I Want To Raise Some Bristlenoses...

[JonathanT]

I'm planning on getting back into the aquarium hobby soon, as I'm finally going to get a steady source of income. I have plans for a lovely brackish tank, but in the mean time, I want to start a bit smaller. I've never done a small species tank before, and I've wanted to try to breed some bristlenose plecs for some time now.

I've been quite fond of these little uglies for a long time, since I've had some in community tanks before and along with rubbernoses they are probably my favorite "tiny" plecs. So basically I'm thinking of doing three things here: Have a species tank, have a heavily planted tank, and breed some fish that I like in it. The bristlenose seems to fit the bill perfectly.

So I have a few questions. First, would a 20 gallon tank be big enough for a trio of bristlenoses? I've heard it's best to get one male and two females for breeding them, so I'm assuming that's the population I'm after. Second, I've never had much luck with plants. Perhaps CO2 injection would be a good thing to look into? I want to use a sand substrate by the way, and probably very hardy plants including Java Fern and Java Moss.

I've heard that as long as there's nothing in the tank that can eat the young, they'll do just fine staying with the parents. I assume they'll eat the same stuff the parents do (algae tablets, greens, etc)?

Finally, seeing as how bristlenoses can be quite prolific once they get started...how big should the young be before you start finding them new homes? I can sell to, or through, several lfs, and if desperate just give them away. Not a lot of shops around here stock bristlenoses.

I want to make sure I know exactly what I'm doing before I get started, so thanks in advance for any information that more experienced keepers can provide!

 

[JonathanT]

Can anyone give me some information to help me start out? I'm sure there are plenty of bristlenose veterans around here...

-Jonathan

 

[dwarfgourami]

My bristlies seem to have settled into a pattern of breeding once a month- we're on the fifth clutch since August. I only have a pair, which doesn't seem to be a problem with bristlies. They breed in the 240 ltr community tank (assorted livebearers), alternating between the clay amphora and a hole in the bogwood. Some of the fry I have moved into a fry tank once they emerged from the cave, some I have put in the other community tanks, most are still in the main tank with the parents. I feed them lettuce, cucumber, carrot, algae wafers, peas etc., trying to keep a fairly constant supply of food. I haven't started selling mine yet, having heard a lot about the high mortality rate in young bristlenoses that move from home too early, I thought I would give it until they are at least 4-5 months old.

I grow the most basic plants- vallisneria, Java fern, Java moss and some sort of hygrophila- as I don't want to be bothered with CO2. I just add a bit of plant food once a week.

 

[littleme1969]

Hi..
I breed 3 varieties of bristles my self and if you have the right set up they will breed pretty easy.
I would stick to tough plants like java fern, vallis etc as they do have a habit of sucking the life out of plants when you get a good few in a tank. Bog wood is also essential I would say, but I do know people who breed with just pipes for them to brood in. Though it is said it is essential for overall health as they love to chew on it.
I would say your tank is big enough for a trio, but that may result in larger broods in the long term. As the male may mate with both at a time and brood both lots of eggs
I have found terracotta to be an excellent nesting place. the plecs seems to love it. I have terracota T light holders that have a whole just big enough for them to get in the front and a large cavern shape space behind that with a large open area below that goes onto the gravel/substrate. Hard to describe really but they were cheap and the plecs really love them as they are ready made nesting holes and the surface inside is ideal for attaching eggs to the roof.

As for moving them on, some people move them on when they are about 2cms, and Ive heard alot of stories on here of people buying them that age and them dieing due to stress. I always grow mine on until they are at least 2". That way you can just sex them and also they are much stronger and will do far better when been moved and rehomed.

If you do get a happy pair they will breed regular, to the point you are overrun . I have found by leaving some youngsters in and allowing them to grow within the tank, they tend to manage their own population. Only breeding according to availability of food and space. But that is not always the case.

 

[JonathanT]

Thanks for the tips, I think I'll try sticking with a pair then instead of a trio! I'm doing it just for fun so one batch a month is more than enough for me...

As I may have said, not a lot of lfs stock bristlenoses around here, so I can probably sell them easily, or just give them away if need be. Otherwise, does anyone know any other way to slow down the breeding if they get out of hand? Would temporarily seperating them be too stressful?

I'm thinking of taking a low light approch (2 wpg or less), since the bristlenoses seem to like dense foliage and cover. I've heard that C02 injection will still result in more vigorous plant growth even in situations like that, so I could possibly use a simple nutrafin system to help make everything grow well.

Thanks again!

-Jonathan

 

[littleme1969]

Thanks for the tips, I think I'll try sticking with a pair then instead of a trio! I'm doing it just for fun so one batch a month is more than enough for me...

As I may have said, not a lot of lfs stock bristlenoses around here, so I can probably sell them easily, or just give them away if need be. Otherwise, does anyone know any other way to slow down the breeding if they get out of hand? Would temporarily seperating them be too stressful?

I'm thinking of taking a low light approch (2 wpg or less), since the bristlenoses seem to like dense foliage and cover. I've heard that C02 injection will still result in more vigorous plant growth even in situations like that, so I could possibly use a simple nutrafin system to help make everything grow well.

Thanks again!

-Jonathan

A good way of stopping them if they get out of hand is remove whatever they nest in. Rather than seperating them first. If you find they just go off and find another place to do the deed than yes seperate them.
Bristles do love lots of cover, it also keeps them busy cleaning too I run at about 2wpg and add Co2 and it does just great, good plant growth and they stay healthy too. Just be carefull what ferts you add, as if your not carefull you can soon end up with a tank full of black hair algae so keeps ferts to a minimum just enough to keep the plants healthy. I found about 1/4 of what they recomend on most fert bottles just does ok. Healthy plants but not too much algae growth.

 

[JonathanT]

Sounds good! Would you have any suggestions what kind of plants would be best in such a setup? That being of course low light (2 wpg), with C02 injection. Probably a 20 gallon high, maybe a 20 gallon long if anyone thinks that would be better for this kind of venture.

I think I'll use laterite with an overlay of fine white sand, so I'll be able to use rooted plants too.

 

[littleme1969]

I have found that the long tanks work better for plecs as it gives them more surface area to forage and rest on. They are not free swimmers really so more swimming space is pointless, they prefer more wood/rocks/plants/gravel to hang around on.
Plants stick to hardy stuff to start with, Large Java fern is a good one as it has a large surface area for the fish to clean and sit on and is also easy to keep in most light conditions. I use alot of Vallis too as its easy to keep and will grow pretty much anywhere. Aquarium strain Hornwort is a good one as its supper fast growing in most light conditions and provides good cover and as its delicate the plecs tend to leave it alone. Black sword is great for small clump plants in the foreground, again easy to keep. its pretty slow growing so you can pretty much stick it in and forget about it. Ludwiga is great if you want to add a bit of colour, but always place it as near to your light source as possible to get the bright red on the leaves, grows well but not tooo fast you have to keep chopping it. If your injecting Co2 make sure you stick in lots of plants to start with, fast growers as many as possible, otherwise you will have a problem with algae due to an excess of nutrients in the water. In a new set up i would be carefull about adding any liquid ferts at first as again this will result in an algae bloom that will cover pretty much everything. Its a balancing act with algae, you have to have sufficent plants to take up the nutrients to keep it at bay.
I would buy the common low cost plants to start with, and if you do get a die off as you often do your wont be wasting too much money. Alot of the plants you get these days are grown out of water so when you put them in your tank you get a sudden die of as the plant trys to adjust to its new surroundings. Stick with it as they will come back but in a slightly different form I found this with things like black sword. Starts out huge, dies off the outer leaves, then grows in smaller leaf clumps.
Its also best to do this as some plants will thrive in your tank and others wont do so well.

 

[JonathanT]

Thanks for the excellent advice! As soon as I can afford it I'll get started, and spend at least a month trying to get everything growing and well established before I put in the uglies. With any luck I'll end up with lots of little baby uglies too!

So much more interesting than breeding guppies, in my opinion...

-Jonathan