# breeding bn plecos in a 20 gallon?



## big b

i was wondering if a breeding pair of bn plecos in a 20 gallon.the other stock would be 6 black neons 6 neons 1 betta and a electric blue ram.


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## lohachata

i don't see why not..the pleco fry would be a bit too much for the ram..


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## big b

"a bit to much"?what do you mean to eat?i might see if my petco or petsmart will give me store credit for them.


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## lohachata

there should be no problems with the mix of fsh..rams are fairly peaceful and the bushynose fry would be a little too big for the rams to eat anyhow..


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## big b

oh that whats you mean by a bit to much.


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## toddnbecka

Main problem would be overcrowding as the BN fry grow out and more fry keep coming along.


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## big b

well i have just found a lfs in georgia columbus so im gonna check it out this weekend.so if it is all good in the store and i might get lucky and strike up a convo with the dude in charge.and get on to the topic of breeding plecos.it might go down like this.*hey i might start breeding bn plecos but i am worried what to do with the fry.you might be able to give them to a store for store credit.oh really?well could i do it here?sure why not*i bet it wont happen just like that but i hope it happens like that.


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## lohachata

first you have to get the plecos..then raise them..then get them to breed..then raise the fry to a salable size.(about 1 1/2-2")
kind of putting the cart before the horse aren't you ?
of course if you (or parents) had paypal or usps money order you could buy a pair....i have several available.very reasonably priced too...


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## big b

my parents or should i say my online buying fish killers?have lost the paypal account password you dont know who many COOOOL FISH i have seen but only accepts paypal. i wish i could kinda hack into the whole paypal thing and find out what the stupid password was.and i know what the saying means.i am getting ahead of my self on this.but i have wanted to breed a few fish .not any that breed like crazy liveberars comes to mind.i have been trying to breed my mystery snails and the female just laid eggs for the 2 time.i am making sure they will live this time.i already have a 1 inch albino bn pleco.i have no idea what sex it is.do you know how to sew them as babies?


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## lohachata

as fry they cannot be sexed...it is quite rare that species are sexually dimorphic as fry....
i don't know what operating system your computer has but i have windows 8.1 and all i have to do to find a lost password is go to tools.click on options and click on security and then saved passwords ..you should be able to retrieve it that way...


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## big b

we have 7......


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## toddnbecka

Young female BN typically produce around 50 eggs, larger/older females will produce more. The fry do grow much more quickly than Hypancistrus or other pleco's, but will still need a couple months or so to grow large enough to move along. Meanwhile, the female will be producing more. Regular brown or albino BN are commonly available for a couple $ each online, hardly worth the time and effort involved in raising them. IF your lfs will give you store credit it may be worthwhile, but a 20 is still going to become overcrowded before the fry are large enough to move out. At least a 40 breeder or even a 55 would be a better bet for a pair or trio of BN and their many fry to grow out.


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## lohachata

i agree with todd ; a 40 breeder or 55 would be much better for grow out...and if you keep an eye on petco ,petsmart and pet supplies plus they have tank sales a couple of times a year for $1.00 per gallon...


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## big b

well the baby pleco died a while ago so i now have a bulldog pleco from petsmart in qt he comes into main tank sat.


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## Guest

How long have you actually been successful in keeping fish in an established tank, meaning one that has been cycled all the way?

You have to keep new fish in qt for at least two weeks. When did you get the bulldog pleco?


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## big b

Angelclown said:


> How long have you actually been successful in keeping fish in an established tank, meaning one that has been cycled all the way?
> 
> You have to keep new fish in qt for at least two weeks. When did you get the bulldog pleco?


"actually"?that sounds a bit rude no offense but to me that makes it sound like you think i have not had fish alive for more than a week or two.and yes the tank is cycled completely.in this tank i just fished 1 dead neon out.but i have had them for a long time.i bought them from walmart....about a couple of years(1-2)years back

.but something strange is going on.its like a virus,not in this tank but in my 29 gallon my whole school of harlequin rasboras died for no reason and yet no other fishes died....and i added a angelfish earlier but i put the angel fish in about 5 weeks before all this happened.


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## lohachata

she is not being rude..since she doesn't know how long you have been keeping fish or how long this tank has been set up , she just tried to be helpful....


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## Guest

Thank you lohachata. Yes I was trying to be helpful.

Also 2 years keeping fish isn't that long. I have kept fish throughout my life, but the longest I have kept fish is 8 years. Bristlenose plecos are hardy fish and can withstand pretty much any conditions in the aquarium. They are only susceptible to medications, which you have to be careful administering. If the baby pleco died within days of you getting it, it was either sick or you water parameters weren't level or something went wrong with the tank.

When did you get the bristlenose pleco?


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## big b

it just sounded rude,but i have not been keeping for 2 years for at lest 5.the pleco was most likely sick and to young to handle the transport.petco probably made it sick.and also almost all of my fish have died in the 20 because some ich slipped by.and now i have 3 black neons 1 electric blue ram and 1 neon.and i actually happy you posted hear clown, someone full of so much knowledge


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## toddnbecka

I've been breeding/raising BN for years now. I found quite early on that fry under 1" are best left in the tank with the parents. The smaller they are when they're moved to another tank the more of them die for no apparent reason. Not a large percentage in any case, but even juvies close to 2" aren't as hardy as larger juvies or adults. The longest I've has any one fish was about 16 years, a Synodontis eupterus that was fully grown when I got it. Also had a whiptail catfish that lived for over 10 years.


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## big b

hmm i read your sig todd does that mean free shipping for endlers?


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## toddnbecka

I can ship them for free if you want to pay more for the fish... lol.


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## big b

hmm well played...either way i will still be paying about the same.i think i could find them somewhere for cheaper.hmm i wonder if i can special order them from petco.


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## lohachata

i think ordering them from petco is an excellent idea wiz....then you can kill off the rest of your fish with the disease ridden junk petco sells..
i honestly think that you are far better off buying fish from a quality breeder like todd than buying from a big box store..
i have not purchased fish from a store in decades..i either got them from local club members or from aquabid....much higher quality and better health animals then you find in the stores..


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## Guest

lohachata said:


> i think ordering them from petco is an excellent idea wiz....then you can kill off the rest of your fish with the disease ridden junk petco sells..
> i honestly think that you are far better off buying fish from a quality breeder like todd than buying from a big box store..
> i have not purchased fish from a store in decades..i either got them from local club members or from aquabid....much higher quality and better health animals then you find in the stores..


I literally LOL at this, well the first part of it anyway. 

I have to agree here because buying from a fish store, you are chancing your fish becoming ill and dying from whatever the new fish has. Also you never know what the fish have when you purchase them and it is hard to buy healthy fish, it is a hit and miss type of thing with fish from the pet stores.

Best bet is from a breeder, then you know the fish is healthy and will most likely be healthy and won't contaminate your other fish.

The reason why I have to buy from pet stores is because 1) I don't have the money to buy from a breeder, 2) I can pick out healthy fish. I had my smallest clown loach for 8 years and he/she never got sick, until it got constipated and died.


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## big b

ok i will start buying from breeders.but angel wasn't that baby girl?or something like that i remember reading a thread about that by you.


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## Guest

It was both, Baby Girl and Junior. Both of them clown loaches that I kept for 8 years. But it was Junior that never got sick until he/she had constipation. Then Baby Girl passed because of velvet that I evidently didn't notice she had.


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## big b

well rest in peace baby girl.i hope you are swimming in that million gallon fish tank in the sky.


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## Guest

Thanks evil wizard. That put a smile on my face. Baby Girl was my fish that fought off three diseases at one time.


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## big b

wow she was strong them.and i may be a evil wizard but i bring a smile to your face ironic.


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## Guest

Oh yes she fought to survive, plus I had help to keep her alive. I was watching her like a hawk as she was fighting the three diseases, I had to cure one at a time. Took about a month to get her better.


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## big b

well you are a nice little mama to your fishes.


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## Guest

Why thank you evil wizard.


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## big b

your welcome.you are one of my favorite kind of people.someone who cares about their fish who doesn't say oh who cares its just a fish.


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## Guest

Well fish are like family in my opinion. If you take care of your fish, they will live a long time.


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## big b

well said.i hope you dont get offended but you sorta remind me of one of those older moms that are so caring and loving.this is a compliment not an insult.


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## Guest

Why thank you


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## big b

ooh,you changed your avatar cool pic.


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## Guest

Why yes I did. Thanks


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## big b

yep that was the first thing i saw.i think it is the little things in life that make the biggest effect sometimes.*feelin' all warm and fuzzy*


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## Guest

That is so sweet


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## big b

yeah.*blush*i am just a nice boy who cares deeply about fish and how they are taken care of.


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## Guest

We all care here about fish and how they are cared for.


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## big b

yeah. it brings a smile to my face when i see someone like you.*happy*


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