Ancistrus breeding.

Hi all,

I made a bit of an impulse buy over the weekend an adult pair of bristlenose plecos. I plan to try and breed them. Anyone got any tips on how to breed them? I have been doing some research online but thought i would ask the experts on here.

Stephen

Not an expert but here's my two pennies (probably similar to what your read on the net):

Love these, good choice. If they are of the common variety they are easy to breed. They might spawn without any trigger at all in the least ideal of conditions but sometimes they just don’t so don’t be disappointed if it takes a while either.

It’s always good to supply a suitable cave(s) for the male, this could be a homemade piece (flower pot, slate, large coconut, etc.) or especially made breeding caves. It’s also important that there are enough hiding places in the tank apart from the cave as the females usually move around a bit more than the male that stays put in one place.

Offer plenty of vegetable based foods such as fresh vegetables, tablets, waffers and the occasional treat of frozen food or meatier food, the fish are however quite messy so make sure to remove uneaten remains. Strong filtration and regular water changes is a must i.m.o.. As with many other species a large slightly colder water changes can trigger a spawn but it’s not always a necessity.

If they are another species than the common one you need to research on that particular one as requirements differ and the wild types are far trickier to spawn.

It’s good to be prepared with a grow out tank and having it running in advance without any algae eaters in it, the algae on the glass and surfaces will provide an additional food source for the little ones. This can also be done by letting algae grow on sheets of glass in a spare tank. I think Stretnik introduced me to that idea here on the forum.

Raising the amounts of young this fish can produce takes allot of space. It’s therefor a good idea to split the pair up now and then to give them a rest and to not be overrun by babies (if you don’t want to cull healthy fish). Another option is to have some fish in the tank that predate on the fry, some usually survive anyway.


Andreas

Thanks very much good info there. Yeah i think that are hte common variety. What tank size is best for them? They are in a 80l tank at the min with lots of bog wood and java fern. They seen quite happy and are feedine well.

Thanks,
Stephen

Bigger is generally better and 80 litre is somewhat small i.m.o., saying that there are so many other factors then volume; bottom area, furniture and filtration are as important. Just keep an eye on them and the water.

I prefer small pleco tanks to be 40+cm wide as the increased width is more beneficial than the height.

Andreas

Thanks for the info, tank is well filtered and have a power head for increased flow. i might move them into the 125 over the weekend.

Stephen

They might be grand where they are, I have kept pairs in 75 litre 60x40cm for shorter periods before. But it’s no harm planning ahead, deciding on where to raise the fry mainly; with parents = larger tank.

Andreas

Any other views on this?

My 125 is a community tank and not really laid out for pleco breeding. I might see if i can get my hands on a cheap 125 for them.

They poo and eat a lot and dont seen very interested in each other at the min, might have to start playing some Barry White to get them in the mood!

Stephen.