My L046 Zebra Fries

[iqfish]

Sorry ! I don't have one but this pic belong to one of my member ( DIX ) in PlecoFanatics !. Mine is the same plec ! and mine usually lay their eggs on the PVC tubing

Very nice picture. Is it a male or female?

[akoh]

Very nice picture. Is it a male or female?

For Plec, daddy usually do the incubating !

[iqfish]

For such whiptails, is it advisable to get the very small juveniles? I am afraid these are delicate species.

[benny]

Benny, I know there are some wonderful characters here. heh, how come Tom Barr doesn't post here anymore?

Not too sure, he does now and then. You can try sending him a private message. He's also at plecofanatics too.

Cheers,

[akoh]

For such whiptails, is it advisable to get the very small juveniles? I am afraid these are delicate species.

Juvenile ( < 2 inches) are quite weak ! hence it is better to get the bigger ones ( >2 inches )

[andrewtyr]

Juvenile ( < 2 inches) are quite weak ! hence it is better to get the bigger ones ( >2 inches )

Do they really clean up algae? Or is it just a myth?

[akoh]

Do they really clean up algae? Or is it just a myth?

They do eat algae ! but there are better ones eg , farlowella, otos etc

[mozesyap]

Your baby zebra pelcos are so coooool.

Hope you can breed more, then maybe you can spare some for us at AQ.

[iqfish]

or..... we can purchase them from you!

[aquarius]

Wah your plecos are VERY nice!! we need more people like you who have the "fish" finger - people who can breed almost any species of fish. Although i collect plecos, i'm also concerned about the over harvesting of plecos in the wild. If people are able to breed these beautiful plecos commercially, I will DEFINATELY purchase from them instead of buying wild caught ones.

Let us support farm bred fishes instead of wild caught ones!

[akoh]

Is this what they call helicopter pleco?

Yeap ! . When it was first intorduced in this region, they'll going for >150 bucks ( 6" fella ) ! now they're about 30 bucks ! coz' many FFs are breeding them !

[ciscube]

i thought it's about 10bucks

[akoh]

i thought it's about 10bucks

10 bucks for a 6" Dwarf Royal Twig ! where got ? ? ? I'll take all !

[ragn4rok]

In Indonesia, the price for 6" Dwarf Royal Twig (helicopter pleco) is only
Rp 75,000 / each ... 1 $ Singapore = +- Rp 7,000,-

[iqfish]

I presume you are an Indonesian or are very familiar with the aquarium scene there? Any recommendations to give for visits to the LFSs in their major cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan etc? Besides the Arowana fish, are fishes like plecos (L & LDA series) and corydoras common?

[akoh]

AND ! a wild caught L046 in Brazil only cost < US$5 ! BUT ! first you have to make your way there !. One of my kaki went on an expedition trip ( 12 days ) to the amazon and the total damages is > S$10,000. So ! it may not cost a dollar for us to bring it back to Singapore unless " You " has an import/export license !.

[iqfish]

Although i collect plecos, i'm also concerned about the over harvesting of plecos in the wild. If people are able to breed these beautiful plecos commercially, I will DEFINATELY purchase from them instead of buying wild caught ones.

Let us support farm bred fishes instead of wild caught ones!

Purchasing tropical fishes from farm bred or home bred setups has its definite advantages. Over-harvesting and unregulated exploitation of wild faunas and floras resulting in their depletion is always an ever present evil. In the case of the L-series plecos, the commercial exploitations of newly discovered species has risen much faster than what the Ichthyologists can identify and classify. If this goes on there is a clear and present danger that our beloved "L046" will become eventually extinct in its natural wild habitat. The Brazilian government through its IBAMA agency has already drawn up regulations and control to "preserve such natural heritages for future mankind."

[iqfish]

BUT, as all Governemnts in the world do, the Brazilian Geovernment has to take into serious and careful considerations about policies that will affect their people. In this case, the "Amazonians tropical fish Harvesters." They have to strike a fine balance between preserving Amazonia's natural heritages and the country's economy. Hundreds and thousands of people (or even millions) depend on fish harvesting for their subsistence. A single government policy on this issue will definitely affect the whole tropical fish supply chain and the Brazilian Government must be commended for taking this tough stance.

[iqfish]

THEREFORE, it is also very commendable for us as tropical fish hobbyists to know the dark side of our hobby and has a moral conscience against it. We must also strike a balance and not become Extremists and shoot down all imports based purely on a totally partial argument. We should trust the rules and regulations that have already been put in place by agencies like CITES and IBAMA.

[ragn4rok]

I presume you are an Indonesian or are very familiar with the aquarium scene there? Any recommendations to give for visits to the LFSs in their major cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan etc? Besides the Arowana fish, are fishes like plecos (L & LDA series) and corydoras common?

Yes, I'm Indonesian. You can find nice plecos and corydoras in Bandung...
LFS list :
Melati Aquarium = Jl. Karapitan No. 73 --> plecos
Laksana Aquarium = Jl. Karapitan No. 68--> corydoras and plecos
QH Aquarium = Jl. Karapitan --> plecos ; sorry, I dont remember the number...