L046...

[summat fishy]

i know zebra plecs are very expensive ( i guess 100 quid?) but other than their price, are they easy to keep? thanks in advance summat fishy

 

[nmonks]

Not especially difficult, but they are typical Rio Xingu fish -- so slightly warmer than usual water helps (25-30 C). Soft and slightly acidic water is useful but not so important. Lots of water movement and oxygen, of course, being a fast-water fish. For the same reason low nitrates are probably a good idea. If you can keep any other semi-hardy loricariid, you should be able to manage these.

Cheers, Neale

i know zebra plecs are very expensive ( i guess 100 quid?) but other than their price, are they easy to keep? thanks in advance summat fishy

 

[summat fishy]

thanks mate im only asking becasue im puddled on what i want to keep in my 20 gallon. i am suppost to be getting a tropical crayfish but im not sue if id rather buy some galaxy rasboras and a L number plec instead. can anybody advise an L number that is relativly hardy, suitable for a 20 gallon, and is easily obtainable? thanks in advance summat fishy

 

[nmonks]

A small loricariid to mix with crayfish? That sounds like trouble... both are territorial bottom dwellers, and the catfish definitely on the slow side. To be honest, I'd stick with the rasboras and a small L-number that takes your fancy. There are some lovely small whiptails on the market at the moment, and in a tank with a sandy substrate they're fun to watch as they root about digging themselves in.

Cheers, Neale

 

[smithrc]

A small loricariid to mix with crayfish? That sounds like trouble... both are territorial bottom dwellers, and the catfish definitely on the slow side. To be honest, I'd stick with the rasboras and a small L-number that takes your fancy. There are some lovely small whiptails on the market at the moment, and in a tank with a sandy substrate they're fun to watch as they root about digging themselves in.

Cheers, Neale

Thankfully he said "im not sue if id rather buy some galaxy rasboras and a L number plec instead" eg not mix with the crayfish

As Neale said Zebs arent especially hard to kepp - breeding the little blighters is a different matter!

However.. as with keeping any fish you have to consider what if... but the what if's cost a hell of a lot more with zebs.

What if your heater fails, you dont notice, and you lose the tank...
What if there is an out brake of something nasty and you lose the tank...
What if.... ....and you lose the tank.

I've had one death... of a mature 6 year old... nothing wrong with the water either... It was a hard thing to deal with... I couldnt bear to see them die one by one if there was a problem. thankfully It was a one off but I've heard and read of people having complete wip outs for unknown reasons... not a nice thought.

If your looking to own zebs Id suggest "building up to them" to get mature zebs you'll be looking around £150-£200 each - mature females are going for £300... Its getting silly.

If your after a really nice plec without the possible heart ache, I'd reccomend L134's leopard frog plecs... they breed in the home aquarium too - the fry will sell well if you get them breeding too.

Russell

 

[Shadow~Fox]

L46 are great looking plecos.

They will only be happy in a species thank, they are slow and shy. If kept with boisterous fish they will be out competed for food. Not only that they need a large water flow of around 8x per hour, with a large oxygen count and a high temperature. Keepers will disagree on what is more important... movement or oxygen. This environment is hard to provide because at a higher temperature the oxygen is lower. But these fish can be kept by a novice if they follow the steps of pleco keeping.

 

[summat fishy]

thanks guys! rite well i will kepp that in mind i think it is best that i leave zebs alone for the time being...i will have a look at the L134's and will concider getting one! are they easily obtainable in england? and yes i did mean eithe or lol! buying a zeb and having a crayfish would = expensive fish food! thanks in advance summat fishy

 

[nmonks]

The one should follow the other. Water circulation carries oxygen from the surface to the bottom of the tank where the catfish are. If you have lots of bubbles at the surface, but not water current at the bottom, you can easily end up with differences in oxygen concentration between the top and the bottom of the tank (in fact, this is commonly what happens in ponds and lakes). Anyway, so rather than ranking one ahead of the other, I'd say you need both water movement, esp. at the bottom, and lots of turbulence or bubbles at the top as well.

Cheers, Neale

Keepers will disagree on what is more important... movement or oxygen. This environment is hard to provide because at a higher temperature the oxygen is lower..

 

[Darkstar]

The one should follow the other. Water circulation carries oxygen from the surface to the bottom of the tank where the catfish are. If you have lots of bubbles at the surface, but not water current at the bottom, you can easily end up with differences in oxygen concentration between the top and the bottom of the tank (in fact, this is commonly what happens in ponds and lakes). Anyway, so rather than ranking one ahead of the other, I'd say you need both water movement, esp. at the bottom, and lots of turbulence or bubbles at the top as well.

Cheers, Neale

Keepers will disagree on what is more important... movement or oxygen. This environment is hard to provide because at a higher temperature the oxygen is lower..

I think the problem he was trying to put across was more in relation to the high temperature and high oxygen content which together do not go hand in hand in the average aquarium.

 

[summat fishy]

hi again! well my tank is only 20g...but i have a 600lph powerhead in there with an airline attachment that provide current and oxegen to the bottom of the tank, where as i also have a flucal 4 filter with an air line attachment. the reuslt is a very oxegenated aquarium with lots of flow.

 

[efish]

L15 candy striped plecs are great £15 similar to L46's and dont grow very big

 

[nmonks]

Well that sounds fine. The best test is to see what happens with the poop at the bottom of the aquarium. If it just sits around, then you could do with some more water flow. But if it all gathers up in one corner, then that usually means you have a strong current.

Cheers, Neale

hi again! well my tank is only 20g...but i have a 600lph powerhead in there with an airline attachment that provide current and oxegen to the bottom of the tank, where as i also have a flucal 4 filter with an air line attachment. the reuslt is a very oxegenated aquarium with lots of flow.