Need some advice :D

I bought some large albino bns and i want to try breeding them.So i got some advice from a aquarium seller that i shoud put them all in a large aquarium and let them pare up.I have a 120L aquarium and in it i have 4 full sized bns males 3 albino 1 common, 2 big females one has 12 cm other has 8 cm, 2 smaller common males about 7-9 cm and 5 small females they are all about 6-7 cm and 1 is albino.So i dunno if that is ok but i was thinking i made a mistake for putting them all together and i was thinking to separate them in 2 groups so they can pair up faster.If i m lucky il get this week 4 large albino females.

Any advice is helpful if i m wrong somewhere tell me and tell me your suggestions.And here are some picks of them.







Thanks in advance.

Hi,what are the dimensions of the tank as it looks rather small for all those bn's ? It looks only approx 2 feet in length.If this is so,you shouldn't have more than 1 male and 2 female max in it.

I agree that seems way too many for 120l tank. Also I think a lot more cover so they can make territory. This can be done with plants etc. I think they then feel less exposed and vulnerable. I find that only one dominant male breeds in the tank so when he's with eggs I remove him for a month to give the next biggest male a chance.

Its 70x50x40 Ino its small for all of my bns.And i will change that fast but the guy in a aquarium store told me 2 put them all in my largest aq so they can pair up.But i will get 4 albino females and let them with my 3 males in that aq so they can pair up.And il take out others from that aq.I have 6 aq of 30L for breading and 2 of 50-60 L.When they pair up il separate them in the 30L aq s and 1 male and 2 female per aq.I think thats not a bad idea, what do you think?

Hi,bristlenoses do not pair themselves up in the way the guy told you.All that will happen is that you will have problems with dominant issues and space issues.There is far too many fish in the tank and all that will cause is many problems including much stress which in turn will lead to allsorts of issues and illnesses.What you need to do is put 1 male and 1 or maybe 2 females in the tank and plenty of hiding spaces and some bog wood.They will then breed when they are ready.

agreed. The pairing up that the guy mentioned is more for your cichlids. Bristlenose are not a pairing fish. they will go with who ever is ready at the time.

Ok thank you for the answer i will separate them in 2 tanks.Bigger males with bigger females and small ones with small females

I think the guy at the LFS has led you up the garden path mate. More bristlenose rarely means more breeders, in fact it's usually the opposite because they spend all their time fighting. One adult fish per square foot of tank and no more than two males (if you plan on switching them between tanks) is optimal. I'd put an add in the local trading post and sell off your excess. I wouldn't put more than a pair in the 30ltr and i'd look at upgrading it to a 60ltr asap.

P.S does anyone else think that albino male in the top photo looks a bit bloated? Have you got a better picture of him?

If I am reading your post correctly,you are going to split all these fish between 2 tanks? if that is correct then i am afraid it is still not good enough.In the tank in the picture there should be one pair only and at a push a trio (one male and two female).The smallest tank that can be used for 1 pair is a two foot tank that holds 65 litres but that is the bare minimum.If you have another tank the same size as this then again it can hold one pair or a trio but then once the babies start to grow a tank of that size can very easily get overcrowded and you will again need a bigger grow out tank.

Bristlenoses can easily have 50 eggs or more and by the time 50 babies reach 1 inch in size you can imagine the amount of room they will need and also how much maintenance will be required to keep them alive and healthy.

For the sake of the fish they need thinning right out and if you do not have enough tanks or big enough tanks then the best thing to do is to take the remainder back to the shop or find them new homes.Otherwise you are going to have problem after problem and the fish will suffer.

I hope you get it all sorted out

Hmm il do it like this then.In that 120L aq il leave 2 males with 4 females and with others il make trios and i will put them in 3 55-60 l aquariums.I think thats not bad?Do i have your agrees? or shod i do it differently?
Il try 2 get a better photo of the male but i think hes just a fat

And i will buy a 300L aq in about 2 weeks for them all.

Anyways thank you for replying.

Now that i watched my albino bn male closely i can agree with you hes bloat :S I will try with frozen peas and i dunno if to treat the whole aquarium or to remove him in a medic aquarium?And what medicine should i use?

And 1 more thing when i bought him he was like this :S i didnt know that he was bloat :S that man told me that hes ok.So he tricked me but nvm il try 2 save him.

Hi,you really need to seperate all the fish as soon as possible.You can treat with melafix and feed peas (make sure you take the outer skin off of the peas )

Also make sure there's no protein-rich foods in their diets.

Im feeding them with cucumber and green salad and i was giving them some proteins once 1 week. Il separate him in a medic tank and give him peas.And how 2 prepare peas?Shoud i give them frozen and is it necessary to peal them?

Thanks guys for advices

Hi,do not feed any protein at all and take the outer skin off of the peas before feeding.It will not hurt to treat all of them at the same time.Get some algae wafers for them also.

Ok i separated them now there are only 2 males in than 120l tank with 3 females with the rest i made trios and the bloated albino is in his own aquarium and tomorrow in the morning il give him deshelled and blanched peas.Hope it will work for him.

Thank you all for your support

Hi,it is excellent that you have taken our advise and are doing your best for your fish.Just one thing,make sure they have some bog wood and plenty of cover and hiding places and enough caves in each tank.Get some algae wafers for them and do not feed any kind of protein,just algae and veg.Mine love Tetra Pro Veg crisps (sometimes called algae crisps) and do very well on them.Good luck and please keep us informed of their progress.

P.S if the peas are frozen just put them in a little bit of hot water to defrost them and then peel the outer skin off.He will only need about 4 or 5 at a time.I hope he gets better

Well i gave him peas in the morning and i saw him eat, but 1 h ago he .Pff anyway he was sick when i got him :S i didnt notice it then.I can only assume that he was sick for a long time when hi was with him but nvm il try to prevent that from happening to my other fish with new vegi diet.

Thank you guys for your help.

sorry mate

Thanks bro.