I feed them heaps exept for bloodworms but I’m harvesting brine shrimp if they can charge them and ther defenetly mature and I have caves here’s a photo

thats the male but female is the same size

 

[nik_n]

Yeah I feed them heaps exept for bloodworms but I’m harvesting brine shrimp if they can charge them and ther defenetly mature and I have caves here’s a photoView attachment 304328thats the male but female is the same size

Yep they are definitely mature. What are your water parameters like? When was the last time you did a water change?