Planning on breeding Plecos.

[elephantnose]

So I want to breed Plecos. I have some questions are BN or Rubber lips easier to bread. I have a 55g for them to breed in and an empty 30g for the fry to grow up in. Any tips? What's the best way to get a pair? Also will Plecos eat cichlid pellets

 

[toddnbecka]

BN are much easier to breed/raise than rubber lips. You don't need a separate tank for fry unless there are other fish large enough to eat them. Pairing isn't difficult, they're not as particular as cichlids. They are cave spawners, plenty of clay or ceramic available, they'll also use small cichlid stones IME.
Best way to get a pair is to buy a pair, otherwise get 6 and grow them out. I feed mine NLS .5mm Grow pellets as a staple diet, occasionally spirulina flake or canned green beans.
If you want super reds I have several dozen adults available, can do pairs or trios.

 

[elephantnose]

How much are you charging? For the super reds?

 

[toddnbecka]

Sexed adults are $40/each, unsexed juvies are $8/each.

 

[elephantnose]

How big are the juvies? Is this including shipping?

 

[elephantnose]

Also, what do you recommend for a breeding cave. I saw a cichlid stone. 8" 5" 5" would these measurements work?

 

[Brookster123]

You should breed something cool if you're going to do it at all . Pile the tank full of drift wood and 2" PVC pipe cut into 6" sections places at all levels of the dw mound..

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[elephantnose]

Brookster What do you consider cool? I've breed cichlids, angelfish, and german blue rams.

 

[Brookster123]

Trying not to be biased here.. i have a L134 leopard frog pleco I paid $75 for because it looks awesome and it stays under 5"... my lfs got a shipment of 7 in when I was there one night..i called dibs on one and the rest were gone in a week.. i think they may be a bit tricky to breed though.. if you're looking for a fun project...albino bn.. if you're looking for a payday?? Think exotics..

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[elephantnose]

Being 15 and having school I can't get too deep. YET....

 

[toddnbecka]

Juvies are 1-2", shipping cost depends on package weight and destination/zip code. Shipping to FL can go either Priority Mail or UPS Ground, Express Mail or overnite would cost quite a bit more. I have breather bags and polyfilter, so even 4-5 days in transit isn't a problem as long as the weather is decent.
I have a tankful of L134's, not even sure whether they're mature enough to spawn yet. My L-333's that I've had for several years now have apparently spawned once, last year, I have 2 juvies growing out now.
Brown and albino BN are about as common as convicts, more generally useful but not much easier to sell these days. The super reds aren't as widely spread around yet, so demand is still ahead of supply. They're just as easy to breed/raise as the other color variants.

 

[elephantnose]

Okay so say I buy three would my chances be good enough to get a pair? Yeah I live in florida 32935 also could you throw in a breeding cave. I've heard above you can use just PVC will this work?

 

[Brookster123]

My lfs has pvc tubes in with the wild caught bn plecos and every single tube in there had eggs inside.. they may not look all that great but you could bury them in sand or moss..

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[toddnbecka]

I've actually shipped out a few groups of 6 juvies that grew out 5/1, and the buyers were then looking for more adults. Statistically you need at least 5 to insure getting both sexes. One male can keep up with 2 females, but if you have multiple males only 1 gets all the action.

 

[LostInFish]

I would say breed fancy plecos because it's a lot more rewarding! I myself like the golden nugget L081 it has large spots and is just a beautiful fish. Also for a baby u can self for $50US. That's a hobby that pays for itself in the end.

 

[Fishobsessed7]

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