Bristlenose pleco fry

[Whatfish]

My pair of bristlenose plecos have been laying eggs ever 6 weeks and the father is looking after them and hatching them like he should but everytime time the fry get to 4/6 weeks old they start drying of some do live but most of them die why is this ? I do frequent water changes give them fresh algea waffers and cucumber ever day so I carnt figure out what it is that is killing them any ideas any one

 

[ghyti]

Do you keep them in with the parents? Any other fish in the tank? If left with the parents I have noticed that they tend to die off. I figured they were afraid of those large fish by the food and would'nt eat. Shouldn't have that prob;em if you take them out and raise them separately.

 

[Whatfish]

I have done it with no parents then just the father and then both mother and father and still same thing each time when it hits the 4th week they start dying

 

[CassCats]

Die offs with fry can be very normal, depends on what number of fry you are losing. Some loss is normal, mass losses there may be a reason

 

[Whatfish]

I loose from 80% to the hole batch but the parents are still fine

 

[lyuluck]

Raising newly hatched fish in a fish tank is hard target to keep them alive, it is not really outdoor water,and the small fishes are easy to die in fish tanks.

 

[ghyti]

Be sure to keep food in with them all the time. At 4 weeks they should be well on their way and there should be no problems. Sounds like it could be a water quality issue. What are your water parameters, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates? If water is good it could be lack of oxygen, try to add an air stone to their tank.

 

[Colin_T]

Do you have driftwood, algae and biofilm on the glass?
Bristlenose and other suckermouth catfish need these things to help develop the beneficial bacteria in their intestine so they can digest their food properly.

The other killer of baby fish is poor water or dirty tanks (as mentioned above). The gravel needs to be kept clean and so does the water. Adult fish can tolerate poor conditions much better than babies.

 

[Whatfish]

I have 4 weeks now to prepare for a new batch of eggs and a empty 75L tank how should I set it up for nest conditions for the baby bn plecos ?

 

[ghyti]

Are there going to be any other fish in the 75? Everybody likes to eat baby Bristlenoses, even big guppies will eat them. If there are no other fish in there put in a variety of caves for the male to choose from, a female or two and let them go at it. You could pretty much decorate it as you choose, they don't really care. But do be sure it is cycled before you put them in. If there are other fish in the tank, be prepared to take dad and the cave out when there are eggs in the cave. Put them in a small tank by themselves until the babies come out of the cave. Then put dad and cave back in the original tank.

 

[Whatfish]

No I have dad and mum in a tank now On there own and they breed ever 6weeks I tried to leave baby’s in there with both parents but only 8 lived so now I’m gonna move the baby’s over to there Own tank once they are free swimming it will only be the baby’s in that 75 tank just wondering witch is best set up and care options for them for best survival rate

 

[ghyti]

A 75 is way too big for newly hatched fry, they will never find the food. I would put them in a smaller tank like a 10 gallon for a couple months and then put them in the 75. A bare bottom 2-1/2 gallon to 10 gallon tank with just a sponge filter is fine for the fry.

 

[Whatfish]

It’s 75l witch is about 20gallon I think and do I need to clean the glass on it or leave it to build up algae and that what is best method of day to day care for them and what should lighting be like ?

 

[ghyti]

OK that is better. Bare bottom with a cycled sponge filter is good. Maybe add a few small pieces of driftwood or other things to hide under. No special care is required. Just be sure to always have an algae wafer or a piece of Zucchini in there for them to eat. Replace it daily. Don't need to clean the glass, algae or diatoms are good for them. Siphon out leftover food and pleco poop every day or two. No special lightong requirements either. They are actually very easy to raise.

 

[Whatfish]

How long would it take to cycle the tank I have 4/5 weeks to the female lays more eggs