I couldn't believe it. Last week, I stopped by my local Petco and was stunned to see that they had albino BNs....for $3.99. Needless to say, I picked up 3, in hopes of at least getting a pair. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of buying them the same day they arrived and 2 plecs died within 2 days of being in my tank. I just moved 2 regular BNs out of that tank to make room for these new albinos, so I don't think anything was wrong with my tank.
So, I returned the 2 dead ones and got 1 more, which put me up to 2 albino plecs.
Today, I go back to Petco to see their new arrivals. Of course, I go over to the BN tank and what do I see? Are those....? No way. It's not possible. This is Petco, for goodness' sake! But, yes. There they were. Longfin Albino Bristlenose plecos. For $3.99. It took me a good while to scrape my jaw up off the floor. I bought 2. I'm 90% sure that one is a male and about 70% sure the other is a female, but they're both pretty young still.
Okay, here's my question (after an initial statement): I have a 55g setup sitting in the basement that I want to set up as a breeding tank for these little beauties. First question is: how many could/should I have and in what ratio? Are pairs or trios better? My second question is: what (if anything) can I put in there to liven up the tank a bit, but that won't eat the pleco babies? I was thinking maybe some platies.... definitely not tetras - they're like mini pirahnas.
What do you guys think?
Oh, and here's a quick pic of the LF BN plecs waiting to go in the tank. Does it look like a male and a female or is it too early to tell?
So, I returned the 2 dead ones and got 1 more, which put me up to 2 albino plecs.
Today, I go back to Petco to see their new arrivals. Of course, I go over to the BN tank and what do I see? Are those....? No way. It's not possible. This is Petco, for goodness' sake! But, yes. There they were. Longfin Albino Bristlenose plecos. For $3.99. It took me a good while to scrape my jaw up off the floor. I bought 2. I'm 90% sure that one is a male and about 70% sure the other is a female, but they're both pretty young still.
Okay, here's my question (after an initial statement): I have a 55g setup sitting in the basement that I want to set up as a breeding tank for these little beauties. First question is: how many could/should I have and in what ratio? Are pairs or trios better? My second question is: what (if anything) can I put in there to liven up the tank a bit, but that won't eat the pleco babies? I was thinking maybe some platies.... definitely not tetras - they're like mini pirahnas.
What do you guys think?
Oh, and here's a quick pic of the LF BN plecs waiting to go in the tank. Does it look like a male and a female or is it too early to tell?