Questions on requirements for L46

[jerome]

hi i'm totally new and never tried before in pleco.(only crs and planted)
got tempted by a friend and saw pic on benny pleco and cannot take it already.very interested in getting the L46 zebra pleco for its nice pink and black stipe colour.but 1 need to know how to walk before running
got lots questions need to ask,cant find the answer in the previous few post.

what the max length the L46 can grow till.intend to keep about a pair or maybe 2 pair.
what the minimum tank size required for a pair and 2pair?
saw from pictures that forumer use spray bar above water to have air aeration.is this step important or can i have the rainbar in the water.
do i new strong flow.and any specific water condition, temperature and what soil requirement(ada amozonia can?i got alot left over)?
any other important point that i need to take note also?

sorry for the many question post.hope you guy can help me.

thanks in advance,
jerome

[Gecko]

Hi Jerome

Do look up celticfish's numerous posts, there are great info there on his L46 breeding program...here's some initial feedback.

A healthy zebra is black and white, solid colors. They rarely grow larger than 4". Aeration is preferred, good filteration is most important. While they come from fast flowing strong current biotope, this is not neccessary to be replicated in order to breed them in a tank condition. They do well in 28 to 30 degrees water and 7 pH give or take slide variations as long as it is not too sudden. Type of substrate or lack of is not important (again pH should not drop below 6).

Hope this helps.

Cheers

[jerome]

hi gecko.thanks for your reply.

now the most important to me is tank size requirement. was thinkin to get a pair or 1 male with 2 female.
was thinking about 1.5 or 2 feet.is this sufficent.was planning to get baby pleco only so i guess this should be sufficent?will baby be more hard to raise?

jerome

[Gecko]

Breeding has been done in a 2 feet tank before, a larger volume of water is more forgiving, go for bigger volume if budget and space permit. Fry which is past the critical 1" stage is pretty stable, as long as feeding is regular and there is no competition. It is very tricky to sex a zebra and having a colony is more condusive (some say critical) to start breeding.

[Panut]

If there are two males in a 1.5feet tank, would they they fight to the death?

[Gecko]

I had 2 males in a 4 ft tank and one died from battle injuries. This is despite many hiding place and caves, etc. But it can be done, really depends on the 'individuals' you have.

[Panut]

Regarding the caves some bros from the forum have, it seems that the cave entrance is so tiny, leaving no space for the L46 to u-turn and come out. How does that work?

[jerome]

after some thinking, decided to get get 3 baby L46 in a 1.5ft tank.how long can i rear them in 1.5ft before they outgrow the tank? and regarding cave, do i need to keep changing cave according to their size when they grow up or just get a standard size.also if i keep 3 pleco, do i need to have more than 3 cave in the tank?

[Gecko]

Regarding the caves some bros from the forum have, it seems that the cave entrance is so tiny, leaving no space for the L46 to u-turn and come out. How does that work?

The "tiny" entrance enables the male to trap the female during spawning, they move straight in and back out.

after some thinking, decided to get get 3 baby L46 in a 1.5ft tank.how long can i rear them in 1.5ft before they outgrow the tank? and regarding cave, do i need to keep changing cave according to their size when they grow up or just get a standard size.also if i keep 3 pleco, do i need to have more than 3 cave in the tank?

Baby L46 prefer to hide in small crevices such as those found under driftwood. 2 ft tank is relatively cheap these days, might as well start with that, and if only 3, you can keep them in there for years into their adulthood assuming no other tankmates and good filteration. 3 caves or more will be good for the alpha male to choose and there should be dividers such as wood or rocks to block direct line of sight.

[jerome]

haha i would surely love to keep them in a 3ft tank but mum already face black black. i already had a 3ft and a 2ft tank at home, together with chiller.opening another 2ft tank is definitly not gonna be approved by the "ministry of home affair".now still thinking of speech on how to let her approve a new 1.5ft zebra pleco tank.

[Quixotic]

I know zebra plecos are really nice, but one thing that I would caution is that these aren't the easiest of fish to keep.

So, if you really intend on keeping them, look up all the threads in this forum on L46 and read them. Do not rush into setting something up, but take your time to read, plan, re-read and setup the tank.

[celticfish]

Excellent advice from Quixotic here folks!
In essence, if you have basic husbandry questions you have not done the fish justice by arming yourself with fundamental information.