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I am currently housing 3 clowns in a 29g these are still juveniles I think as the largest is only 37mm ish. Two were acquired from my lfs and another from a local hobbiest. I am unsure of the sex.

Filter: AC50
Heater: 100w set to 82F
Food: Alder cones, maple and madrona twigs, oak and magnolia leaves, Sera Catfish discs, Sera Catfish algea wafers
The only decorations are alder log caves. Each log is 175mm long with a 125mm deep cave. Caves are 25mm, 31mm, and 37mm. 4 logs are approx 50mm dia and 2 are 100mm dia. The 2 of the 50mm logs have a single cave at 25mm while the other two have 37mm. The 100mm have two 25mm at one end and a single 31mm at the opposite end.
Water changes once a week 50%

(Originally posted here viewtopic.php?f=13&t=49116#p324946)

The new guy(?) and the caves too.

I think I can confirm one male as he has claimed one of the caves? He has taken to hanging out of the log cave on the RH side of the tank.

Caves look good. Fish in previous photos looks female to me, but needs to fatten up.

Yes males do like to hang out in caves. Females prefer to loiter nearby. I filled my tank with a mix of caves and (between them) bamboo pipes (open both ends).

Cheers, Eric

I have tried Sera algae tabs for Ancistrus and plecos and the Sera Catfish XXL tabs these go untouched. I also have some other veggie based foods and omnivore foods that I have tried. I even added a piece of fresh zucchini that went untouched. They are eating because I have had to syphon out large amounts of waste. I think they are more interested in the branches and logs for food.

fishguy1978 wrote: ↑08 Jun 2020, 17:24I have tried Sera algae tabs for Ancistrus and plecos and the Sera Catfish XXL tabs these go untouched. I also have some other veggie based foods and omnivore foods that I have tried. I even added a piece of fresh zucchini that went untouched. They are eating because I have had to syphon out large amounts of waste. I think they are more interested in the branches and logs for food.

My experience is I rarely see them eating because they are so secretive. Mine eat live raw slivers of peeled sweet potato with vigor, plus boiled shrimp and live black worms. Many plecos don't immediately take to the veggies we tend to serve, but repeatedly introducing these foods and removing the uneaten (or untouched) portion a day or so later will help them to discover these foods.

Good luck, Eric

The tabs are still there after 24hrs. I will try sweet potatoes though.

I did a water change poop siphon on the clowns and caught them for some photo updates which I will post late. The smaller 2 have odontids on the postierior. They look like hair thickness spines on a cactus. The largest one does not sport these. I made sure to take top, side and belly shots to ensure positive sexing.

Pictures as promised. First 3 pictures are a female, I think. This one is 1in larger than the other two. Male, has odontids on tail section. They don't show in the pictures unfortunately.

First picture is of second fish in post above Male All 3 together

I see one male (the last photo) and two females (all photos in previous post, plus first photo of your last post).

Cheers, Eric

bekateen wrote: ↑22 Jul 2020, 05:26 I see one male (the last photo) and two females (all photos in previous post, plus first photo of your last post).

Cheers, Eric

Reading through your breeding report you do not mention a rainy season to induce spawning. Are regular weekly or biweekly water changes enough to induce?
Thank you for being a go to for help.

My first spawn came during (not after) a period of neglect, but not intentional. However, after that first spawn by the one pair, then two other pairs started spawng also with almost every water change. Tank temp wasn't always the same, could be anywhere from 78-85 (usually closer to 85) and my water changes dropped temps to low 70s, if I recall correctly, but heater would have tank back up within hours.

Cheers,
Eric

Made some changes in the fish room. Ran a new electrical circuit so that the fish room will be on it's own GFCI breaker. I also added a 3 gang receptical in the ceiling about center of the room and moved the rack for the 29g aquariums out into the center of the room. I now have access to both ends of the 29g tanks which makes it so much easier to access. Moved the 90g Clown plecos have too many options for caves. These guys don't seem to claim ownership for very long. Each of the larger logs have caves at each end. I have also added some terra cotta watering spike caves.

When I was spawning these regularly I only offered prepared foods once a week. The majority of their diet, as it would be in nature, was driftwood and their bamboo caves. The colony just kept spawning and spawning generation after generation with no "seasonal" changes undertaken by me.
-Shane

Video I put together to help with sexing these lovely little fishes.
https://youtu.be/OH0MlfKDjLI

Nice video!

Good luck with the breeding project. One tank suggestion I have is take some of your caves and point them in different directions (some facing end-to-end, some perpendicular in tank). Give the fish lots of choices.

Cheers, Eric

bekateen wrote: ↑15 Nov 2020, 00:10 Nice video!

Good luck with the breeding project. One tank suggestion I have is take some of your caves and point them in different directions (some facing end-to-end, some perpendicular in tank). Give the fish lots of choices.

Cheers, Eric

Thanks, sorry about the crummy camera guy, still training him
The large logs have caves in both ends. I will turn the water spikes perpendicular.

I've done the caves in both ends thing before with bamboo. That's a good feature.

Cheers, Eric

Took these yesterday before shooting the video. I have turned the water spikes mostly perpendicular to the other caves.
My 29g tanks sit on a rack that holds 8, 60in x 30in x 55in, so the tanks are viewed end to end.

Shane wrote: ↑30 Oct 2020, 11:01 When I was spawning these regularly I only offered prepared foods once a week. The majority of their diet, as it would be in nature, was driftwood and their bamboo caves. The colony just kept spawning and spawning generation after generation with no "seasonal" changes undertaken by me.
-Shane

Thanks, I will just have to be patient I guess

I have 2 WC L104 ordered from Imperial Tropical coming next week. I unplugged the heater to simulate dry season temperatures. Not sure about at night but the thermometer reads 72F during the day. I will add the 2 new wait a day or so more and then do a large water change and turn the heat on.

Fish arrived safe and sound. I expected both L104s to be in the same bag but they were seperate and double bagged. There was a 7.5mm square of filter foam in each bag too. Floated for 10-15min for temp and then added them to the colony. These guys are small at a shy 30mm, maybe.

Glad you got them safely. Do you have whole body photos yet? I must confess the facial coloration pattern in this pic looks a little peculiar for L104.

Cheers,
Eric

bekateen wrote: ↑03 Dec 2020, 17:34 Glad you got them safely. Do you have whole body photos yet? I must confess the facial coloration pattern in this pic looks a little peculiar for L104.

Cheers,
Eric

I will take some this evening when I get home. I emailed Imperial and the only collection info they have is country of origin, Columbia.

They probably are L104 or at least one of the clown plecos, but it's particularly that area behind the eyes that looks atypical to me.

Cheers, Eric

Made time during lunch to run home and snag some quick pictures. Hopefully to avoid confusing individual specimens I will post seperatly. This is L104 J1

L104 J2, this is the one hiding under the water spike.

Here are all 3 juveniles(J1, J2, J3) in with one of the adults. J3s pictures were to blury.

This is the fish with the odd color pattern. It looks more like a Peckoltia to me. Or if Panaqolus, then one with a very unique and beautiful color pattern.

What do others think? @Acanthicus?
Eric