# Sticky  The Official Guide on How to Breed the Bristlenose Pleco



## Charlie1

Well this was actually meant for another forum... but the actual forum just suddenly no longer existed without any reason given... 

So you want to breed a BN pleco? Well here is a guide I wrote on … well… how to breed them!!

Getting your first plecos
If you already have BN plecos, skip to the next section

There comes a day in every aquarist’s life where they want to breed a fish… not the prolific molly or guppy… but something more intermediate and maybe one day, challenging… 

Bristlenose plecos are not extremely difficult to breed, however it does take some effort, and some patients. The first part of wanting to breed plecos requires you to buy BN plecos (obviously!) However it is not as easy as you may think, as most fish stores sell your plec at a very young age- and this means they cannot be sexed. Now this brings some difficulties considering you have no idea what their gender is, so the best method is to buy at least four, this ensures that you have at least one male (or vice versa.) When you can sex them (males have bristles on their head, females have very few or none) you will want a ratio of 1:1 or 1 (male): 2 (females.) If there are not enough females to go around, fighting may ensue (UH-OH!!) Additionally, it tends to take a BN pleco to become sexually mature at around six months, so be patient!

The easiest route though is to purchase a mated pair from a fish store.

Tank setup
You will need an aquarium of at least 10 gallons (I find that my plecos reproduce best in twenty gallons though) for one pair (and of course the more bristlenose plecos you add the more tank space that is required) 

The tank must be…
-well cycled 
-have steady chemical levels
-The pH level should be more acidic and generally yield best results at around 6.5-7.0
-Temperature of the water for a bristlenose plec should be between 75- 80 degrees Fahrenheit (24-27 degrees Celsius)

You must also select a breeding cave! You can provide your BN pleco with a PVC pipe (although I find that makes the tank look ugly) so I purchase rocks and make caves or you could buy a “premade” cave from a local fish store. I also find ceramic flower pots work well if they are in half. Please remember to account for the size of your pleco, they tend to get around 3- 4 inches- so choose the cave appropriately- If the cave is too large, the plec will feel insecure and if the cave is too small then they will not fit in the cave. I have a cave for my plecos and it is hallow at the base so my male dug a hole to get to it and lives and takes care of the eggs inside the base of the cave! Silly pleco!

Now that everything is all set, now what? Sometimes the pair will embrace each other… while others sometimes need some helping out. For those who have a reluctant couple, remember that BN plecos reproduce in the rainy season in the Amazon, so what you will want to do is frequent water changes (I tend to do a whopping 40-50% water change every three days in the beginning) and supply them with some tasty treats. Some of their favorites are zucchini, cucumbers, peas and squash (who knew plecos had great tastes?) you should also continue to feed them algae wafers. If you are lazy and do not want to do huge water changes, then add ice cubes (lots of them!!) this will simulate, fresh, new rainfall, which get those pleco’s wild side on.

And mating is around the corner…
Here is a picture of a gravid (pregnant) female bristlenose plecostomus-









Essentially she will look like she was enjoying the good life, getting fat and happy due to all that zucchini you gave her. 

One night, now that the female is gravid, the male will lure her into his cave and trap her in there. The female will lay 50-100 orange eggs and the male fertilizes them.

You will know when the two new parents have mated when you see the female with a flat stomach and will look like she is starving to death- do not worry she will put the weight back on usually in about a week.

After the female laid the eggs-









The female no longer plays a part in the raising of the fry or caring of the eggs- it is dad’s turn. The male will fan the eggs using his tail, pectoral, and anal fins. This is to keep oxygen flowing, which is important for the development of the eggs. The male will fan without eating for around 2 weeks. You may see him out for a quick bite to eat, but will generally remain in the cave. Sometimes, especially the new fathers, are unwilling to let go of their bachelor days and will ignore his responsibilities, to save the eggs, you will have to move them to a one gallon tank with a heater and air stone, you will need to use the same water from the tank as well. 

The male will become unusually aggressive towards this time and will chase any fish away who stray too close to his cave with the eggs. 

Hatchlings!!!
Once the plecos have hatched they will look like orange eggs with a tail, this is a yolk sac that they will use to feed off of for a couple of days, they will also remain in the cave with their father for extended protection. After about a week of hatching, they will look like miniature adults and some of the adventurous souls will venture out of the cave to explore, the wee BN pleco fry may be vulnerable to some fish, however I find tetra, other plecos, corydoras, and shrimp to be very safe with the fry. Also when the little ones are out and about you can feed them the same as your adult plecos. Special attention should be given to water quality as well as the fry are very sensitive to it! Also give them a sponge filter, so the fry do not get sucked up by the filter intake!

So with any luck you will have a whole swarm of fry like I do… because just as a warning… once you get them going they don’t stop!


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## Guest

I have a bristlenose pleco and she is 6 1/2 inches. So that is the max size that they get.

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## lohachata

normally that would be the max size for them , but there are many species of ancistris , and some of them can reach 8-9 inches..i doubt that you have one of those though...

nice article charlie..there are always a number of ways to do things , and while i may not do it the way you do ; i think your approach to breeding them is an excellent way to go about it...
i just recently sold 3 of my pairs of bushynose plecos and have only 1 trio left...i should probably have several more pairs ready for sale in the next couple of months...most of the rest of the 400-500 young that i have will be going towards a trade for some clown loaches and maybe some cories..

i think this article is worth being moved and stickied here in the breeding section..thanks charlie..


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## Charlie1

Thank you Loha, I am glad you liked it!


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