Another "new" Adventure

[Ltygress]

Looking up things to stock my 100G tank, I suddenly remembered plecos. I had always wanted a zebra pleco, so I looked them up. Liveaquaria.com had them for $499.99 EACH! Good god I only remembered them being about $50 each! But apparently Brazil has stopped importing them. Okay so I figured maybe I should breed them. Got REALLY LUCKY with five young ones available on Aquabid.comfor $650. Considering no one else islisting them for less than $300 each, I snatched those up!

So very soon I am about to get five baby zebra plecos. I will put them all together in a 37-gallon tank until I can figure out which are males or females. After that, I think I'm going to separate them into breeding pairs in their own tanks. Or do you all think a single tank is best? (Extra males, if any, would eventually go into my 100G with angelfish as I had originally planned.)

But what is a good tank size for a breeding pair? I read one source on the web used 15-20 gallon tanks. I'm guessing dimensions are more important than volume, which means a 15-gallon is barely larger than a 10G. A 20G (tall) has the exact same foot print as a 10G. Since 10G tanks are so popular, it would be easier to get them, but is it sufficient?

And another source I read to use Play Sand from Home Depot for substrate. But how in the world do you RINSE that stuff before putting it in an aquarium? I've used pea gravel from home depot, but I used a strainer. You can't use a strainer for sand!

 

[McCool]

Can't help with anything else, but I've used the playsand multiple times. It's a huge pain but the way I cleaned it was to fill a large bucket half full with sand and continuously fill with water and then dump it. I'd also take large sticks and stir the sand to make sure most everything was out. Eventually the water will run mostly clear, just takes a little work!

 

[Ltygress]

Gotcha, thanks!

 

[McCool]

I've done it that way on multiple tanks and have never had a problem! Someone else may have a better method though. Good luck with your plecs!

 

[NickAu]

 
But how in the world do you RINSE that stuff before putting it in an aquarium?

Go to your wardrobe and grab a pair of nylon stockings, Put a hand full or 2 of sand in wash empty repeat till all the sand is washed.

 

[Ltygress]

Ohh, I like that idea better!

I've been reading up on everything and SEVERAL sources say pool filter sand is pretty much pre-cleaned. It isn't supposed to have the tiny floating particles that make water cloudy. Most people are apparently just dumping it right in to their tanks. Of course I still want to rinse it, though.

And it sounds like a "community" breeding tank is going to be better because a few sources think they all kinda trigger each other into breeding. But they do have a pecking order, and if the alpha male breeds with a lesser female, the alpha female may kill the eggs off or kick them out of the cave just so SHE can breed with the alpha male.

*Sigh* Women...

 

[ricbea]

 

 
But how in the world do you RINSE that stuff before putting it in an aquarium?

Go to your wardrobe and grab a pair of nylon stockings, Put a hand full or 2 of sand in wash empty repeat till all the sand is washed.
 

That is a wicked tip Nick Au, I am just about to start preparing an African Cichlid tank and have been thinking for days about how to wash the sand. Was too embarrassed to ask!

 

[NickAu]

 
Was too embarrassed to ask!

Never be embarrassed to ask.

 

[Ltygress]

Quick updates on this.
 
Because my bank card was kinda tied up in other purchases on Monday, I had hit a daily spending limit on it (and then some), and had to do a Paypal bank transfer for the zebra plecos. Both the seller and I are pretty sure that will be cleared before the weekend, but he's waiting until Monday to send them out from Tampa, Florida via overnight Postal Service. That means they'll be here Tuesday. So expect pics that day!

I've been out shopping ALL day. I got a 20 gallon long aquarium, pool filter sand from Home Depot, and a beautiful, healthy, bright white betta fish from a place called "The Fish Bowl". My order from Drs Foster and Smith also came in with 20lbs of "eco complete" plant substrate. I mixed the plant substrate with the sand, added a heater that can go up to 88 degrees, TWO submersible power filters on opposite ends, a piece of wood to which I rubber-banded some java fern, a UV strip light that I had sitting around, and a screen top for a 29G that fits a 20-long. I also plucked some corkscrew, hornwort, cabomba (what's left of it) and anacharis from another aquarium, rinsed it all, and tossed it in - planted of course. I think I put moneywort in there too, but I can't remember. Anything even remotely loose got tossed in. So now that 20-gallon long is under my 37-gallon, cycling with plants and a betta inside. The pool filter sand actually did cloud the water, but it's fading quickly. Between all of that and the beneficial bacteria I added, hopefully the water will be ready by Tuesday!

And last but not least, I started an OFFLINE journal for them. I chose offline, because it could be darn near forever before I update it, since one source said these guys have to be closer to 3 years old to breed. So I may just be sitting on my butt waiting for a while, and I would easily lose a journal thread on these forums in that time. So I started one offline that I will move to these forums when breeding time gets closer. That way anyone else interested in breeding them can read about my experiences with them.

 

[NickAu]

 
20lbs of "eco complete" plant substrate

I tried that stuff, ended up taking it out of my tank as it was too messy, Also I did not notice my plants growing any better.
 
Just remember. Do NOT wash it before putting it into your tank and never ever vac the substrate. and expect snails in it.

 

[Ltygress]

Did you use it alone or with another substrate?

 

[NickAu]

Alone.

 

[Ltygress]

Yeah, I'm mixing mine. This first part is going with sand. But most of the rest will go with "pea gravel" from Home Depot. A 20-lb bag is all I'm going to use between a 20-gallon tank, and a 100-gallon tank.

And the only reason I'm using it, is because SOME of the plants I have require heavy nutrients. The rest could care less. This stupid hornwort hasn't even been in my tank a week, and it's already trying to take over!

 

[McCool]

I also had a rough time for eco complete. Didn't seem to help my plants and was a pain to work with. Can't wait to see pics on Tuesday!