# getting ready for new pleco's



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

So most know I am getting new pleco's zebra pleco's
I know how delicate they are so i made the decision to find homes for all my pleco's .....except my BN's for personal reasons .
they will have their own tank and will be removed saturday when i recieve delivery of the zebra pleco's.
the tank from this point on will be a planted zebra pleco tank with only 2 algae eaters .
so heres the start of the tank for them ,i could only really clean 1/2 of the florite so this week i will clean the other .
set up another canister and a HOB on friday to sunday with carbon .
Think i need more caves !!

Im trying to trick the pleco's so i can view them and they think they are hiding lets see if it works !
any suggestions would be great cept i wont pile the caves


----------



## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Wow you've been busy since I left! Looking good!

Schweet caves!


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

Ty .. i know im tired you must be too!! but i have a feeling i know what you will be up to  .
They are gone and im still doing it lol
I could fit 5 more caves easily i love them!!!!
gonna peek in a few min lol
gn


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

OH the waiting is killing me ...................
4 more sleeps .......got my temp up to 82 so far and i shall put it up more tonight shooting for 84 .......
Have to get out to big al's ... hopefully soon ... get a washer for the canister and clean out the tubing ......might take longer to clean but hope to gave it in there by next week anyway ..
Kickin my butt for loosing it ,,,, and i was warned not to loose it lol watch me find it after i buy one and stick it on ...
sat cant come quick enough


----------



## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

I like your tank, looks very nice. I'll look forward to seeing the more pics of ur plecs, that is if they aren't too camera shy.


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

tyvm....and I am at it again tonight .. planted all the rest of the plants and just now going to figure out the best way to do a rug lol
I really like the look now ...
Shall post pictures tomorrow as lights going out soon now and taking apart the 12 gl to change gravel to florite ......another 3 hours tonight lol

I shall get picks of them when in container but probably the first and last pics lol as i have hidden most the caves with plants . lol so i can try and sneak peaks later lol


----------



## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Hmm, 84F ... that's 29C, that's good. Keep it around there, try not to go above 32C. They can take 24C no problem (*ahem* breeding temp), but the prefer temp is around 28C.
If find that my plecos like an open entrance rather than a secluded one. But then again, I have limit contact with my fish as I don't have that much personal time. I've heard that some zebras actually come out in the day time for food, which is rather odd as they are noturnal fish.
And seeing that you have lots of logs, I am betting that they will prefer the logs over the cave, but do let me know they prefer. Especially the alpha as you will know that that is the best spot in the tank.

Edit: Also another thing you might want to keep in mind. I notice alot of pleco keepers doing this mistake. If you're going to have caves, make sure you have currents as it can be unhealthy for them to live in a currentless cave. Imagine drinking what you just piss ...

*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

thats smart ......if i put it at 24c and the move could possibly trigger breeding ............
and when people tell me i cant do it ....it usually happens .
I am going to keep it a bit lower and see id they spawn .......

yes i was thinking that about the caves and water flow ..for now think i will remove a few caves and try and fugure something good for them .
thanks for the advice .........and good idea.....see if they will do the nasty 

p.s.
would nano K powerheads be ok ... I have 2 kicking around ... just 1 or 2 ?


----------



## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

hmmm...maybe I'll make some natural rock caves that allow flow thru.


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

tonight i wont be putting my hands in freshwater ..... saltwater needs some tending ...

my plecs didnt eat last night .... ill just clean the food mess and snap a few photo's ...
and show where i plan to place the PH .... my friend is also going to give his opinion .we shall have a big debate on this  .
tomorrow when i put it in i shall remove the plecs in the tank to the other and get my HOB ready .
excitement is mounting for the B-day ............. oh and today is hubbys birthday i forgot all about it with zebra on the brain lol


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

just when i was getting hubby to convert the temp for me to set at breeding temp .......my digital thermometer when on the fritz again grrrrrr 
breeding temp is 77 ........am i correct ?
Shall try that  
now to get a new one !!!!!!!!!


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

this picture i will put a hydro top left (nano powerhead )


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

this one i shall put one lower right .same powerhead


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

plus we have one in middle back that moves side to side . and also the powerhead for the Co2

the ones in the front will go in fron of the caves they are hidden and i shall try and hide them more when i get my hands in tomorrow


----------



## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Hey nice tank Iam glad I decieded to hold off good luck with your zebras bet your excited . If they happen to breed I want one though lol


----------



## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

blossom112 said:


> thats smart ......if i put it at 24c and the move could possibly trigger breeding ............
> and when people tell me i cant do it ....it usually happens .
> I am going to keep it a bit lower and see id they spawn .......
> 
> ...


Woah, that's alot of post you made. Now you're really excited. Yeah, when I got my second batch of zebras after looking for 2 years. I was high for a few days. Supprisingly my first batch was a calculated purchase. Actually, my wife was there so I pretended to be window shopping. The next day, which was a buy 2 get 1 free day at PJ's. I was so there, but unfortunately, some guy grab the female as there was a trio there. Anyway, I had to settle for the free L014 instead (that Sunshine pleco).

Anyway, I think it's unrealistic to be starting your breeding program before you even have the zebras. You have to make them confy first. Let them get settle and some times it takes a while. There is no time frame for that, but you'll know when that is as they won't get spoke when you walk by and they strut at you when you stick your hands in. Then you know it's a good time to start.
I don't know how other people breed their zebras. But I did it the hard way, which is triggering them through a wet season - dry season rotation (not just a simple temperature drop as I stated above. Sorry if I sent the wrong message, but temperature drop is one of the key ingredients). Another word of advice, males will fight and casualties some time happens. And that's why I don't think you should rush into it. Some times, even a female get's hurt in the process if the male is inexperience.

Also, yes a power head should do the trick. I can't really visualize how it flows, but from the sound of it. It sounds good. Also another thing, the reason why I think they prefer the log over the cave is because there was no currents. If you have currents, they might pick the cave over the log. We'll see. Also they are cave spawners. So cave is a must. Don't have every settle yet. Let the zebras decide where they like. You may need to move the caves around multiple times before you settle into a configurate that the zebras think it's ok.

*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

Oh this is not an impulse buy .....i have wanted these like forever.
I post everything in the thread as i tend to forget so if i have it all in the same place it helps ME 

I have just been paitently waiting for them to become for sale .
The only reason i had the sultans and the L134's was for practice.

One thing I have come to realized in my life is when people tell me i cant do it and it wont happen .......you can bet your bottom dollar it usually happens .
A few people have said i wasnt gonna find any ,and they are too hard to breed .

So much contradicting information on zebras .......its crazy .

I have plans to get more in the next few months ,so im in no hurry for anything .
My plecs are gone I really do miss them ,so i need the zebras in the tank it feels empty lol 
Of course im excited ,and hubby knows im excited ...This was planned .....Only thing we ever did unplanned was got married lmao we had 1 date then got married 3 weeks later lol

thanks pat ....thanks zebra

pat most like to keep their zebras in bare tanks !
looks weird to me


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

Bad bad headache today ... was supposed to be ready for jim today to come but i wasnt on pc ......
my older daughter came havent seen her in 7 months and just couldnt keep my eyes open ..oh the pain .
Last night i changed the gravel in the 12 gl to florite ...it is almost setteled .. I put the corys in there and the BN's will go in provided the pain in my head dont get worse ...omg i havent had one of these headaches in 20 years I sure hope its gone by tomorrow .
Eric braught me earthworm sticks for the zebras and kat braught me lots foor for them too so i would say WE ARE READY!!!!!!!!
Thanks U2 ...


----------



## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

Thanks for posting all this, it's quite interesting. I've enjoy reading about what you've been doing to prepare for your new zebras 

how do you know the L134 , L99 and so on?


----------



## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

blossom112 said:


> Bad bad headache today ... was supposed to be ready for jim today to come but i wasnt on pc ......
> my older daughter came havent seen her in 7 months and just couldnt keep my eyes open ..oh the pain .
> Last night i changed the gravel in the 12 gl to florite ...it is almost setteled .. I put the corys in there and the BN's will go in provided the pain in my head dont get worse ...omg i havent had one of these headaches in 20 years I sure hope its gone by tomorrow .
> Eric braught me earthworm sticks for the zebras and kat braught me lots foor for them too so i would say WE ARE READY!!!!!!!!
> Thanks U2 ...


 Sorry about your headache they are a pain no pun intended. You must be real excited now. That was real nice of Kat and Eric.Hope your feeling better.


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

tHANKS U 2 !!!!!!

when i first found i was in love with plecs i went to here and looked through every plec and picked the ones i wanted lol 
Of course right away i wanted zebras and asked eric where i would find them ... then he told me about them and suggested i pracitce.. so relunctantly i did just that (im spoiled i want what i want now and hubby better like it lol)but he knew this when we married !!!
I planned on getting some in march to let us recover from christmass spending ,but they are being sold now sooo i have to grab them 

http://www.planetcatfish.com/

and yes lots peple are awesome here and help out !
So i try to return the favor to others if i can !

if my headache dont go away my friend is going to come up and help me with the rest ... moving the BN's and setting the 12gl better and then place the powerheads .

IM way EXCITED ........4 zebras coming tomorrow FINALLY....... 

ROLMAO .....this evening our internet wasnt working ......we checked all plugs and router ......still not working .
after hour trying to figure it out i called rogers ...........
LMAO i had the box on standby .....why would there even be a stanby button on them darn things lol.....
and Alain had no clue either .people think he knows this stuff ,but he isnt a tech hes a programmer and never has to do the physical work involved rolmao 
i feel like a dummy lol


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

WOOHOOO........
they are SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 fairly bigger sized then i expected ...........
this is them .........   

and look at that .........they love your caves kat..............went straight 4 it !!!!


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

I know they are too small to sex but .......I got out the mag/glass and inspected ........
after a year of research on sexing and my trusty mag/glass 
I would say 1 male 3 females...............   
I havent been wrong yet ......i still say kat has 1 femal and 3 males  im right ...

So right now only 1 is in a cave , another smaller was going to cave but didnt ...
Cant wait to watch them and then get a few adults !!!!!!!!
my dream has finall come true!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Congrats Doreen!

Wow, they're a bit smaller than I expected them to be. Dunno if it's the pic. I'll definitely be coming by to see them!


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

Trust me it is the picture ......1 is almost 2x the size as the smaller ones ...
But he told me they were in a discus tank so here they will grow fast as no compitition ...
You can come anytime!!!!!!!!
jim cam 5 min after i got them he said thay are really big for the price !!!!
I agree also ! now to fatten them up


----------



## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Iam glad you finally got them cute little things . Waaa I really want some. I know be patient be patient be patient lol.


----------



## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> Congrats Doreen!
> 
> Wow, they're a bit smaller than I expected them to be. Dunno if it's the pic. I'll definitely be coming by to see them!


as far as zebra pricing compared to size that I've seen in the past, this is a really large batch of zebra's for the price Eric... the largest is indeed about twice the size of the smallest, which is about 1.5" or so  largest is probably 2.5"

For twice the price, I've seen people get 1" or smaller fish :\


----------



## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Glad they are happy in the caves! They are very pretty! Rich came by my house a few hours ago and said you were very happy.  One of these days I'll pick some up myself. 

Hey Doreen!!!!!!

Are they breeding yet??????  No?

How about now?   ROFL


----------



## Cory (May 2, 2008)

They look good  Are those the ones from CanadaPleco? I thought they were going to be bigger the way he was talking lol. 

You're looking at a good year or more before they're breeding size so patience will be a virtue. 

Best of luck, they're really great fish.. once they decide to come out of hiding .


----------



## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

I've seen Rich's zebra's, Rich listed them as 1.5-2" seems pretty accurate to me. From my experience, 1.5-2" seems a lot larger in people's minds eye (myself included) then what really it really is. 

Last year I had someone throw an absolute hissy fit telling me the pleco's I agreed to sell her were smaller then I stated (which was 2") and wasn't very nice about it. I grabbed a critter keeper and a tape measure, she apologized; took her fish and went on her way.


----------



## Cory (May 2, 2008)

Could just be the pic then, look really tiny to me. I've had issues with people and fish measuring too though, so I can sympathize.


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

SHUSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
OK there are 2 right now at a cave shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I need a sign for the tank *do not disturb luvn*

I put lots food down and went to bed at 10 .... to wake up to 2 zebies frolicking at one of kats cave ..........woohoo kat ...

cory 
I gaurentee to you that i WILL have one batch at least this year ......of zebra babies .
2 are small and 2 are large but i do know they had other tank mates ,whereas they have none now and will get fat and multiply now 

you kidding .......KAT... between the zebras ...and rich ....i couldnt talk right ROLMAO hes very nice looking sexy guy    if only i was 23 years younger ROLMAO ........
I did expect some old fat bellied grey haird guy .........................you know like me lmao......


I felt like i was buyig drugs ....envelope full of cash to a car in front ....and running happily with a package ...............



I am sick of people telling me 'I CANT '!!!!!!
I KNOW how to care for plecos .........and if not for eric i would have baught these exact plecs last year ...It isnt the money because i can have whatever i want ......its the thaught of killing an endangerd species !!!!!!!!!!!!!

................ I will not be a rescue either .................
Not only spoiled but picky .... i shall pick my own zebras to buy ....and im looking for 2 adults now !!!!!!


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

hubby was just sitting in the little chair looking at them !!!!


----------



## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

please close this thread ........tyvm


----------

