Woooo!!! Pleco laid eggs!

[mattgirl]

There are around 30 of them, if I put Them in a big tank wouldn’t they get eaten? Can I move some driftwood into their little container. The alage wafers I have are hikari brand. They are around the size of a small button. I can also ask her to put in a little bit of fry powder food.

That is a possibility. What kind of fish do you have in the big tank? I might be more concerned for the fish that try to eat these little guys. Although tiny they still have some dangerous spiky fins that could hurt the fish that tries to eat one of them.

Adding the driftwood would provide some bio-film for them and may be all that is needed. I wouldn't have her add the powdered fry food. I am afraid it would foul the water faster than it would otherwise. I also feed the hikari mini-algae wafers along with all the other things I feed mine.

To be perfectly honest I just don't know the best way for you to go. If your godmother can't take them home with her then you just have to do the best you can for them and hope for the best.

 

[Unknown9182]

That is a possibility. What kind of fish do you have in the big tank? I might be more concerned for the fish that try to eat these little guys. Although tiny they still have some dangerous spiky fins that could hurt the fish that tries to eat one of them.

Adding the driftwood would provide some bio-film for them and may be all that is needed. I wouldn't have her add the powdered fry food. I am afraid it would foul the water faster than it would otherwise. I also feed the hikari mini-algae wafers along with all the other things I feed mine.

To be perfectly honest I just don't know the best way for you to go. If your godmother can't take them home with her then you just have to do the best you can for them and hope for the best.

I have angelfish, tetras, gourami, and pictus catfish that will eat smaller fish (I have seen it before). I can add another piece of cholla wood for biolfilm and just have her do the algae wafers. The sponge filter is doing an amazing job cleaning their tank.

 

[Nessaf]

I have fed mine a lot of algae wafers and raised them up on those, cucumber, romaine and whatever biofilm was in the tank. Tetra produces an algae wafer that also contains zucchini and shrimp. When they are little you can break them up into smaller pieces and feed accordingly. I currently have babies that are up to 3 inches. I stopped collecting them out of my 55gal, but still have about 10 or so that are an inch or better that survived and I’m going to have to figure out how to get them out of there eventually. I may have to give away to either Petco or a local LFS the rest of my now 3 inch or so offspring.

 

[Flyfisha]

Unknown0182 I can’t emphasise enough what the spines inside the gills and the spikes that come out of the fins are like. Until you stress a BN you will never see them . Try and handle one and suddenly multiply pins come out from everywhere. While they are not any danger to humans there are two issues. Apart from what feels like a pickle. Only if a small fish tries to eat a medium sized BN head first and the pins get stuck in its mouth is it possible for both fish to die. Most of the time a big fish spits out a BN fry as soon as it gets hit by the spikes. The second issue is something you may already know about? If you stress out a BN casing it around and around with a fish net by the time it’s in the net the spines come out and the fish is hooked in a tangle. You then have to leave the fish and net in the tank hoping the spines can retract. Most times you end up cutting the fish net free. Not an easy job. With luck your fry will be relaxed around you and it’s possible to catch them with you bare hands.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 13: Most of them have left the cave and are exploring their surrounding. They seem to really like the cholla wood, I’ve seen several go in and out of it and chew on it. I just did a water change on their tank, sucked up their poop and gunk. I’m going to try feeding them a blanch cucumber, if they don’t eat it I’ll just give it to the parents. (Also as i am typing this I see one of the babies in the cholla wood chewing on it).

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 14 (2 weeks old): They all have left the cave. They are exploring every inch of their container. I think they are getting a lot of food from the cholla wood because I see more than a dozen of them on it, munching on it. I gave them a cucumber yesterday and they ate a little bit of it while the father ate like half of it and the mother ate a little bit. They look like their slowly changing color.

 

[mattgirl]

Update Day 14 (2 weeks old): They all have left the cave. They are exploring every inch of their container. I think they are getting a lot of food from the cholla wood because I see more than a dozen of them on it, munching on it. I gave them a cucumber yesterday and they ate a little bit of it while the father ate like half of it and the mother ate a little bit. They look like their slowly changing color.

Do you have the mom and dad in the small container with the fry? If you do I recommend you remove them. The fry don't need their parents to teach them anything. You can basically feed the little guys the same thing you feed mom and dad and they will find it on their own.

If you have several pieces of cholla wood keep some in the main tank until you leave on your vacation. By doing so and then moving it over to the fry tank just before you leave they will have the extra bio-film to munch on.

 

[Unknown9182]

Do you have the mom and dad in the small container with the fry? If you do I recommend you remove them. The fry don't need their parents to teach them anything. You can basically feed the little guys the same thing you feed mom and dad and they will find it on their own.

If you have several pieces of cholla wood keep some in the main tank until you leave on your vacation. By doing so and then moving it over to the fry tank just before you leave they will have the extra bio-film to munch on.

I seperated the father only because he was in the cave and mother wasn’t, they are both in my 36 gal. The fry have been seperated since day 3 or 4. Would it be a good idea to put a price of cholla wood in my filter to get extra biofilm?
Edit: The third piece is with my pea puffers in the 10 gallon. The tank has been running for half a year. Do you think that would suffice?

 

[mattgirl]

I seperated the father only because he was in the cave and mother wasn’t, they are both in my 36 gal. The fry have been seperated since day 3 or 4. Would it be a good idea to put a price of cholla wood in my filter to get extra biofilm?

Good. I mis-understood what you were saying. Since you said the fry ate a little bit and mom and dad ate the rest I thought they were in with the little ones.

Bio-film will grow in the cholla wood in the tank so no need to put it in the filter. Anything you can move from the big tank to the little one will help feed the fry while you are gone. Be sure to change out most of the water in the little tank the day before you leave on your vacation. By doing so and as little as they are going to be fed the water should stay fairly clean until you get back to do another water change.

 

[Unknown9182]

Good. I mis-understood what you were saying. Since you said the fry ate a little bit and mom and dad ate the rest I thought they were in with the little ones.

Bio-film will grow in the cholla wood in the tank so no need to put it in the filter. Anything you can move from the big tank to the little one will help feed the fry while you are gone. Be sure to change out most of the water in the little tank the day before you leave on your vacation. By doing so and as little as they are going to be fed the water should stay fairly clean until you get back to do another water change.

I will try to do the water change the day i leave (only takes less than 10 mins). Is it ok if i put the third piece i cholla wood i have in my 10 gal pea puffer tank in with the fry the day i leave.

 

[mattgirl]

I will try to do the water change the day i leave (only takes less than 10 mins). Is it ok if i put the third piece i cholla wood i have in my 10 gal pea puffer tank in with the fry the day i leave.

It should be OK. With the bio-film on all the wood and your godmother coming by a couple of times your little ones should come through this just fine.

 

[Corygal8857]

Just found this thread! It is a joy to read and unbelievably educational. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and your sweet baby plecos with us! Looking forward to reading more. Congrats on your new babes!❤️

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 15: They have grown a lot now. They have a very vibrant looking color (still their baby colors), they seem to love algae wafers. I put one in yesterday and a couple hours later they managed to push it to the back of their container and a couple dozen were surrounding it. I added another one this morning and same thing happened. I just did a water change and cleaned their tank. They seem to also love the drift wood. They also seem to be less shy and like to come out in the open more.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 16: I replaced the cave they have with a different one someone else gave me so I can eventually give lemone (the father pleco) his cave back after the trip. A couple of them seem to like frozen brine shrimp, especially one (it was going crazy with it). They love algae wafers which is great, after an hour of putting it in I would see a couple dozen surrounding it. They seem to also get some of their food from the cholla wood which means it has good biofilm. It’s probably because all the water in their container originally came from my 36 gal. We leave in 2 days for the trip. My god mother is able to feed them on 17th and 20th and we come back on the 23rd. 2 days after my birthday (21st). The age people refer to as sweet sixteen but I don’t know why they say that. I’m confident they will do well. I taught my godmother how to feed all my fish and frog. I’ll just have her feed the fry once instead of twice. I will do a water change on the day I leave.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 17: Tomorrow I am leaving for my trip. Yesterday I gave the fry a catfish wafer (Hikari brand) to see if they would like it, they loved it. I think I will have my godmother feed them catfish wafers instead of algae wafers because the catfish wafers are easier for them eat because it breaks apart more easily.

 

[mattgirl]

Update Day 17: Tomorrow I am leaving for my trip. Yesterday I gave the fry a catfish wafer (Hikari brand) to see if they would like it, they loved it. I think I will have my godmother feed them catfish wafers instead of algae wafers because the catfish wafers are easier for them eat because it breaks apart more easily.

You have done your very best to keep your fry healthy so now it is time to go on your vacation and enjoy yourself. I am sure your little guys will be just fine until you get home. I have found pleco fry to be more resilient than some other species of fish so I really think they will come through this just fine.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 18: I gave them a catfish wafer the night before and this morning gave them the third piece of cholla wood for them chew on. My godmother is feeding them on the 17th and 20th and I return on the 23rd.

 

[Flyfisha]

Fingers crossed for the little guys.

 

[Unknown9182]

Since I’m not going to be able to report about my fry in the keys I guess ill make a Mimi-jourenal of my trip in the Florida keys for my birthday that’s on the 21st. I’ll be turning 16. My father also got this underwater camera as an early birthday gift. that I can put my phone in to take pictures. I’ll post about my trip and post photos of the fish in the reefs.

 

[mattgirl]

Since I’m not going to be able to report about my fry in the keys I guess ill make a Mimi-jourenal of my trip in the Florida keys for my birthday that’s on the 21st. I’ll be turning 16. My father also got this underwater camera as an early birthday gift. that I can put my phone in to take pictures. I’ll post about my trip and post photos of the fish in the reefs.

A little early but I hope you enjoy your day. I feel sure your little guys will be fine so relax and enjoy your vacation/birthday.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 19: Woke at 5:25 am to go fishing on the famous fisherman, Rick Stanzyck, with my father and grandpa. We caught some sea trout and I caught 3 7 foot sharks. Tonight we are going to eat at a restraint called “Piers”

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 20: Went snorkeling at a reef called “Chica Rocks”. Saw lots of fish and took amazing photos.

mattgirl
My favorite video

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 21: My godmother is supposed to feed my fish today. Im assuming she is doing it in the afternoon.
Went to the villages and ate at robbies for lunch.
Then went snorkeling, I found a sea turtle and other cool fish.

edit: My godmother facetimed as she fed the fish all of them look happy and the pleco fry grew a bit. She dropped them one hikari catfish wafer.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 22: Relaxed all day after a couple of days of snorkeling. Nothing much to write about.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 23: Snorkeled and went to the sandbar to relax.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 24: My godmother fed my fish and the pleco fry grew a whole lot. All the fish look happy and well fed.
Went snorkeling today and tomorrow is my b-day (16)

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Fay 25: Snorkeked and celebrated my 16th birthday. I got a 11.5 gallon fish tank that anchors to the wall And has filter and everything with it.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 26: Final day, went fishing in the morning and caught a couple of fish and then went snorkeling at the lighthouse. We are leaving tomorrow morning.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 27: After a painful 8 hour drive we finally got back home. I checked on all the fish and none of them died! My godmother did a great job feeding them. The pleco fry I have grown a lot. Not a single one died. I’ll be doing a water change tomorrow.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 28: The plecos have grown so much since I was for 9 days. They are around a cm and a half. I was able to do a water change yesterday but I didn’t do one today. I did a water change on my other tanks. I blanched a cucumber and sliced it in half. I gave one half to the pleco fry and the other to the parents. The fry swarmed the cucumber, over 15 of them could be seen devouring it. The parents took turns eating the cucumber. All is good.

 

[Flyfisha]

Be careful adding half a cucumber to your tank ? That probably should not stay in the tank for UP TO 24 hours as is done with little slices? For fear of polluting the tank water?
At less than 24 hours the unblanched still firm zucchini I use is falling apart and small chunks can be found floating in my tank.
These are day old fry for the scale of the chunks of zucchini I feed. And remove before they fall about.

 

[Unknown9182]

Be careful adding half a cucumber to your tank ? That probably should not stay in the tank for UP TO 24 hours as is done with little slices? For fear of polluting the tank water?
At less than 24 hours the unblanched still firm zucchini I use is falling apart and small chunks can be found floating in my tank.View attachment 803598
These are day old fry for the scale of the chunks of zucchini I feed. And remove before they fall about.

I added a slice not an entire thing and I removed after 3 hours.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 29: Nothing new to report, will do a water change on them tomorrow.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 30: Did a water change and did a little cleaning in their tank for them. They are doing well and are very active. They don’t seem to be very shy anymore but just a little skittish.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 31: Nothing new to report other than they are doing great.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 32: Did a water change and gave them half a slice of cucumber. They are growing fast. I gave them an empty snail shell and they seem to like to hang in it a lot.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 33: They are still doing good. Nothing new to report.

 

[mattgirl]

Update Day 33: They are still doing good. Nothing new to report.

Be sure you are keeping up with your water changes. Fry can emit a growth hormone that can stunt the growth of the fish. We need to keep it diluted with fresh clean water. Since they are in a very small tank I will recommend you change some of the water at least every other day. Every day may be over kill but is actually what I would do. Keep in mind too, plecos, even baby plecos are heavy waste producers so water changes are even more important.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 34+35: Did a water change and fed them some catfish wafers. They are around 3/4 of an inch. Growing pretty well.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 36: Gave them a cucumber yesterday and they devoured it.

 

[Unknown9182]

Update Day 37: Did a water change and found that two pleco fry died. I’m not sure why they died. The rest look perfectly fine. I gave them a couple of catfish wafers.

 

[mattgirl]

Update Day 37: Did a water change and found that two pleco fry died. I’m not sure why they died. The rest look perfectly fine. I gave them a couple of catfish wafers.

This is one of the sad parts of raising fry. Sometimes we lose some even when we do everything just right. Try to keep their water as clean as possible and hopefully you will lose no more.

 

[Flyfisha]

I do not have an answer as to why one fry dies. When two die at the same time I would be rethinking the conditions of the water and the food volume per day

I have found water changes every second day and feeding small volumes of live food 4 times a day as well as cleaning up the waste / uneaten food and removing the poop will not save every fry.

Of the 35 odd Bolivian ram fry that hatched in one of my tanks I have found two bodies regardless of moving them into 3 tanks getting bigger and bigger each time and all my effort.

Sorry for you loss.

 

[mattgirl]

Update Day 37: Did a water change and found that two pleco fry died. I’m not sure why they died. The rest look perfectly fine. I gave them a couple of catfish wafers.

Do you have a piece of some kind of wood in there for them? Although it seems bristle nose plecos don't eat as much of it as some other plecos they do still rasp on it.

 

[Unknown9182]

Do you have a piece of some kind of wood in there for them? Although it seems bristle nose plecos don't eat as much of it as some other plecos they do still rasp on it.

I do have cholla wood in there for them. They love to rasp on it.

 

[mattgirl]

I do have cholla wood in there for them. They love to rasp on it.

Right. I had forgotten

 

[Unknown9182]

Day 38+ 39: I gave them another water change yesterday and I plant on giving them a cucumber today and then doing a water change later today. I gave them an empty hermit crab shell and replaced a different shell because the opening was too small for them.

 

[mattgirl]

I don't know for sure but I would be cautious about putting something like a shell in there they can get into. I would be afraid they would get in and not be able to get back out. I have to think since they have the cholla wood to go into they really don't need anything else to chill out in.

 

[Unknown9182]

I don't know for sure but I would be cautious about putting something like a shell in there they can get into. I would be afraid they would get in and not be able to get back out. I have to think since they have the cholla wood to go into they really don't need anything else to chill out in.

Its not a small shell. It has a big opening and they come out when there’s food. I put it in there because they sometimes try to get into the sponge filter. They prefer the shell now. But they like the wood the best.
mattgirl heres what it looks like

 

[Unknown9182]

Day 40: Gave the fry a cucumber and will do a water change today. I also gave the parents a cucumber and they ate the entire thing.