Proud Pleco Mamma! Should I Set Up A Nursery Tank?

[miss dynamite]

I have 2 bristlenose Plecos in my 280 gallon tank (one male and one female).
i am very proud to say they have had babies and the daddy is doing an amazing job of caring for them!

some of the babies are around 1cm long now and are starting to move out from the boat where daddy is looking after them.
i have managed to carefully put five babies into a large breeding net in my tank - until i receive advice as to what to do next!!

i am thinking of setting up a nursery tank (i also have a couple of Sailfin Molly babies in the net too - and the mum looks like she is ready to pop again soon!)

Any advice offered would be great! shall i set up a small nursery tank? once the Plecos are big enough my local fish store has offered to exchange them with me (as they can sell them on for around £6 each)

do you think a nursery tank is worthwhile? or do i let the babies fend for themselves in the big tank? i dont want them to be eaten!

FYI my tank inhabitants - 2 Plecos, 2 Cory Cats, 2 baby Ghost Knife Fish, 2 Sailfin Mollies, 6 guppies, 5 Cardinal Tetra, 12 Penguin Tetra, 1 male Siamese Fighter, 2 Female Siamese

SOoooo...what do you think? nursery tank? or no nursery tank? and if so? how do i go about it? would i need to go thru the cycling process as i did with my main tank? can i use water from my main tank to start it? help!!

thank you

 

[Tankboomshazam]

If your adult fish have ever shown any sign of aggression, keep an eye on the babies just in case they attack. If you feel worried, maybe a nursery tank is necessary, but it is better to be safe than sorry!

 

[miss dynamite]

If your adult fish have ever shown any sign of aggression, keep an eye on the babies just in case they attack. If you feel worried, maybe a nursery tank is necessary, but it is better to be safe than sorry!

thanks for the response!

the Penguin Tetra can be 'nippy' - in fact they bullied my black neons till they were no more!! they have calmed down now though thankfully.

the male Pleco is very grump at the minute too - but i am thinking that is due to the fact he is caring for the babies? wont let anyone in his boat!!

 

[ZoddyZod]

someone with better BN experience will comment.......but all I want to say is

TWO-HUNDRED-AND-EIGHTY GALLONS???

pics please, sounds fantastic!

 

[miss dynamite]

someone with better BN experience will comment.......but all I want to say is

TWO-HUNDRED-AND-EIGHTY GALLONS???

pics please, sounds fantastic!

Ooops!! i meant 280 litres

 

[ZoddyZod]

you tease!

 

[miss dynamite]

you tease!

haha sorry to disappoint

 

[Inchworm]

Hi miss dynamite,

If you intend to raise these fry to be healthy and sound enough to sell, you will absolutely need to move them to a grow-out tank. They require lots of good food and produce much waste as they grow. Very frequent water changes are also a must to keep them growing.

 

[miss dynamite]

Hi miss dynamite,

If you intend to raise these fry to be healthy and sound enough to sell, you will absolutely need to move them to a grow-out tank. They require lots of good food and produce much waste as they grow. Very frequent water changes are also a must to keep them growing.

Thanx inchworm - am currently hunting for a smaller, reasonably priced tank to run alongside my main one!
and i know what u mean about waste - plecos sure know how to do that!!

 

[Iiriva]

Around 40 liters can do for a nursery tank. Have you looked for used tanks?

Do bristlenoses sell in your area? In my whole country it's better not to let bristlenoses breed as no one wants them, so it's really difficult to get them to new homes even for free! I was just able to take my last 15 bristelnose babies to a local petshop, but it took 3 months until they had the space to take them in...

ZoddyZod, I have almost 300 gallon tank (yes, gallon, 1125 liters) but no bristlenoses in there!

 

[miss dynamite]

Around 40 liters can do for a nursery tank. Have you looked for used tanks?

Do bristlenoses sell in your area? In my whole country it's better not to let bristlenoses breed as no one wants them, so it's really difficult to get them to new homes even for free! I was just able to take my last 15 bristelnose babies to a local petshop, but it took 3 months until they had the space to take them in...

ZoddyZod, I have almost 300 gallon tank (yes, gallon, 1125 liters) but no bristlenoses in there!

Thanx zoddyzod
I'm watching a couple on eBay right now
As for the demand...yup my local fish farm has already agreed to take them as they don't get them in stock very often. Maybe a uk thing? Or a Yorkshire thing? Heheh. They're gonna give me 50p to £1 for each one once they get to approx 1inch long (that will prob be trade value as opposed to cash but suits me fine - got my eyes on a rather stunning piece of bogwood they have at the moment ;-) )
Do u know how long they'll take to get that big?
Thanx