Zebra's

[SPIKE88]

can anyone help me find some zebra plecos, the only one I found was 290 dollars, this is a little unrealistic for me. I like to get 5-8 of them

 

[fishing4exotics]

Hi SPIKE88, You might want to try Aqubid.com. I have seen Zebra Plecos up for bid in that site. They go anywhere from under $100 on up.

 

[OohFeeshy]

You occasionally find people selling breeding groups for bargain prices on each, but bidding/competition is very competitive , so you'd have to prove you can and will provide an excelent home and will continue breeding them.

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

They can vary in price, and if you wanted a proven bred pair that could cost upto around $2000.

 

[Teelie]

$290 is just slightly above standard prices on commercial sites. Like above posts said though, occasionally you find them for cheaper through aquabid or through breeders. I wouldn't count on finding them for less than $150 if you're lucky though.

 

[Animation]

saw they would cost you £100-£200 6 of them thats about a grand mate

 

[Inchworm]

Hi SPIKE88

Zebra plecos (L-046) are a luxury item these days. The market for them is filled with speculators who think they will be able to breed them and make lots of money. This is the reason for the high prices.

IMHO, unless you have considerable experience breeding plecos, this is one to pass by for a while. In time, they will become more readily available and the prices will drop.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

The high prices are normal for zebra plecs, because they are an endangered species in the wild and it is very difficult to breed them in captivity, on top of their beauty as fish, this is why they are so expensive.
Overall though, they are quite fragile fish, if your tank is new/under 6months old and/or you don't have alot of expensive with keeping healthy fish or much knolege on fish and tanks in general, i would advise you avoid these fish as there would be nothing worse than spending $200's or whatever on the plec and having it die on you .
There are some cheaper alternative to zebra plecs though if you are just attracted to their general appearance, chocolate zebra plecs are still reasonably rare but easier to come by and much cheaper than true zebra plecs;

http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/loric...ancis/232_F.PHP

 

[Animation]

True payience is a virtue, going to buy myself a male L-14 Goldie Pleco and make them have lot's of little baby goldies.

 

[Teelie]

The high prices are normal for zebra plecs, because they are an endangered species in the wild and it is very difficult to breed them in captivity, on top of their beauty as fish, this is why they are so expensive.

They actually aren't hard to breed if you have a proper set up and a small school of them. The problem is they have a small clutch of eggs (between 8 and 12 IIRC) and it takes longer than normal for their offspring to mature to a sellable size (a year or so). That and some of the breeders keep the prices artificially high to maximise profits. With Brazil having made capturing them illegal, that just sends the price up even more.

A few years time though and they should be more commonly found and far less expensive.

 

[Animation]

http/www.zebrapleco.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1423

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

http/www.zebrapleco.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1423

Yeah i am a member there too .
Zebra plecs are gorgeous plecs, but somehow they appeal to me as much as some of the other species of plecs out there...

 

[SPIKE88]

I also like the King tiger pleco, would this be a more realistic decision, what type of accomidations would I need.

 

[Teelie]

King Tiger isn't any one species, there are several L-Numbers that are listed as a King Tiger but I think they all have similar requirements.

 

[SPIKE88]

King Tiger Pleco LO66