Dealing With Newborn Bn's

[mikev]

Would anyone kindly suggest what I'm supposed to do?

A bunch of them just hatched, in a 1g container with an air stone, since the father abandoned the eggs right away.

Feed them or not? (I think they have yolk sacs..the bellies are very large). If feed, then what? (I put a small algae wafer, no interest).

TIA.

 

[boohag]

Would anyone kindly suggest what I'm supposed to do?

A bunch of them just hatched, in a 1g container with an air stone, since the father abandoned the eggs right away.

Feed them or not? (I think they have yolk sacs..the bellies are very large). If feed, then what? (I put a small algae wafer, no interest).

TIA.

Hi there I don't know what kind of bristlenose you have, but mine are albinos. Just cut a zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut those in half. Zap one piece in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Let it cool, stick a fork in it (so it won't float) and put it in with the babies. Once they're free of their yolk sacs, they'll go straight for it... at least mine did. They didn't like algae wafers until much later. You may want to put a smaller piece in first, if there are just a couple that have consumed their sacs.

Sweet potato is also good later. Zap it a little longer though. It doesn't mess up your water as much and emits lots of bubbles. It's also good for them.

Congratulations!

 

[mikev]

Thanks, boohag,

Do you remember how long it takes until the yolk sac is consumed? (I don't want to spoil water earlier than I should).

I actually don't know what they are: the tank has two albino males, one brown male (unlikely to be a father -- very asocial), and two brown females. The babies, however, look albinish....

What size of a tank you use to grow them initially? I assume 20+ hatch, maybe 30+.

(I bred other fish, but never plecos, and did not intend to..it just happened).

 

[boohag]

Thanks, boohag,

Do you remember how long it takes until the yolk sac is consumed? (I don't want to spoil water earlier than I should).

I actually don't know what they are: the tank has two albino males, one brown male (unlikely to be a father -- very asocial), and two brown females. The babies, however, look albinish....

What size of a tank you use to grow them initially? I assume 20+ hatch, maybe 30+.

(I bred other fish, but never plecos, and did not intend to..it just happened).

I have a rough record... lets see.. A few were out of the cave on January 27th in their sacs. Then 3 days later, it shows that about 10 were out and that's when I put the zucchini in. So, it only take a couple of days for them to eat through their sacs and go for the zucchini. If I were you, I'd just to a tiny wedge in there and see what happens after about an hour. If they aren't going for it, take it out and try again the next day.

I had mine in the main aquarium (46 gal), but they were in a cage-like thing. I didn't know if my other fish would eat the fry. So I took a 1 1/2 gal acrylic tank and cut three sides out of it, but leaving the corners. Then covered it in plastic window screen. Picked up the cave with papa and the eggs and put it right in there. Made a removable top with the screen too. I'd put the zucchini/cucumber in with some wafers stuck in them, and both the babies and papa would eat. Course when I'd do that, some babies would escape and I'd catch them with a turkey baster and shoot them back in LOL By the 10th day, so many were getting out that I decided to just take the top off and let them all out into the main aquarium. Thankfully, my other fish weren't interested in eating them. The cage really helped I think. It was small so all of the babies could find the food easily and get a little bulked up before being released into the 46 gallon.

Now I have 32 baby plecos in the 46 gallon, growing like weeds. It took them a long time to go for the wafers though. They wanted fresh veggies and fruit so that's what I gave them and of course they eating off the glass and rocks from day one. They have feeding bowls in there now, canning jar lids covered with aquarium sealant so they won't rust. I put a couple of wafers in them and they all congregate in and around it to eat. I've got to get some new video of that

Good luck!

 

[mikev]

Thanks. This gives me a good idea.

Yes, no interest in wafers even softened so far. No interest in decap, i think. Minimal interest in flake. Some interest in Zucchini (I have three sucking on it), more interest in a water sprite plant moved from another tank, most are on it now. Yolk sacs are still present, so they are not hungry, and i don't think they will be till tomorrow.

I'll try microwaved piece of lettuce later, I think this may be what they want.

 

[boohag]

Thanks. This gives me a good idea.

Yes, no interest in wafers even softened so far. No interest in decap, i think. Minimal interest in flake. Some interest in Zucchini (I have three sucking on it), more interest in a water sprite plant moved from another tank, most are on it now. Yolk sacs are still present, so they are not hungry, and i don't think they will be till tomorrow.

I'll try microwaved piece of lettuce later, I think this may be what they want.

Great! I never thought of putting a plant in there for them to eat, but I don't have any so... haven't gotten up the courage to try a planted tank yet.

I picked up some honeydew and zucchini off of the buffet tonight when we went out for dinner. My husband was appalled. Babies gotta eat and it was there for the takin'

Good luck!

 

[mikev]

Thank you!

I have no shortage of plants, most of about 30 tanks here are planted. This tends to keep water cleaner and fish healthier, and for some species this makes them breed (I bred other fish, but plecos is an unplanned accident). I gave them water sprite which always has a little rot on it (some interest), sylvania (chose the most deteriorated leaves, but no interest ... probably wrong type of plant) and some stones with green algae on them (no interest, strangely). Basically, no eating yet, but yolk sacs are still present.

TBH, the worst outcome for me is for them to start eating. I probably cannot keep them in 1g container more than a few days, I cannot move them back to the parent's tank (there is a reason), and getting them another tank, probably a 20,...not exactly what i'd like to do.

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honey dew works. water melon too, btw.

My wife is appalled when i do things like this too.... she seems to particularly dislike me keeping frozen bloodworms in the freezer

 

[boohag]

Thank you!

I have no shortage of plants, most of about 30 tanks here are planted. This tends to keep water cleaner and fish healthier, and for some species this makes them breed (I bred other fish, but plecos is an unplanned accident). I gave them water sprite which always has a little rot on it (some interest), sylvania (chose the most deteriorated leaves, but no interest ... probably wrong type of plant) and some stones with green algae on them (no interest, strangely). Basically, no eating yet, but yolk sacs are still present.

TBH, the worst outcome for me is for them to start eating. I probably cannot keep them in 1g container more than a few days, I cannot move them back to the parent's tank (there is a reason), and getting them another tank, probably a 20,...not exactly what i'd like to do.

-----

honey dew works. water melon too, btw.

My wife is appalled when i do things like this too.... she seems to particularly dislike me keeping frozen bloodworms in the freezer

Thirty tanks!!! You must own a fish shop, no? I would love to have a full basement that I could devote solely to fish. Have a lazyboy down there -- tunes, tv and a fridge... Course we're in hurricane territory so I would need a dedicated backup generator.... if I could only win the lottery.

I don't know why my plecs decided to start a family. The only thing I did different was to give them 2 wafers one night instead of one. I usually give them 1 each, every other day. Next thing, I see the momma's head poking out of the hole in the top of the cave with her mouth wide open. I thought, "that's strange." Then papa didn't come out the next day. Next thing, I've got 32 babies.

I don't know how long they'll last in a one gallon, but if it's aerated and the water changed often enough, they should be okay shouldn't they, at least until you can figure something out?

PS: I've got the bloodworm thing going too hahaha!!

 

[mikev]

No fish store ... but I do have a basement indeed

anyway, they are still alive, and still not eating: there is a bit of yolk sac left, probably another day before they need food.

They are mostly sitting and wiggling their tails....

I moved them to a 2.5g.... a stopgap solution but the best I could do instantly.

backup generator is not very expensive...I paid about $300.

 

[boohag]

No fish store ... but I do have a basement indeed

anyway, they are still alive, and still not eating: there is a bit of yolk sac left, probably another day before they need food.

They are mostly sitting and wiggling their tails....

I moved them to a 2.5g.... a stopgap solution but the best I could do instantly.

backup generator is not very expensive...I paid about $300.

Oh my gawd!!!!!!!! You've got more than I do! I only have 32. Looks like you've got twice that many! And mine are yellow so they may react differently to food. Since I had them in a really small cage-like thingy, as soon as they emerged from the cave, there was food all over the place. That may be why they ate so soon, they couldn't avoid it.

One thing I noticed while they were in the cage.. when the papa came out to eat, the babies were so fragile, but he ever so gently moved them out of the way to get a bite of food. It was really sweet. I thought, as big as he was, he's kill a few for sure. He hasn't come out much since the babies have grown, but when he does, I notice the babies swim in and through his bristles. It's hilarious. But I wish he'd come out more.

Do you have the lounge chair, tv and tunes in your basement?

 

[seanie112]

mine breed every 2-3wks i have 5x trio's of common bristlenose and a group of 11 longfins bristlenose

when my bristlenose commons some have over lay 100 at a time one lot spawned 214 eggs i have around 400 fry at the moment brown and albino's from 1wk to 5wks old
one trio of mine breed 11 days after the last lot and fanning eggs now only around 30 in the cave as the female i put in with the pair is only around 2.5 ins big first time mother


my longifn bns breed for the first time only had 33 eggs come from brown perents but got 12 albino's and the rest are brown one wk old now

abt food i feed mine uncooked courgette every day and seaweed twice a wk

and then when they are around two wks old i feed them pellet as well normaly hi growth pellet and bloodworm pellet

 

[mikev]

When I moved them yesterday, I counted and got 80. The spawn probably was much larger, the other fish ate most of the eggs before I got home and extracted the rest. No way of knowing if any will make it yet, not till they start eating, but they gave me a good chase yesterday...

My slow development is likely not because of the color, but of temp: I do not use heaters, the temp currently fluctuates in the 70-75 range, so the fry grows slower. No just these BN's, everyone else.

Since they are all brown I suspect that the father is the brown male...and he is very reclusive. I actually have not seen in more than two years now....I only see something deep inside his cave.

No tv or tunes in the basement....and -- this is irritating -- no good place to put a chair.

----

Wow, Seanie, this is a serious production!

What kind of seaweed? -- this is new to me.

 

[seanie112]

just normal in packs seaweed from lfs or i buy from flibay cheaper on there

yes m8 i have loads of fry right now and loads more on the way as males fanning eggs i have got 5tanks all with bristlenose in
i have 6.5ft tank divided into 3 trio commn bns in each side of divider with more fry

4ft divided into 2 trio common bns in each side of divider with fry

corner tank with breeding group of longfins bns in x6 with fry (1xm 5x f)

2ft tank with more fry in bns

2ft tank with 1xmale x4 female longfins not yet breed before adding them to corner tank

have a look in this part u see i have couple threads with my bns in breeding with pics

(i have loads of common bns coming next wk from simon on here great bloke)