Need to pick pleco lovers brain...

saganco

RIP my precious kitty baby
Oct 29, 2006
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Colorado
If someone could help me sort this out, I would truly appreciate it! There's just way too many cool plecos for me to figure out.

If we would like to do a small scale breeding of some plecos to supplement our retirement income, which of the following would be the best investment (best price for the fry/juvies)? I know that the original purchase of the pair won't be cheap, but if you guys could be so kind as to tell me which you feel would be the best breeders for sales (and what I should expect to pay for adults of spawning age, and perhaps a place to find them - we're not close to any LFS's)...?

L15, L27, L28, L30, L34, L52, L56, L66, L67, L73, L91, L92, L129, L146, L147, L160, L190, L200, L235, L238, L239, L240, L330, or L377

Hubby wants to dabble, but "if I'm going to do this, I want something that will sell for some decent money". So any help from you pros would be ever so appreciated!
 
Which L numbers are they and about how much would I be able to get the adults for and what are the fry worth? Finding them would be internet for me because of where we are - any recommendations for a good "reasonably priced" source? Thanks.
 
Which L numbers are they and about how much would I be able to get the adults for and what are the fry worth? Finding them would be internet for me because of where we are - any recommendations for a good "reasonably priced" source? Thanks.

L046 zebra pleco
L018 Gold nugget

one good thing about the zebra pleco is they stay small.

i know a breeder who sells the zebras for $150 each they are about 1"-1.5"

best bet i would think is to buy a few fry. if you buy adults your going to pay even more.

you might want to check out
http://www.zebrapleco.com

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/closed.cgi?view_closed_item&fwcatfishp1169785266
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/closed.cgi?view_closed_item&fwcatfishp1170520914
http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/closed.cgi?view_closed_item&fwcatfishp1170993476
 
If you're serious about an investment, L046 zebras are unquestionably the way to go. Any aquarist who sees a photo immediately wants one, so you have perpetual demand. Although the price will drop a bit as more people breed them, I think you'll still be looking at $50 to $80 (retail) 10 years from now. Your startup costs will be absurd ($150 for each tiny fish) but this should be a good longterm investment — assuming, of course, you can get them to reproduce. It might not be a bad idea to cut your teeth on a pleco worth less than its weight in gold.
 
Yes, I agree - start with something a bit more affordable. I would hate to loose fish that cost so much money to start with. How about some second choices - could you guys cover the L number, what the adults are likely to cost, what the fry likely will be worth, and possibly where to buy them online?? I know terribly little at this point about each species, so the more info you can share on your "recommendations", the better to help us decide. We would rather start out with breeders if possible - not really good at waiting long periods of time to get started with the offspring. Thanks for the suggestions so far - more good thoughts?

clayt101 says L134's - what kind of info do you have on these? Prices (adult and fry) and where to buy?
 
Here are some L-134 links:

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=213


http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/shanesworld.php?article_id=241

I just happen to have a group of 8 that I am getting ready to sell. I bought them to breed, but I just dont have the space to set up their own aquarium. Right now they are in my 125 gallon discus tank. I really would prefer to sell them to someone that wants to breed them (I am not looking to make money off of them). I plan on listing it on planet catfish hoping to only sell to someone that wants to breed them. I would like to get $200 for all of them plus shipping.
Clay
 
I agree with the bristlenose practice. Most of the high priced L numbers are difficult for advanced fishkeepers just to keep healthy, much less breed. Some of them can take years or even decades to mature, and breeding still is'nt certain. If you're already experienced at keeping plecos, and would like to try something a bit more challanging, you might try Farlowella. Unusual, but not as delicate as some of the others, and breeding is'nt unlikely, but it's uncommon. You can get about 14 dollars for a juvie fish, and your survival rate should be pretty good with care and experience.

What kind of plecos have you kept before, and have you found a ready source to purchase your fish?

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile57.html
 
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