breeding bristle nose

[timleete]

1how big are they when there sexualy mature
2what male to feemale ratio
3are they easy to breed evan for a novice

[firedragon92]

hey

they are sexually mature at about 1-2 inches in size

they are very easy to breed if they have plenty of hiding apots and drift wood and once they start they wont stop. They only need a 2 foot tank to them selves with decent water flow and in that 2 foot you can grow up several batches of fry quite comfortably

bristlenose breed in pairs or sometimes trios and as you can't tell the sex until about 1-2 inches in size its best to buy 5 or 6 and see which ones pair up and move the rest out

if you have any more questions just ask

[timleete]

how do you relocate them if u cant get another tank
by the way my tank is 4 foot

[firedragon92]

you dont have to relocate them you can sell them off or keep them in the same tank

however you will be more succesful if you keep the pair or trio in a two foot tank of their own because then you don't have to worry about the other fish in the tank eating the fry and they will be much easier to fish out at selling time, but if you are willing to accept that a few fry or even some batches will get eaten then they can be bred in a community tank.

it also depends of the fish in the tank fish that eat by sucking in their foor like oscars are not suitable because they will just suck the fry right out of the cave.

[timleete]

yea i was thinking the brisle noses tiger barbs zebra dinos and mabey some corys if they wont eat the eggs

[wombat1100]

in my experience tiger barbs are savage when it comes to eating fry and nipping long finned fish , i don't like them as they have given me grief before .

[cichlidboy]

it's extremely easy to obtain a bristlenose pair.
as they do not form "true pairs".
So just find a male and female that's a good two or three inches.
Plump the female up and just wait!
Bristlenose breed fairly easily, but they make sloppy parents sometimes.
Putting them in a breeding box or separate tank is always the best option in my eyes.
that goes for any fry except mouth brooders, for the first three or four weeks.

[firedragon92]

i would have to agree with Wombat tiger barbs are very good at eating fry im not to sure about cories though.

However i would have to say that bristlenose are very good parents expecially the father who will vigerously gard the babies from all other fish including the mother

[timleete]

i see
i might just get a pair andhope
iknow i dont have chance but it migh happen

[morgasms]

hey

they are sexually mature at about 1-2 inches in size

bristlenose breed in pairs or sometimes trios and as you can't tell the sex until about 1-2 inches in size its best to buy 5 or 6 and see which ones pair up and move the rest out


sorry mate this is just not true they never pair off...bristlenose females require a dominant male ..that can first keep the female out of the "cave" proving to the female that it can defend the eggs, then the male needs to trap the female in the "cave" again im thinking a proof of dominance...haha he wont let the female out then until it has layed its eggs..this can be really violent, she does this ritual with the males everytime and never just pair off even if theres only one male lol if he cant trap her out then in , she just wont lay for him

THIS IS RELEVANT TO "CAVE" DESIGN. a hollow log/rock, slate "box" type, a ceramic or clay pot design with a tube like entry ,a chiseled piece of fresh green branch of any tree that waterlogs fast is what i use because of what ive already stated regarding tannins etc etc.. but even a piece a poly pipe the right width hole or diameter, because this is what is important ..the right size and shape cavity/openeing.. is one that the male can block but also at will let a female pass by him so just big enough to let the two bodies pass but the male can fully block with his head and fin barbs. THIS WILL LEAD TO BEST BREEDING RESULTS.

...after laying her eggs she is no longer involved at all and can be removed if needs be, at this point other females will just lay there eggs for this egg fanning male, this is what the bristles on the males are for, they similate the egg fanning/keeping..not exactly sure how..but the other less dominate males will vibrate the bristles..conning the other females that he is the male with the eggs thus they lay for him instead of the real dominate male..if this doesnt happen all the females will lay their eggs for the dominate male, and it would seem rushing this production of eggs to take advantage of the egg fanning male...so best to have no more then 2-3 females per male otherwise his health will suffer from too much egg keeping etc.
also best to have just one male per brood as the fight for dominance can happen while he is fanning eggs and this can lead to their distruction etc and other males can and will canabalise others offspring, but then you can just remove the eggs and hatch them yourself..look it up...having said that it can work to your advantage to have more then one male, because as the doms health deteriorates the other becomes the dominate and fry production continues without breaks for recuperation etc. and finaly imho it is also best not have too large a dominate female either as it cause too much stress to the brood by both giving the male too hard a time ( this can lead to egg distruction)..and by stressing and even starving out her competition resulting in those fish producing less numbers of viable eggs. so although not essential having similar sized males females can be better.

hmmm i have never seen a sexualy mature bn under about 6 cm this is when they start to mature erm starlight/peppermint L183 are later, and ive had only one at that size that was mature enough to lay eggs, but shes a very small female and produces a small amount of eggs.

SO THE BIGGER THE BETTER. although a smaller fish will probably live longer hahaha.

you can sex L fish by nose shape and by venting if your eyesight is bionic lol or maybe with a magnifying glass on smaller fish..juvies definately and im thinking even maybe fry a few weeks old ...haha will let you know of my successes as i am doing this atm to see if im right.


tannin is like viagra to bristlenose.

rotting fresh green wood creates something that starts with the letter a i think (like almagin or something lol)and its essential to egg making or something to do with breeding, fresh green softwood rots or breaks down faster and even faster still in high acidic water.

during the dry season in south america some young saplings /trees etc that sprout in the dry creek beds grow to 20 feet or more in the 9 months, then the wet season comes and the rain washed thru the rain forests gaining acidity floods into the creeks/rivers/lakes/waterways of any forests..let alone the amazon etc etc , killing off the new grown saplings and rotting them down fast, this is what triggers all plecos to breed in the wild. and this is what a person should logically consider if trying to breed any L fish.

fast running so very airated and "charged" water thats acidic, tannin filled, haha very dirty water lol

I am definatley not an expert but all what ive said here i have been told of then researched, read and or just observed..but honestly over no real great period of time ..approx. 2 years.

And not just to add confusion, merely to tell it as Ive seen it and for the purpose of debate, all of what ive said does or at least can get you better results but .... none of it essential hahaa they will breed in untreated tap water at 17-18 degrees lows of a night, in an open hollow point on the side of a rock, in a community tank full of hungry african cichlids FFS LOL (nope no fry survived ..not one hahaha)..after all the instinct to survive and breed is the primary directive/intinct of all life forms LOL. well mine have done this no bull.

cheers big ears.

hope this is interesting and on subject.

[morgasms]

it's extremely easy to obtain a bristlenose pair.
as they do not form "true pairs".
So just find a male and female that's a good two or three inches.
Plump the female up and just wait!
Bristlenose breed fairly easily, but they make sloppy parents sometimes.
Putting them in a breeding box or separate tank is always the best option in my eyes.
that goes for any fry except mouth brooders, for the first three or four weeks.


lol crap i didnt see this post before i wrote my novel hahaha sorry