# Breeding BN Pleco questions in a community tank + photos



## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

Hi BN breeders!

The method I've always used is keeping the BN fry in the aquarium. But I have a lot more fish in there now.

I placed a breeding basket in my tank to temp. hold my bloody mary shrimp until my other tank is ready.
But when I placed this breeding basket these BN babies all hide between it and the glass.

once the shrimp are out should I move them into this basket or another basket or should I just keep them in my community tank and hope they will survive?

thanks in advance

Ray


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

or should I get one of those clear hang on breeding baskets with the air pump or are those frowned upon for keeping fry?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

All of the methods you describe will work, but the air driven breeder box will probably yield the highest survival rate. The net will be second. In a heavily planted tank like yours plenty will still survive. I let my L333, L066 and L340 breed and grow in my 100 gallon cube with discus, rams, and tons of tetras and I still get a handful of survivors in each hatch, even though the Hypans are not nearly as hardy as the BNP's. Using a dedicated box will allow you to force feed them to grow out faster.


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

ah interesting comments!

just the hanging breeder box is ugly, I can't wait to get this breeding net basket out of my aquarium

on the other note, I don't think bn plecos eat shrimp so I can place them in my 2 shrimp tanks,
just another thought


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

oh did some googling, should be safe with shrimp


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

There was a big long thread on planetcatfish, but essentially, there are no known cases of plecos of any genera consuming live shrimp. I have a 4" L114 with cherry shrimp in one tank and even the Pseuda ignore them, along with Hypans in other tanks, which are meat eaters. They'll be safe with BNP.


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

Hi All

what's the best way to remove these bn fry

they all come out at night but using my fluval shrimp net its still a pain to scoop them as they are stuck to the glass


any suggestions or recommendations?


thank s in advance

Ray

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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

My bnp bred by chance in my african tank and during a wc a saw two on the glass by my fry net with my lwanda. I used a length of airline tubing and big bucket started suction and slowly moved into remove the pleco. Worked twice for me now I got two baby plecos growing in my planted nano. Goodluck


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

thanks vancitycam

I totally forgot using airline tubing

oh man I am getting too old I can't remember things I've tried in the past

thanks for the reminder!!!

neat thing is I can't find any of them due in the day but in the morning when the lights are off they are all over the glass


im excited. I love breeding army and armies of things


Ray

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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I like to use a larger diamet tubing to get more volume

I use a 3/8 clear tubing and syphon them into a clean 5 gallon bucket.

I just discoverd about 40 pleco fri on the class of my 80 gallon tank with 8> 10 larger clown loachs
5 ABNP, 3 L144, several guppies, swords and tetras.

I don't know how they survive but I'm not complaining<G>


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I just chuck in a zucchini slice and nab them like I do snails. Perhaps you can put a slice of zucchini in a container and wait for them to come and scoop them all up?


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

great idea but I've got too many other fish in this tank that will eat the zucchini,


the clear tubing worked like a charm, got about 15 of these suckers out of my main tank, 
much easier than using a shrimp net, I think I squished one by accident


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

I have about 6 adults and many fry in my 60 gallon shrimp tank. We have I'm sure a 1000 cherry shrimp. No e are missing . Lol. But..the baby pleccos don't all make it as we aren't power feeding them. The tiny ones don't seem to go off the glass. The albino seem to be the ones who disappear.


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

thanks for the input april.
sucked up about 30 of these guys, hope they survive 

there's tons in my main tank right now


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

That's really the problem with no dedicated fry tank. The babies don't get enough food. My losses reduced to almost nil once I got a fry growout tank.


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

how's your personal experience with bn plecos in a community tank? 

just curious


Ray

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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

I mean survival rate


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I have my bnp in a breeding tank that's 20 gallons. There are lots of adults, sub-adults and an L10a in there. My L10a babies all perished even after 2 months in a breeder box. It seems most of my bnp fry survive in there that I cannot catch in the growout. But that's not a community tank. In my discus tanks where I have dwarf cichlids and hordes of tetras, I have breeding Hypans and the survival rate is very low. I would say < 10%. But then Hypan frt are not as aggressive in eating as bnp.


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

oh great information.

are there any other dwarf plecos that are easy to keep and breed that anyone on here would recommend?
I'm not into the long fin types


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

The next easiest would be Hypans. Then Peckoltia. Try L340 or L129. Both nice looking fish and fairly easy to breed.


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

ok thx gary,

let me do some research on these guys, hopefully pat has them


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## waynestractor (Nov 9, 2011)

I put mine in a breeder box on the side of my tank, that way they all get plenty of food. Haven't any deaths since I started doing it this way...only downside for me is my wife hates the sound and look of it!


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## rwong2k10 (Dec 27, 2010)

thanks wayne

I was thinking of those hang on outside breeder buckets for a while before just transferring them to my shrimp only tank


just the air pump noise will probably drive me nuts though

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