Where to find Zebra pleco's ?
- Thread starter MightyWarMonger
- Start date
Reverse osmosis, it filters 99% of everything out of your tap water. What comes out is very pure water that you can add whatever you need to make it suitable for a specific fish. From what I've read, zebra pleco's won't spawn in hard water, and few people happen to have just the right water coming out of their tap. It's much easier to start with pure water than to try to adjust the water chemistry with commonly available aquarium products. (Been there, done that, frustrating hassle that never quite worked out the way I wanted.)
sounds awsome are they expensive and were do I get one? will the LFS have them witch is only PETCO witch I don't like verry much crappy selection on most every thing.
they breed out here (MI) in hard alkaline water. We have kh of 5 and gh of 12 and there's a guy with lots of fry nearby..... I would skip the R/O unit unless the breeder who sells the fry uses one. Just match whatever water they're living in and they'll be fine. Assuming you buy tank-raised fish, anyway.
Kh 5/Gh 12 isn't particularly hard water. The last time I tested the Gh of my tap water, the tube filled w/out changing color, and I was over 100 at that point. The Kh is 2, but higher Kh simply means the pH is more stable.
R/O units aren't terribly expensive, there's a ton of them listed on e-bay. You can pick up a new one for around $100. I paid that much for a used Kent unit, the retail for that particular model at the lfs is over $200. If you don't want to buy from e-bay, just do a google search.
R/O units aren't terribly expensive, there's a ton of them listed on e-bay. You can pick up a new one for around $100. I paid that much for a used Kent unit, the retail for that particular model at the lfs is over $200. If you don't want to buy from e-bay, just do a google search.
When you put the straw in do you just do it in random areas thruout the tank or can you see the gas pockets? And thanx all for the tips and referances.
I'd have to disagree on that one, zebra plecos are definitely one of the least picky about hardness of their water, of all the types of plecos I've raised. While you'll need an RO unit to cause the seasonal fluctuations, they definitely do not require RO water to keep them happy. I've raised quite a good number of fry over the years and my most dominant male usually spawns in just my tap water, with no seasonal stimulation, once he gets started.
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Interesting... the last I had read about spawning zebra pleco's, it seemed that they were very particular about water parameters. Apparently there is more than one way to success with the critters. I was thinking of them as being similar to discus.
They actually like warmer water, but if you get the pH below 6 they struggle and definitely don't thrive like discus. Reasonable hardness doesn't bother them at all. There are a lot of people that have decided they can't be kept that way, but I've not only kept them, I successfully breed them in harder water. The fry seem to be hardier in harder water, also. I know a few people that no longer modify their water with them and are totally happy with the results. Modifying it to get them to start spawning is definitely recommended, but after that, they aren't as picky as they get credit for, just because they're expensive. The batches of fry are small, so it keeps the price up is all.
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