pleco

[DarkLotus]

Hello I'm new to this I have 3 calico bushy nose plecos 1 male 2 females. One uncertain sex they call it a scribble pleco it almost looks like a zebra pleco. The people who sold it to me called it a L099 doesn't look like the pictures. I also have a long fin bushy nose male and a regular bushy nose female these two are a breeding pair. My questions are? What kind of lighting bulb can i use for them so they will come out more and plus i can still see them with this lighting..... what can I do so that my other fish won't eat the pleco fry..

Thank you,
Sincerally Dark Lotus

[Mod edit: remove all caps, fix other minor typos -- Mats]

[Richard B]

Welcome to PC

Can i ask to turn the cap's off please it's a little off-putting & hard on the eye.

My B/n's come out in full tank light but if yours area little shy then a 'blue' light may help them feel more at ease.

Could the scribble plec be L066?

To stop fry being eaten you need to provide some sort of refuge. A mass of fine twigs or pile of ceramic filter media may work for you.

[Suckermouth]

Well we could really use a picture to tell for sure what the scribble plec is.

Less light will make plecs come out more. You shouldn't need any special lighting for bristlenose plecs, however. Males, however, will hide more than females as they prepare their territory and potential nest site.

What other types of fish do you have in your tank? You might not have to do anything to keep the bristlenose fry from getting eaten.

[MatsP]

Scribble(d) pleco is the common name for

Hypancistrus sp(l066)

- but other fish may well be sold under this name too.

I think lighting in itself has been covered, but there are other things that will help: Giving the fish plenty of hiding places will let the fish feel safe. If they fish feels safe, it will spend more time in the open.

As suggested, fry being eaten does depend highly on what the other fish in the tank are - if you are intent on breeding plecos, a single species tank or a tank with very select tank-mates is the recommendation. Good hiding spaces for the fry will work to some extent, and if you're just interested in getting a few fry, then good tiny spaces for the fry to hide in will work just fine.

--
Mats

[DarkLotus]

thanku suckermouth,matsp and richardb does male calico bn protect there fry from other tankmates...the blue light that i can use is there a certain kind watts ect.

[MatsP]

A blue light is a "blue fluorescent tube" aka "moonlight tube", which is just a different phosphor coating inside the glass than a white/yellow/red tube. They should be available in your LFS.

But I wouldn't worry about that immediately. Just make the tank comfortable to the fish, and they will come out.

And if you can achieve it, use a small light in the room, and the tank lights off. Or using a small torch/flashlight.

--
Mats