jettej
Well-Known Member
Hello guys I just want to start a thread about modding/building pleco caves for different size/kind of plecos. Breeding plecos takes a lot of work and sometimes techniques just like other fish. I became really interested with Ancistrus Plecos especially the Blackwater type Ancistrus since 2012. They are very hardy fish but also very challenging to breed. After months of research and especially my previous attendance on the GSAS meeting with "Pleco Barbie" as the guest speaker I really realized how important the size, look, texture, and the material of the caves. I will be honest that I have been trying to spawn my L183s - Starlight Bristlenose Pleco for about 2 years now and still haven't gotten them to spawn. I did everything: 40 gallon species only tank, RO/DI h20, Indian almond leaves, peat moss, tons of driftwood, 80% cold water change, different size of cylindrical terracota and bamboo caves still nothing. same applies to my LDA008 - Ancistrus Claro. I noticed that most of the caves is way too big for them and they just use for hiding.
I made this topic just so if I succeeded to spawn this kind of plecos after changing and modding the style and size of my cave. This will prove the importance of the caves and maybe we can also find out how a certain kind of pleco choose the appropriate cave and also find out why.
We will start here. That's my old ugly DIY terracota pot and right beside it is the bamboo cave:
Here are some cut up bambo caves:
This one is a smaller cave that fits the Claro perfectly. Diameter is about 1.25" length is 4" as my Male Claro is about 2.5":
So here's my first thought on what I would use as a surface for my caves. Most blackwater habitats got lots of rocks especially Claros. I want to use the slate to give them a natural feeling and also they would act as a weight so the caves won't move around and disturb the spawning action.
Another one but slightly bigger for the Starlights!:
I will use a "Aquarium Safe Silicon" to attach the caves on the slates. That's all I got for now. If you have any suggestions or you have a better way on building or modding the caves please let me know.
Thank you,
Jeth
I made this topic just so if I succeeded to spawn this kind of plecos after changing and modding the style and size of my cave. This will prove the importance of the caves and maybe we can also find out how a certain kind of pleco choose the appropriate cave and also find out why.
We will start here. That's my old ugly DIY terracota pot and right beside it is the bamboo cave:
Here are some cut up bambo caves:
This one is a smaller cave that fits the Claro perfectly. Diameter is about 1.25" length is 4" as my Male Claro is about 2.5":
So here's my first thought on what I would use as a surface for my caves. Most blackwater habitats got lots of rocks especially Claros. I want to use the slate to give them a natural feeling and also they would act as a weight so the caves won't move around and disturb the spawning action.
Another one but slightly bigger for the Starlights!:
I will use a "Aquarium Safe Silicon" to attach the caves on the slates. That's all I got for now. If you have any suggestions or you have a better way on building or modding the caves please let me know.
Thank you,
Jeth