breeding L168

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casperbgk

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 24, 2006
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NSW, Australia
im not sure how popular they are in the US but in Aus theyve just allowed L168s in and eveybody wants one
ive got one ( about 5cm) and want to try to breed it. has anyone here bred them before? what was your set up like for breeding them? and how do you tell the difference between boys and girls? i was told it has something to do with hairs rowing on their sides
thanks
pat
 
i've never kept or therefore bred this species, can find little information on people breeding them on the web- this was it "Spawning is not easily induced, but is nowhere near as difficult as other notable members of the tribe ancistri, and spawnings are not an uncommon event. Cave spawners by nature, they will require tight fitting, preferrably rectangular (or, at the very least, flat bottomed) indentation in which to lodge themselves in to. Per usual, paternal instinct keeps the male specimen of this loricariid in which the eggs, fanning incessantly."

But going on it being a small pleco Dekeyseria sp. your probably better off having slightly acidic water - pH 6.5ish, slightly warmer temp than they prefer (probably about 28 degrees will do it). Well oxygenated water with a good current will be preferable. As above some form of cave is necessary, a piece of piping or bamboo, whatever. The male will pick out HIS cave for permanent residence. When the female is ready to spawn she will chase him out of his cave. They'll mate and she'll spawn in the cave and the father will do all the work of keeping the water flowing-fanning the tail to prevent fungus growth.
 
ok thanks

a guy here in Aus manged to get them to breed but he had about 7 of tme all nearly 10cm. do you normally need so many to breed or will just a male and female breed? and how big/old till they breed? anyone know?
 
breeding plecos is always best with one male and multiple females, for obv reasons, more chance of mating. depending on your tank size depends on how many you have, in a 300 gal u could prob have 3 or 4 males, plus females, and with multiple spawning sites, territories are established and it doesnt matter. However i think that 1:4 ratio would be good (male:female)
 
u got lucky like me? these are also the same principle of breeding them too actually, cave spawners are cave spawners. lol
 
G'day from Brisbane Oz
I now have 12 x L168 in a 4x2x2 with wet/dry filter and big powerhaed for max current flow...along with heaps of wood plants and shelter for hopefull breeding
they get full variety of foods as mentioned by others but seem to eat wood mostly ... oh yeah they produce copious amounts of waste too
About half are now 10 -12 cms while the others are only 6 cms so I am thinking they are male/female....they are not yet showing any signs of breeding but they are quite secretive and obviously nocturnal... I think catfish generally don't see red light so well so I have a red bulb to watch them at night time feeding etc...anyone know more or comments welcome... :)

cheers Jason
 
I wish you sucess in breeding those. Very striking in a zebra pleco kind of way. :)
 
thanks for all the help
ive only got one (male i think) at them moment but ill give breeding them a go when i get a bit of spare time. ill tell you how it goes
thanks again :)
 
gollum said:
G'day from Brisbane Oz
I now have 12 x L168 in a 4x2x2 with wet/dry filter and big powerhaed for max current flow...along with heaps of wood plants and shelter for hopefull breeding
they get full variety of foods as mentioned by others but seem to eat wood mostly ... oh yeah they produce copious amounts of waste too
About half are now 10 -12 cms while the others are only 6 cms so I am thinking they are male/female....they are not yet showing any signs of breeding but they are quite secretive and obviously nocturnal... I think catfish generally don't see red light so well so I have a red bulb to watch them at night time feeding etc...anyone know more or comments welcome... :)

cheers Jason
Click to expand...

Good luck... sounds like you've done your research, and sounds like your plecs are doing well. Keep us informed about your progress!
 
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