# Bristlenose Pleco - My first spawning experience



## AulonoKarl (Mar 9, 2012)

For the last couple of days, one of my albino bristlenose plecos has been burrowed in a hole in a piece of driftwood. Today I got curious and moved him out and saw something like 10 to 15 eggs in the hole. Well, immediately one of my peacocks saw them and darted for them. I shooed him away and turned off the tank lights to give the pleco time to find his way back to the eggs she (or he, I don't know how this works) was guarding.

I've kept lots of fish, but I'm a complete breeding n00b. The only experience I have is with mollies, which are livebearers and completely different. Sorry if this question is stupid, but it's my understanding that the female will lay eggs, and then a male will try to fertilize them. Is this correct? If they are being guarded, does that mean that they are fertilized? I have two albino BPs. I never new the sex of either of them. Should I be expecting fry, or could the eggs just be sitting their, not fertilized? They are about the size of... I don't know... a fertilizer pellet? Maybe a touch bigger?

Thanks for the insight. I'm new to this. I would like to keep at least a couple of the fry, should they come, for a tank I have future plans for. I have an empty, cycled tank that is up and running from some isolation that I recently had to do.

Here is the BP in it's little egg guarding spot:


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## limpert (Aug 28, 2007)

Thats awesome


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

It's entirely possible for a female to lay eggs without the presence of a male. In many other species the female might then even guard the eggs until they grow mold and decay. However, with BN plecos the female will only lay the eggs and then swim off into the sunset, while the male will take care of the entire broodcare. Since you have a pleco guarding the eggs, I'd say it's virtually guaranteed that is the male, and the other pleco in the tank is the female that laid the eggs.

There is a good chance that the male will now succeed in defending the eggs and the wigglers until they become free swimming. However, for BN plecos that's when the broodcare ends. As soon as free swimming fry leave the cave they can expect no further support from the parents, but will have to fend for themselves. At this stage they don't yet have the hard shell of adult plecos, and the fry will be an easy prey for peacocks. If you want to save some fry, you better take the cave with the eggs out of the main tank now, and put it in a separate setup where the fry can hatch by themselves and be safe from predators!

Best of luck!


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## AulonoKarl (Mar 9, 2012)

I appreciate your reply, fmueller. Moving the entire piece of drift wood definitely seems like the best course of action. Always nice to learn a little more about the fish I'm keeping. I find it quite interesting that the male BPs guard the eggs.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

AulonoKarl said:


> I find it quite interesting that the male BPs guard the eggs.


It makes them a favorite with the ladies! For example my wife has no interest in fish whatsoever, but since she learned that pleco men take care of the kids, she absolutely loves those guys :lol:


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## luuuis (Mar 24, 2012)

Ha ha ha awesome


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## kira (Jul 23, 2012)

Hey congrats! how is your fry going now??? 
I just noticed while doing the usual cleaning of my tank that my BN plecos spawned too!! 
Since they are with other fishes (peacocks... ) i moved the eggs and the daddy in a 10 gals.
Do you reckon that was the right thing to do?
Shall i move the mommy with them? and eventually leave them all in there for a while?
Thanks guys!


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## AulonoKarl (Mar 9, 2012)

I had a problem and lost the fry. It was a learning experience though. I believe a couple of them died shortly after leaving the nest, and then became buried under the substrate, where they rotted and made the water harmful for the rest of them. At least that's what I think happened. The filter media I used has been on a working filter for 6 months or so, so everything should have been cycled fine. The fry must just be super sensitive to water conditions. I have removed the substrate completely in preparation for next time and will remove the driftwood after they exit their nest, so there are less variables. I just want fish, water, and bio filtration for the next run. Now I just have to wait for the next spawn. I'll get it right next time.


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