# Zebra Plecos



## flagtail (Jun 2, 2011)

http://www.bigalscanada.com/Stores/Specials/Fish/Fishspecials_Vaughan.html

http://www.bigalscanada.com/Stores/Specials/Fish/Fishspecials_Newmarket.html


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## hiroku (Nov 7, 2012)

WOW DAMN that's a good deal lol but so broke !


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## Scotmando (Jul 10, 2011)

Great price for a Zebra pleco L046 @ $159.99. And tank raised! Did anyone check em out?


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

Scotmando said:


> Great price for a Zebra pleco L046 @ $159.99. And tank raised! Did anyone check em out?


Theres at least two threads about them on canadapleco


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## Bantario (Apr 10, 2011)

Scotmando said:


> Great price for a Zebra pleco L046 @ $159.99. And tank raised! Did anyone check em out?


I have a feeling these guys are going to drop in price a bit more in the future...


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## vrb th hrb (Feb 20, 2010)

damn...... why cant they have these in scarborough


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## loonie (Mar 29, 2008)

Bantario said:


> I have a feeling these guys are going to drop in price a bit more in the future...


Yes, its a question of supply and demand.


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## Hitch (Apr 26, 2009)

Bantario said:


> I have a feeling these guys are going to drop in price a bit more in the future...


its inevitable. Most pleco heads have already got a decent zebra group. Many of them have successfully bred them. And not to mention the sheer amount of people bringing them in on the zebra hype.

I would love to see zebras at $50.


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## Bantario (Apr 10, 2011)

Hitch said:


> its inevitable. Most pleco heads have already got a decent zebra group. Many of them have successfully bred them. And not to mention the sheer amount of people bringing them in on the zebra hype.
> 
> I would love to see zebras at $50.


I think you will see that, I know at least a dozen pleco heads  that have groups With of four them successful at breeding, and my circle is tiny!


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## kyle (Oct 9, 2006)

Anyone know where Big A's is getting these from??

You would think that if they were locally bred the breeder would try to sell them on his/her own first. Would get more profit. They are likely getting about 1/2 the price that Big A's is selling them at so lets say $80 each and they could easily sell them at that price locally.


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## loonie (Mar 29, 2008)

BigAls normally pays 1/3th of price they are selling, so my guess BA paid something like $52 a pc.


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## vrb th hrb (Feb 20, 2010)

kyle said:


> Anyone know where Big A's is getting these from??
> 
> You would think that if they were locally bred the breeder would try to sell them on his/her own first. Would get more profit. They are likely getting about 1/2 the price that Big A's is selling them at so lets say $80 each and they could easily sell them at that price locally.


i dont know 100 % but for the amount that they have available for sale, quite possibly asian imports


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## RevoBuda (Sep 3, 2011)

They are from their supplier in Vietnam. They probably pay $60-$80 for each of them (landed). Zebra prices will eventually drop, but I'd imagine it will take a few more years before they do. They have had these plecs for a over a month now; they are off system in Newmarket and very healthy. I bought one from them, beautiful bands.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Sorry to disappoing you guys. But I don't think it'll be less than $100 if it's tank raise here. Imported, it might reach as low as $75. They grow extremely slow. Unless you drug them (steriod food), it takes 1 1/2 year to raise them naturally to a sellable size. I know of a zebra pleco farm in Malaysian, but haven't heard of one it Vietnam. But I wouldn't be surprise if there is one. I know it's doable there. It's these big operation, I can see them going for around $50 each. But any lower, even these places would start to re-consider about farming them.
It's simple numbers. The zebra plecos only laid 10 - 15 eggs per batch. The ceiling is about 25 eggs (but with higher defects). Compare to the other more common and bigger plecos that laid 50 - 150 eggs. It's more profitable to go with the other plecos even though they are sold for a cheaper price. The bigger ones, like the L114 or even L25 (which can fetch even more $$$ than the zebra pleco), grow much much faster to a sellable size. The demand for the L25 is even higher than the zebras.
So if these tank raised ones are 2" in size. Grab them while there is an influx, it's well worth the price if it's being sold at a retail store. It's good of the store to note that they are tank raised. At least they aren't lying that they are wild caught. Which would have gone for at least $200 each or more.

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## Jaysan (Dec 19, 2011)

I've always wanted these plecos.

...why is everything I want so expensive? haha
well, at least the prices came down.

Would I be able to put these guys into a tank without driftwood?


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

I think the price is reasonable even at $300 each.

I personally don't want to see rare plecos become dirt cheap. I like the prices now and I feel having them drop will just take away from them being exotic. 

I'm glad I keep plecos most around here don't like.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

Jaysan said:


> I've always wanted these plecos.
> 
> ...why is everything I want so expensive? haha
> well, at least the prices came down.
> ...


Yes you can do a rock only tank which they seem to like a lot.


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## bigfishy (Jun 19, 2009)

Zebrapl3co said:


> The bigger ones, like the L114 or even L25 (which can fetch even more $$$ than the zebra pleco), grow much much faster to a sellable size.


L25 grow very slowly...


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## Hitch (Apr 26, 2009)

Zebrapl3co said:


> Sorry to disappoing you guys. But I don't think it'll be less than $100 if it's tank raise here. Imported, it might reach as low as $75. They grow extremely slow. Unless you drug them (steriod food), it takes 1 1/2 year to raise them naturally to a sellable size. I know of a zebra pleco farm in Malaysian, but haven't heard of one it Vietnam. But I wouldn't be surprise if there is one. I know it's doable there. It's these big operation, I can see them going for around $50 each. But any lower, even these places would start to re-consider about farming them.
> It's simple numbers. The zebra plecos only laid 10 - 15 eggs per batch. The ceiling is about 25 eggs (but with higher defects). Compare to the other more common and bigger plecos that laid 50 - 150 eggs. It's more profitable to go with the other plecos even though they are sold for a cheaper price. The bigger ones, like the L114 or even L25 (which can fetch even more $$$ than the zebra pleco), grow much much faster to a sellable size. The demand for the L25 is even higher than the zebras.
> So if these tank raised ones are 2" in size. Grab them while there is an influx, it's well worth the price if it's being sold at a retail store. It's good of the store to note that they are tank raised. At least they aren't lying that they are wild caught. Which would have gone for at least $200 each or more.


I completely agree with you, and the day that zebs become less than $100 is at best a long way away. And I totally agree that breeding zebras for the purpose of making a profit is ridiculous unless they can mass breed and mass power feed to get them to a decent size. (Though I think Doug still sells 3/4" ones for $75).

But one other factor that we have to consider is demand. At the current price, which is really good for buyers. Its still not a common/everyone can afford to get them kind of fish. On top of that, many people who are more or less serious about plecos and are willing/able to afford a decent group, have already got them. And now that many of these people already have a decent sex ratio and the zebs are breeding for them. Therefore the chances they will suddenly decide to expand their collection with more zebs is pretty slim. (aside from the occasional 1 or 2 for diversification).

Anywho, with all that said, I think we are saturating the market a little here. So we might be in the middle of a cycle of price fluctuation. The price came down recently due to so many people selling them, and then people decide to hold off on selling and the price goes up and bit and so one and so forth.


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## andco (Aug 15, 2011)

Doug was selling them the other week for $75


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## RCode (Dec 12, 2010)

andco said:


> Doug was selling them the other week for $75


There is also a 6 month waiting list. Well worth it...


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## ScarletFire (Nov 4, 2012)

I was just at the Big Al's in Mississauga, and they were sold at $99.99 I believe.


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## Pius (Aug 5, 2011)

ScarletFire said:


> I was just at the Big Al's in Mississauga, and they were sold at $99.99 I believe.


How big were they?


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## ScarletFire (Nov 4, 2012)

Pius said:


> How big were they?


I just called them. It's sold out. Sorry.


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## CanadaPleco (Sep 7, 2009)

Everybody is dreaming if they think zebra prices will ever be lower then 100. let alone $150 for the size of the zebras that BA was just selling.

The facts are VERY simple, we are not going to see anymore imports like there was this past fall. Brazil has been cracking down BIG time over the past few weeks. Someone in Florida, yes Florida was arrested and charged for importing them. This is a first! IBAMA is really pulling their weight and we wont see them. 

Expect to see zebras on the CITIES list real soon too, this I can guarantee everyone.


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## Scotmando (Jul 10, 2011)

CanadaPleco said:


> Everybody is dreaming if they think zebra prices will ever be lower then 100. let alone $150 for the size of the zebras that BA was just selling.
> 
> The facts are VERY simple, we are not going to see anymore imports like there was this past fall. Brazil has been cracking down BIG time over the past few weeks. Someone in Florida, yes Florida was arrested and charged for importing them. This is a first! IBAMA is really pulling their weight and we wont see them.
> 
> Expect to see zebras on the CITIES list real soon too, this I can guarantee everyone.


They are still stunning fish!


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Really? Damn. 
Well ... we kind of knew it was only a matter of time. A majority of the plecos we enjoy now will be extinct eventually. When they complete building the damn in Brazil, alot of the plecos are going to disappear from the face of the earth. Especially the ones that can only be found in Rio Xingu.

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## Hitch (Apr 26, 2009)

for some reason I thought they were already on CITES. But I must have got that the IBAMA mixed up.


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## CanadaPleco (Sep 7, 2009)

Yep, they are fighting really hard to get them on CITIES, yet there is that MASSIVE damn going in that will basically wipe them all out anyway!


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