General Aquaria Discussion • Pregnant BN Pleco?

[spn1025]

This momma laid her first eggs about a month ago. The cichlids ate all of the hatched babies except for one. I managed to catch the last one and now have it in a breeder box.
Anyway, momma looks like she’s getting plump already. Is she gonna pop out more eggs soon?
FYI dad is an albino

[spn1025]

Help!!

She popped out the eggs overnight and now the daddy is guarding them.

Question: is it safe to assume these are fertile now and pull them out to the breeder box, or does he fertilize them over the next few days?

[Deeda]

Males usually fertilize the eggs immediately and if he is alone in the cave there is a good chance they are fertilized.

The eggs need to have water flow around them and usually the male provides that by fanning his fins. Check out This article on how to raise the fry.

I don't think just using a breeding box will work, use either a dedicated tank for the male and his cave or get an egg tumbler for the eggs only. Maybe consider leaving some eggs with the male in his cave in the main tank so he can get better at the process of raising them.

[Wis-Waterboy]

A breeding box works great. Be sure to put in an air line to circulate the water and keep it moving and add some anti-fungus.

[spn1025]

So I had no luck with the last batch. All of the eggs disappeared by the time I got home from work.
Another batch of eggs was laid 2 days ago. This morning I check and they’re mostly gone. There were a couple of empty egg shells that I could see, were orange yesterday, clear this morning, but those were the only 3 I could see. Moved the cave and there were no eggs to be found.

Is the father eating the eggs????

[DJRansome]

Are they in a separate tank now?

[spn1025]

Nope, was going to grab them this morning. Figured I’d let the eggs develop a bit before I grabbed them.

Lesson learned, grab them ASAP next time

[DJRansome]

As Deeda suggested, move the pair to their own tank until you have a batch of eggs and they hatch. Unless you watch 24/7 the cichlids will get them first.

[spn1025]

There’s only an Oscar with them who can’t get to where the eggs are

[DJRansome]

The BN are not eating their eggs or their fry. A separate tank is smart if you want to save fry. You need a separate tank to raise the fry in any case.

[jcover]

Something to keep in mind is to frequently check your canister filter for Pleco fry.... I have found several living inside of my Fluval FX6.... just a heads up lol.

My BN Pleco pair breed in my 220 gallon Hap and Peacock tank regularly. I also have Synodontis multipunctatus and somehow the fry lived long enough to be sucked up by my filter...

[markwn]

Write when small fish appear.

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[spn1025]

The part that puzzled me the most was the few leftover eggs that were orange at night then the next morning completely clear.

I’m wondering if these microscopic white things I reported in another thread are sucking the eggs dry.

https://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/vie ... 3&t=450303

Either way, I’m guessing another 2 weeks before momma pops another batch of eggs. I’ll be sure to grab them early.

[isabellamor]

I am actually looking forward to seeing more photos. I hope that it did go well.