PlanetCatfish.com

Hi there,
Im wondering if there are any L number species that are easier to breed than others, or ones that are more prolific than others (that are also easy to breed, lol). ?

I really want to set up a breeding project.

I don't want to do just regular bristle noses etc, Im more into the glamorous looking plecs lol. Things like L128, L200, L204, L134, L333, L066, L260 etc... you get the idea. And nothing that gets big.

Your advice would be very welcome

i recently upgraded from BN plecs to L260. i hear they are one of the easier hypans to breed. they juveniles do grow insanely slow though. i am starting with six 1.5" juvies. going to be my breeding project, but not a very serious one cuz they are in a community tank with albino BNs and other amazon fish.

L333 breed almost as prolifically for me as common Bushynoses. Large adults often produce more than 40 fry per spawn and spawned non stop.
I think they are a good one to try beyond BN but they are fairly large compared to L260. I kept 3 males and 4 females in a 40 breeder and that tank had hundreds of small fry at times. The little buggers would eat into the bottoms of my filter sponges.
I have maintained a breeding colony of L260 since 2007 and they have been rather miserly producers. Most broods were about 15 fry.
I started out with 7 and have produced about 70 between when I started and 2010 when I stopped trying.
I suppose I still have a group of 30 or so.
My F1's have bred so I have wilds, F1's and F2's.
I used to keep them in very soft RO/tap mixed water but soon discovered they bred fine in my moderately hard tap water.
I had very good success with L134 producing about 600 including breeding my own F1's. They usually produced about 30 fry per brood.
Some people have better success with some species than others. I know some who breed L260's have had much better success than me.
You never know which species will be your easiest until you try.

Barbie wrote:L260 are one of the more difficult Hypancistrus to spawn, according to the people I respect in the hobby. There are definitely easier fish. What is your water parameters? The size tank you want to use?

Barbie

Hi Barbie. Im getting an RO unit so water parameters can be matched to what is required And again, with tank size, I can get whatever is necessary. I have a 120cmx60x50 and a 100cmx50x50 available as well as a 60L fry tank. I have spoken to several respected breeders in the UK who seem to have good success with L260 so I guess its relative. Which ones (of the fancier species mentioned) do you think are easier ? Thanks.

yeah L260 are supposed to have smaller clutch size so making a profit off of them is not a huge priority. but they are imo one of the coolest colorations