Finally--Bristlenose Plecs!! :)

[fishfrenze]

I had to share this...I finally (after searching for at least a year) got two bristlenose plecos yesterday!! They are in quarantine right now, but I can't wait for them to get to work in my 30 gallon! :) They are big too...already 3-4 inches each. For some reason they are extremely difficult to find around here. For the past three months, I've been calling the 3-4 pet stores around here every week to see if they got any in their shipment.

And my Royal has been moved to my 72 gallon (from quarantine). It was tough getting him to eat while in QT, but he has done a number on the algae in the big tank and even comes out more during the day (although he's still a little chicken).

I hope to get pics of them soon! (if they don't run and hide first)

Melanie

[OrionGirl]

Congrats!

I think one of the reasons bristlenose are hard to find is many places rely on local breeding. I know my LFS only sells local BN, and one of their suppliers recently moved, leaving them in the lurch.

[NJ Devils Fan]

NICE!! I wanted a bristlenose for a long time, and I could not find one anywhere. One day while at my LFS, I was looking in the cichlid section and saw the lable for a bristlenose. I looked in the tank and didn't see any, so I asked the guy. He moved a little car decoration and one came flying out. I was so happy to finally get one. And what made it better was that it was mismarked. They were supposed to be like $15.99, but it was marked for $7.99 and the guy honored that price. What did you pay for yours?

[fishfrenze]

Mine were $8.99 apiece. This place is usually a little more expensive then other stores in the area, but they carry harder-to-find species. Their tanks are clean and they rarely have disease problems, so I don't mind paying a little extra. Especially for fish I've been looking for forever! I wouldn't buy a betta or guppies or other common fish there though...they are alot cheaper elsewhere. I'm really hoping that i got a male and a female...I'd love to breed them, especially since they are so hard to find around here...I'd definitely be able to sell them!

Melanie

[NJ Devils Fan]

You might want to look through some old posts. I forgot who it is, but someone breeds bristlenoses. They might be able to help you out.

[fishfrenze]

thanks for the suggestion....I will do that. It seems like there is alot of info around...I guess they are fairly easy to breed. Hope they are for me :)

[Must4ng s4lly]

Good luck with raising Bristlenose and on finally getting them! My local LFS has a person who breeds longfin plecos that definitely have some bristlenose in them.... I have had one for 6 months now.

[Kim]

Hi

Don't know whether I can help. I have a pair of BN's that have a batch every month, my nursery tank is over flowing with the little sweeties. I supply my LFS all the time.

If you would like to ask anything, give me a shout ok. I'm no expert but this is the one thing I have managed to get right.

Best of luck

Kim x

[fishfrenze]

Thanks Kim,
I'm so upset...I found one of my BNs dead the other day! So much for breeding... :p Once the other guy is out of QT, I think I'll continue my search for a female. I'm pretty sure the one I have left is a male. Maybe you can tell me that...he's 3-4 inches long, so I guess he's near full-grown. He's got bristles all over the front of his mouth and then up, almost to his eyes in a kind of mohawk. I assume this is a male b/c he has so many bristles and they are branched. Do your females have any bristles at all? Or are they just fewer in number than the males?? Also, the lfs had some albinos, but they were only about an inch long and hadn't developed their bristles yet. Would albinos mate with the regular BNs...what would the result be?

Thanks!
Melanie

[OrionGirl]

Sounds like you do have one male.

For the cross breeding--depends. In some fish, the albino gene is recessive, so you have to have 2 present to have the albino coloration. However, in some bristlenose, the cross will result in patchy orange on the normal brown background with spots. I have 2 of these, and they are very pretty.

[ChEeRs_BiG_EaRs]

hey guys
i think for once australia is actually cheaper than america in terms of fish prices. in the last 2 months ive had 4 spawnings and approx 300 babies :O except here they go for about 3 or 4 buks each :P
Justin

[fishfrenze]

Thanks Orion...they sound beautiful! I might see if they still have some albinos left.

Justin...you have your hands full! It seems like great fun though :)

[Kim]

Hi

It is great fun, checking the tank all the time for tiny perfect plec's. Mum and Dad are in a 4ft comunity tank and the other tank mates get really upset when a new batch arrives cos they can't eat them.

The female's don't appear to have bristles at all but if you look really closely you can see fine ones all along the line of their mouths. they tend to be flatter and wider then the males too. Males are longer and plumper.

Kim x

[fishfrenze]

Kim,
From your description of the female...sounds like all the ones at the LFS were males (they only had 5-6). I guess the one that died was a male too...his bristles just weren't as developed. The babies must be adorable though...I'm so jealous :)