male and female bristlenose pleco?

[ashleynicole]

So I was peeking in and both the make and female were hanging out near the pill bottle but inside was a cory catfish, khuli loach, and my rainbowshark! Lol.

 

[Jak]

So I was peeking in and both the make and female were hanging out near the pill bottle but inside was a cory catfish, khuli loach, and my rainbowshark! Lol.

Lol popular place. At least somebody like its.

 

[Cactuspixie]

So I was peeking in and both the make and female were hanging out near the pill bottle but inside was a cory catfish, khuli loach, and my rainbowshark! Lol.

A swinger's club!

 

[Cactuspixie]

My bristlenose breed prolifically in these:

http://www.thetechden.com.au/Bristlenose_Clay_Breeding_Cave_Small_p/brislogs.htm
So much so that I had to remove them, and any hollow logs, from a couple of tanks to deter them from breeding. They ended up still breeding- under a piece of driftwood I imagine.

 

[ashleynicole]

Well its kinda my fault for putting an algae wafer in there. But I put it in with the lights out and when I got out of the shower DH had the lights blaring in the kitchen (which he never does normally so that's why I didn't say anything to begin with)

I'm gonna dig out a few different sized pill bottles and put them throughout the tank.

 

[Cactuspixie]

Well its kinda my fault for putting an algae wafer in there. But I put it in with the lights out and when I got out of the shower DH had the lights blaring in the kitchen (which he never does normally so that's why I didn't say anything to begin with)

I'm gonna dig out a few different sized pill bottles and put them throughout the tank.

You don't want to put food anywhere near their caves initially- you want them to feel that its a safe (and private) place to raise their young. Also, make sure the bottles are firmly secured so they don't move, and that it is dark inside the bottles.

 

[ashleynicole]

Ha I just put the food in so he would check it out, lol. But I won't anymore.

 

[ashleynicole]

Well I re scaped the tank tonight to add more caves, stacking rocks to keep them secure. I'm going to do some frequent water changes as well to see if that spurs any tingly feelings between the two.

 

[Grandpa]

Albino Bristalnoses Will breed in a small flower pot. They are the same as the browns.
They do like small caves best. Like most SA. fish they like fresh water. So water changes will triger their spawn. Eggs take about 14 day to loss their eggsack and start coming out of the cave to look for food.
IMO: if you want them to breed? Take them out of the community and give them their own little place in the house. To many Other bottom feeders in the community tank.

 

[ashleynicole]

I don't have to have them breed and I'm not setting up another tank. If they breed they breed, if they don't they don't. And if they breed and all the fry get eaten that's fine too. I just figured if I do have a male and female I can provide places for them to breed and see if they will.

 

[ashleynicole]

Sorry I read my last message and it seems to have come over a little short and snappy, and I can't edit it.... so I guess I should have said, if I can provide an opportunity for them to spawn where they are then it would be neat. But I don't absolutely need them to spawn and I don't really want to set up a new tank right now. There probably are way to many bottom feeders for them to feel comfortable enough to spawn, but I just love bottom feeders.

But now that you've sparked my curiosity... if I did want to... for spawning what minimum size tank would you use for the breeding pair? Would you remove the female after spawning and then remove the male after the fry are free swimming? I'm assuming a bare bottom tank would be best?

 

[Cactuspixie]

Mine continuously breed despite the presence of loaches, corydoras, plecos etc. it can be very difficult and disruptive trying to catch up to 100 juveniles in a large display tank, so now, if I can, I move the breeding log with the male and his eggs to my 20g quarantine tank. From there they go to the 47g grow out tank.

I'm working on having only females in some tanks and males in the others to stop the breeding activity. I have 2 beautiful calico males with very different bristle styles- within a few minutes of releasing one into the other's 6' tank he began an insanely vicious and relentless attack on him.

Its never been so easy to catch a BN- he was in such a psycho frenzy he didn't realize he was about to be grabbed and dumped back into his old tank in disgrace.

You will thoroughly enjoy your first batch of BN fry, as I did, but after a while, when they don't stop, and you can't get more tanks into your home...

 

[ashleynicole]

Other fish will eat the fry though right? I have a huge angelfish that will eat anything it can get in its mouth.

 

[Grandpa]

Ashleynicole, I didn't take it that way.
I love my pleco's. I use 10g tanks to breed them. They don't need mush space. Mine will spawn every 8 weeks but if I don't remove the fry. They stop when the tank gets to crowded.
Your will breed in your community tank. If they can find a place they feel safe. you will loss most to other fish eating them but a few will live.
I posted the picture of the flower pot just to show they will breed in one.
I am a bottom feeder person too. They are so peaceful. I keep 7 defront tipes of Geophagus and breed 4 tipe. If you like bottom feeders check out my post (What do you breed)

 

[ashleynicole]

I am thinking mt "female" may be a male afterall. "She" has a few more bristles on the nose that I didn't notice before and the ones that were there seem to be getting bigger. They also always stay on opposite ends of the tank.

 

[Grandpa]

You may be right. Females as they get older sometime (but most not) will get small bristales. Yuong Males will get their bristales slowly. As they mature.
They are cool little fish.
Wish you the best of everything!

 

[ashleynicole]

You may be right. Females as they get older sometime (but most not) will get small bristales. Yuong Males will get their bristales slowly. As they mature.
They are cool little fish.
Wish you the best of everything!

One of the bristles on the nose has a small forked area so I am fairly certain it is a male just starting to mature. Which is fine as long as two males can coexist with no issues? Like I said they usually each stay on their respective sides of the tank.

 

[ashleynicole]

Still not sure maybe its a female, this is "her" and I just took these pictures last night.
The one with a tiny fork is on the front edge but there aren't any bristles running up the center so maybe its just a bristly female? If it is a male would my other male just be more dominant and prevent this one from developing more bristles?

 

[Cactuspixie]

Still not sure maybe its a female, this is "her" and I just took these pictures last night.
The one with a tiny fork is on the front edge but there aren't any bristles running up the center so maybe its just a bristly female? If it is a male would my other male just be more dominant and prevent this one from developing more bristles?

It looks like a female to me. My males develop a full face of 'tentacles' despite growing up together.

 

[Mogurako]

That's a female