# This might be weird but… How exactly do you breed pleco



## dorrrkk (Mar 6, 2011)

I have 3 bristlenose pleco, a 5” male, 4” female and a 3” female. I put them in a 20 gallon with a hang on back filter. I change their water once a week, 79F in temp, a lot of wood in the tank as well 2 caves. They eat cucumber, fish flakes, and blood worms (once a week) I don’t think they really like the blood worm. 

I really want to try breeding them and they never did. I read about feeding them a lot for a week then drop the temp 2-3 degree… Never work. I’ve been trying for more than 6 months now. 

Any suggestion?


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## Pamelajo (Aug 9, 2009)

Usually the fish we want to breed don't and the fish we don't want to do. I have heard lots of green leafy vegetables with bring on breeding. I did try this with mine after a long spell of not breeding and it seemed to do the trick.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Do you have a cave with only one entrance? The male needs to trap the female inside when she is ready. What I have seen used is a couple of shallow flower pot drip pots, joined together with a hole cut for a door. They are about 6" in diameter.


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

BillD said:


> Do you have a cave with only one entrance? The male needs to trap the female inside when she is ready. What I have seen used is a couple of shallow flower pot drip pots, joined together with a hole cut for a door. They are about 6" in diameter.


Yes every successful pleco breeder I've talked to has used those or an equivalent bought at a store. When the breeding stock wouldn't breed in a store I worked at, putting in these was all it took. They are also easily made like you said, two claypot bottom trays, some safe silicone, and a hacksaw is all that's needed.


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## dorrrkk (Mar 6, 2011)

yup, that is what I have for cave. I place 2 of them inside the tank. The 4inches female stays inside one of them but every time the male comes in with her, she flies out.

I've been watching breeding tank setup @YouTube n reading articles on breeding them but so far no result. I must be missing something I don't know.


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## Jebelz008 (Jul 21, 2009)

*Breeding bristlenose pleco*

Hi,
For breeding your pleco try other things like changing their food,mine breed every month almost it's getting crazy with all the baby pleco,I have many generations in my tank it's a 90 gallons.I feed them with pellet shrimps *they love that* also I found out that mine don't really like cucomber but they love zuchini I stab the piece of zuchini with a fork or spoon because it need to sink those pleco are not to crazy to come to the surface only maybe the young one will.Do you have driftwood in your tank? I do and the plecos like to suck on it,the temperature in my tank it's about 80,what do you use as breeding cave?My pleco is always in his little rond thing I bought once at Big Al even if his not on duty it looks like half coconut shell with a small whole in the center it have to be big enough for him to go in and out easily,and like the other person said before me *The pleco you want to breed don't* maybe they just don't like each other lol. Oh and if you try zuchini try to peel them because some can have pesticide on them and this will not do good to your pleco.My Pleco are L144 bristlenose
Good luck!!! maybe they are just not ready.
Nancy


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## dorrrkk (Mar 6, 2011)

Jebelz008 said:


> Hi,
> For breeding your pleco try other things like changing their food,mine breed every month almost it's getting crazy with all the baby pleco,I have many generations in my tank it's a 90 gallons.I feed them with pellet shrimps *they love that* also I found out that mine don't really like cucomber but they love zuchini I stab the piece of zuchini with a fork or spoon because it need to sink those pleco are not to crazy to come to the surface only maybe the young one will.Do you have driftwood in your tank? I do and the plecos like to suck on it,the temperature in my tank it's about 80,what do you use as breeding cave?My pleco is always in his little rond thing I bought once at Big Al even if his not on duty it looks like half coconut shell with a small whole in the center it have to be big enough for him to go in and out easily,and like the other person said before me *The pleco you want to breed don't* maybe they just don't like each other lol. Oh and if you try zuchini try to peel them because some can have pesticide on them and this will not do good to your pleco.My Pleco are L144 bristlenose
> Good luck!!! maybe they are just not ready.
> Nancy


will the half coconut at big al sink or do you have to put something heavy on it.

Hmmmm.... Maybe they do not like each other  but I bought them about 8 months ago n the seller said they are breeding couple. (the 5inch male n 4 inch female). Because they do not breed a couple months after I got them, I decided to pay more attention but still not pro enough.

I rotate their foods daily, shrimp pellet, cucumber, blood worm, zuchini,cucumber, fish flake... Something like that, more veggie in the diet but supplement with meat at times. I gave them green bean before n they didn't eat it at all.

should I give them more time to try or get another male/female pleco.


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## matti2uude (Jan 10, 2009)

I find mine prefer a long narrow cave over the round ones. 


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## Jebelz008 (Jul 21, 2009)

Hi,
It's not a coconut shell,it just look a bit like it,if you look at my avatar you will see it,the father is in it with little baby pleco,it is made out of clay and it sink,I bought it last summer at Big Al,don't think they have that anymore it was more like a left over in the tank decoration area.The guy that sold you the plecos and said it was a breeding pair perhaps made a mistake,if you get more pleco keep in mind that the male does not eat much and he's always in the cave fanning and protecting his youngs,try to get another couple.If you send me your email I will email you pictures of that cave with the male and youngs.Before I had long fin albino and he will breed in middle of the tank never at the bottom..don't know why I had PVC pipe as cave 5 or 6 and he will go into a banacle I don't know if you know this but it's a kind of shell and the male will use this for cave also I have alot of lava rock,my tank if full of all type of rock and big shell pile up on top of each other,they love to have their cave under the flow of the filter where the water is a bit moving.For the food every day I give them shrimp pellet zuchini algue disc,some food I fogot the name it's for discus it's sink slowly,it's red.


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## dorrrkk (Mar 6, 2011)

does your tank become cloudy after pleco feeds on veggies? I have to clean up the tank after feeding them cucumber cuz the water becomes cloudy white ish colour.

I also would like to know what is the fair common price for adult pleco say 4 to 5 inches ones (if you buy from someone, not store). I got mine 2 for 40bucks long ago. Is that the price, too cheap or expensive? I also would like to get the albino BN.


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## Jebelz008 (Jul 21, 2009)

Hi,
It's hard to tell because the water is brownish almost all the time,I don't like it much but some people told me it was because I have drifwood in the tank,3 big pieces.I always have to clean the sponges of filter at least once a week,I have a canister*eheim 2217 it's old and don't work the best most of time,I got to aqua clear hanging*biggest one*and 2 smaller one hanging also,and they are always very dirty because I have to many fishes in the tank,plecos make alot of wast I believe.By the way do you know anyone that sell female albino long fine pleco I have a nice male but no female .For the price of pleco I'm not really sure but sound good,I'm not a pro I just started not to long ago selling here and kijiji,keep in mine that some people sell their fishes thinking they will get rich doing this,the best way to find out it's to shop around,another thing maybe the fish you are looking at near you is very expensive but far away the same fish is very cheap,considering the price of gas the fish in you area might be the cheapest one  did you check the ad I posted here not to long ago? I'm selling L144 for $5.00 someone on Kijiji to me I should ask way more for that fish,I'm not doing this to get rich and plus it's only good for my tank when I sell some.


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## mousey (Mar 28, 2011)

I recently trade my pink albino male to someone for 3 emperor tetras and a baby pink plec. it was so small it looked like a little blob. No wonder baby fish are called larva. It is now starting to look like a plec and is getting in its color pores very nicely. I am very interested in how it develops.

The guy I got them from in bradford says he just throws the plecs into a different tank and sees what happens. He has quite a few babies.


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## missindifferent (Jun 25, 2010)

dorrrkk said:


> does your tank become cloudy after pleco feeds on veggies? I have to clean up the tank after feeding them cucumber cuz the water becomes cloudy white ish colour.
> 
> I also would like to know what is the fair common price for adult pleco say 4 to 5 inches ones (if you buy from someone, not store). I got mine 2 for 40bucks long ago. Is that the price, too cheap or expensive? I also would like to get the albino BN.


What type of bristlenoses are they? Common (brown), albino, calico or L144? If they are were indeed a breeding pair, then it's not a bad price for any of those I think.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

First thing you shouldn't do for a bn is feed blood worm. Try changing their diet to mostly veggies. Do a big %50 water change with 21c cold water and leave the heater turned off overnight and turn it back on the next day. This should help trigger them to breed. Sometimes, You may need once per week for several weeks. This is the basic method to triggering pleco breeding. Good luck.

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


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## dorrrkk (Mar 6, 2011)

Zebrapl3co said:


> First thing you shouldn't do for a bn is feed blood worm. Try changing their diet to mostly veggies. Do a big %50 water change with 21c cold water and leave the heater turned off overnight and turn it back on the next day. This should help trigger them to breed. Sometimes, You may need once per week for several weeks. This is the basic method to triggering pleco breeding. Good luck.


I read somewhere on the internet to feed them a lot of protein like blood worm to trigger the breeding. But I guess dat doesn't work.


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## dorrrkk (Mar 6, 2011)

missindifferent said:


> What type of bristlenoses are they? Common (brown), albino, calico or L144? If they are were indeed a breeding pair, then it's not a bad price for any of those I think.


they are the common brown one n they haven't breed


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## missindifferent (Jun 25, 2010)

dorrrkk said:


> I read somewhere on the internet to feed them a lot of protein like blood worm to trigger the breeding. But I guess dat doesn't work.


Worms are kind of a bad idea because they might choke on them. Feed them sinking pellets instead! Or veggies like zebrapl3co said!


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