Cave spawner; the male guards the eggs and young. Fry often appear in mature tanks without help.
Keep one male and two or three females. Males have bristles on the head.
A 20-30 gallon (75-110 L) tank with caves, tubes or PVC pipes, 24-28 C.
Warm clean water and a water change. Males guard a cave.
20-100 eggs; hatch in 4-8 days.
Male guards the eggs. Feed algae wafers, blanched veg and baby brine shrimp. Remove fry at 2-4 weeks if needed.
One breeding tank for the bristlenose pleco, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.
Water: 24–28 °C · pH 6.5–7.5
A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 13 cm. Tank shape is a standard 2 : 1 : 1.2 box, at least 6 adult lengths long. Check each step in the guide above.
A 120 cm rack for breeding the bristlenose pleco in numbers.
In total: 3 tanks, about 375 L of water. A litre of water weighs about 1 kg, so check that the floor and rack can take the weight.
Sizes are worked out from the breeding tank in the guide. Tanks fit a standard 120 cm rack when they can; bigger tanks go on their own stands.
Adult males have fleshy tentacles (bristles) on the head and well-developed spines on the pectoral fins and gill covers; females lack these or have only a few small bristles on the snout edge.
Typical for cave spawners
Give one cave per pair or female, plus a varied diet.
Eggs are laid inside the cave and guarded, usually by the male.
Eggs hatch in 3–7 days depending on the species and temperature.
Feed baby brine shrimp and crushed food. Plecos need wood and vegetables.
Fry grow on in their own tank.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Give one cave per pair or female, plus a varied diet.
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.