Baby Pleco's Discovered

[fishhed]

I bought a "moonrock" (which is basically a small ceramic cave) from w@lmart awhile back. Noticed that my young albino bristle-nose pleco has been in there a week. Alive but not coming out. Closer notice I find a gang of pleco fry swimming around. I transferred moonrock, babies and daddy to a guppy net.

What do I do now??? How long until I must transfer to a larger tank? I don't want them to be lunch, and I cannot house (provided they live) this many plecos long term.

Thanks!

Water Temp = 79 F
PH = 7
all else zeros.

 

[MdngtRain]

I'm sorry I have no advice, but I'm in a similar situation. I've just found a bunch of pleco fry in my tank. They seem to be doing ok with all the other fish. I've only counted 6 tho, so I'm Pretty sure some have not survived. If you are not sure how you can house them, and you don't think you can sell them all, you can always put them back into the tank and see what happens. Some will survive, but most likely not all of them. While its not necessarily the best option, its an option. another option would be to set up a fry tank and put them in there until they get a bit higher and you can try to sell them our give them away. Keep in mind that most lcd will not take livestock from random people...or they won't give you much for them. Also, finding homes for that many little fish can be difficult. Start looking for interest now, and try to get a waiting list of sorts.
Good luck! They are very cute!

 

[SlateSpider]

Hmm, I was planning to get a moonrock from Walmart, too! They also glow in the dark...

Speaking of fish hiding, several times I have walked into my room and found my betta sitting inside of the tiny terra cotta pot that I put in there that is scarcely bigger than he is! It's so small, I wonder how he even gets in there! He has also created a large (and quite impressive) bubble nest attached to the filter.

 

[OrangeCones]

The adult pleco will guard the fry from predation. If you want to save as many fry as you can, I would suggest you put the 'moonrock' back where it was and let the dad do his job. Even young plecos, due to the armor they have, are not likely to get eaten by many fish in a 'community' type tank. Poor water quality and lack of available food to the fry will take out far more.

Dad will keep the fry safe by giving them a place they can dart back to if something bigger is chasing them. He then goes partly into the 'cave' and blocks the bigger fish from getting to the babies with his bigger body. He acts like the 'cork' in a bottle. The larger the fry get, the more often they will be out and about.

 

[SlateSpider]

I wish I could get a couple of plecos, but right now, a couple of people have suggested me getting a mystery snail or two to help clean the tank. That will be all I get for a while, because the tank is already overcrowded.

 

[fishhed]

The adult pleco will guard the fry from predation. If you want to save as many fry as you can, I would suggest you put the 'moonrock' back where it was and let the dad do his job. Even young plecos, due to the armor they have, are not likely to get eaten by many fish in a 'community' type tank. Poor water quality and lack of available food to the fry will take out far more.

Dad will keep the fry safe by giving them a place they can dart back to if something bigger is chasing them. He then goes partly into the 'cave' and blocks the bigger fish from getting to the babies with his bigger body. He acts like the 'cork' in a bottle. The larger the fry get, the more often they will be out and about.

Excellent info, OrangeCones!

Thanks all!

Have them in a net - there must be just over 20 of them. I'll update every so often and let you know how they are doing. I've gotten attached to these ugly little buggers - wish me luck!

 

[SlateSpider]

Hey, that's the exact kind of breeder net that I have!

 

[Lotus]

I kept bristlenoses in a breeding net (the same kind you have). They're big enough to go in the main tank when they're too big to fit in the mouths of any other fish in the tank.

If possible, put the breeder net near the filter outflow. The net somewhat prevents good water flow, and good water flow is important for fry. You don't need to keep papa in there with the fry, they'll be fine on their own as long as they're separated from the rest of the fish. They will feed on algae wafers or you could put a piece of plant matter or other algae-covered tank item in there with them.

 

[betta lover22]

I kept bristlenoses in a breeding net (the same kind you have). They're big enough to go in the main tank when they're too big to fit in the mouths of any other fish in the tank.

If possible, put the breeder net near the filter outflow. The net somewhat prevents good water flow, and good water flow is important for fry. You don't need to keep papa in there with the fry, they'll be fine on their own as long as they're separated from the rest of the fish. They will feed on algae wafers or you could put a piece of plant matter or other algae-covered tank item in there with them.

^This. Once they are a couple more days old, you will want to offer some food- my fry and adults LOVE shrimp pellets, zucchini, and algae wafers. Dada can come out now, and join his lady. In about a month from now, you will likely have more itty-bitty plecos, that is unless you separate the pair. They are fun to keep/watch grow, and with the right care, you will have some healthy plecos that you can sell on craigslist, for example, or give to pet stores- some will take them.