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hi, i have a 4ft 210l community tank, with a rena filstar xp2, at 24c, and this is the current stocking: 12 kuhli loaches, 8 bronze corys (juvies, ranging from around 1-2"), 5 Siamese algae eaters, 2 Corydoras (possibly copei, but not 100%), 20 copper harlequins, loads of kribs (2 adults plus numerous juvies) and 3 otocinclus sp.

i would like to have a go at keeping and possibly breeding some plecs in it, but i would need to make room first. i will hopefully be able to increase my filtration soon as one of my dad's friends has given me some filters, but they are at my dad's work, so i don't know what there is yet. i will be able to get rid of all of the kribs soon, as they are all at a decent size, but i can't find any buyers, so they'll be going to the fish shop if nobody wants any (if anybody is interested please pm me), i am also going to put the otocinclus into my new shrimp tank, so they'll be gone. i am considering giving my Siamese algae eaters away, as i'm sick of them eating my moss!!!

so that would leave me with a stocking of 12 kuhli loaches, 10 corys and 20 copper harlequins, although i may not be able to get my parents to let me give the Siamese algae eaters away, so they might have to stay.

so with that stocking would there be room for a pair of plecos? i am quite keen on the idea of bristlenose plecos to start with and to get into breeding them, but i also quite like some of the Hypancistrus species. what pleco (if any would you suggest for this (planted, so no plant eaters!) tank, and how many should i buy?

Cheers

What plecos are you planning for? That will make some difference...

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Mats

hi, i'm not really sure. i'm looking for a plec that grows no larger than 6" that i could possibly breed in this tank without becoming totally over run with babies. i do have another decent sized tank, so if i had loads of babies i could split the parents up for a while. i do like bristlenose plecs, especially the lemon bristlenose. however, i have seen some people breeding some Hypancistrus species and i really like the look of them as well. are there any of them that grow to no more than 6"?

would the l333 be very easy to breed?

cheers

hi, how about l129?

If you are serious about breeding any pleco, I would recommend a limited number of tank-mates. A few corys, maybe a few tetras/harlequins/similar.

If you just want to keep the plecos, and if they happen to breed, that's good, sort of attitude, then perhaps going on with a few hypancistrus of one type or another - which one is pretty much up to you.

Bear in mind also that Hypancistrus are probably about 4 on the breeding scale, where 1 is "just put the fish in a tank" and 10 is "never been done, and no one realy knows where to begin trying". It may be a good idea to start with a 1-2 type fish - Ancistrus, Sturisoma for example.

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Mats

hi, i would really like to breed them, so i think i will go for the bristlenose. i have found a shop that will take the fry at 1" for £1 each, so i won't have any trouble moving them on. but i'm not sure whether i should go for the lemon bristlenose, or the common bristlenose. i really like both of them. do you think that i would be able to move the babies on easier of the common bristlenose as the lemons aren't to everyone's taste, or do you think that the lemons would be just as easy to move on?

also, what would i need to breed them? the tank is well planted, and will soon be much more so, and i have a large piece of bogwood. i will raise the temp to 26c, and will i need to buy some slate caves?

cheers

Ancistrus, in my experience aren't picky about the style and type of cave. Mine have bred under pieces of slate, in bamboo pipe, under wood, in plastic pipe and under terracotta saucers. And probably one or two others that I don't remember at this point in time.

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Mats

Common or lemon b/n are pretty easy to breed - lemon are IMHO much more desirable & cost a little more.

If a range of caves or refuges are offered then the fish will pick their preferred haunt.

The kribs would certainly eat the babies so need to go & the siamese algae eaters might be a bit inquisitive & bullying for the ancistrus to be truly happy & settled.

Ancistrus (these 2 species) are a good start to breeding & will give you invaluable experience before progressing to stuff like hypancistrus. With Hyp's, the tank set-up needs to change for the best chances of success

hi, thanks for the help. i think i'll go for the lemon bn's. i have a big piece of bogwood that has a flat bottom to it, so they could breed under that, but i also have tons of spare slate, so i'll have a go at making some caves.

i am definitely getting rid of the kribs, and i'm not sure about the Siamese algae eaters, but it is quite a big tank with lots of plants, so they should be ok. would it be ok to have baby kribs in the tank with bn's? as my brothers kribs are breeding, so we have about 20 babies in my tank, which we grow up in my tank to about an inch and then give to the shop (as no shops will buy any). however, they are only in the tank until they are about 1" long, and are not at all aggressive at that age.

cheers

Baby kribs will probably be ok - i have seen big killies eat baby b/ns though so it is gonna be a risk - a baby b/n is a soft & tasty snack that is easily munched up by something that fancies trying them

hi, i'll not put any kribs in then. and when i'm making the caves will any waterproof silicon do, or will i have to use the proper silicon sold in aquatic shops?

and i'm looking for info as to a good diet for them. i have read that i should feed them daily on algae wafers and veggies, and weekly treats such as bloodworm. is there anything else i can feed them? and which veggies are generally preferred by bn's?

cheers

To use silicon in an aquarium, you need PURE silicon with no additives. Unfortunately, it's not easy to find pure silicon without anti-fungal/anti-bacterial additives, except for in the aquarium shop. And it can be hard to find out if it does or doesn't contain any additives. A 300g tube in fish shop is about 10-12 pounds. Smaller tubes are available, but fairly expensive, so if you don't mind having a large amount at once, it's better to get the 300g tubes that go in a "sealant gun".

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Mats

thanks, i'll get the proper stuff then. my dad has plenty of sealant guns to put it in. do you only need to put a little bit on each piece, like when using superglue? and how long should i leave it to dry before putting it back into the tank?

i've just seen some 310g aquarium silicone sealant for 6.50 on the internet. bargain!

cheers

6.50 is definitely a good price - just beware that if you are paying more than 3 for shipping, you are getting pretty close to LFS price.

As to "how thick", it's not superglue or contact cement. It requires a relatively thick layer, and it takes a while to cure ("dry"). How long depends on the thickness of the layer. 24 hours is usually good enough for my cobblings. When they build aquariums, there's usually a 3-4 day period of curing. But then tanks are a bit more important to make sure it's properly set before filling with a bunch of water.

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Mats

thanks, the 6.50 was including p&p.

i'll leave it a day of two then before putting it into the tank to be on the safe side.

cheers

I have spawned the brown and albino bristlenose before. I have a spawn that just started to come out of the hollow log. Mine seam to like wood better than rocks.

You can just stack you slate with some openings for caves and not use silicone. All you have to do is make sure that it is stable so that it does not move.

LeeRoy

hi, thanks for the reply. i'll have a think as to where i can stack put the slate without it looking rubbish. when i get them they'll be quite small, so i won't need very big caves straight away, which will give me time to sort out breeding caves.

cheers