L134 breeding

Hi guys and gals,
Just wondering if anyone knows much about breeding L134 leopard frog plecs, because i am thinking of getting a colony but wanted some advice first. Are they difficult to breed and how many would form a good sized colony to maximise results. Any info would be great.cheers. And please be honest if u think a small time hobbiest like myself would be in over my head trying to breed these awesome fish.

the principals are similar between the bristlenose and the L134s. the difference is that the L134s are much much more picky. Most people i know keep them in a colony of about 5 or 6 but some people breed them with pairs and trios.

to be honest i would start with breeding bristlenose, then try you hand at some of the harder bristlenose then move up to the L134s, that way you can practice your skills while still getting some return for your effort. if you have bred them before then go for it. there are lots of forums out there about pleco breeding so have a good read up first

Thanks Doug, i am currently breeding commons, LF albinos and also trying to breed peps and i think the peps are just about ready to go. So i might takeyour advice and stick with what i have until i have the peps mastered and then try the plecs. Is there any bristlenoses besides what i am breeding maybe some rare ones that i have not heard about yet that are available in australia?

nope

we live in a bristlenose wasteland

I had a breeding Trio but a few months back lost my Male (old age i think i know he was at least 7 years old and probably older then that)

mine used to breed at

temp 26c
PH 6.8
Ammonia, Nitrite 0
Nitrates 10-15

and i didnt do anything special to breed them i believe clean water is the key to breeding most plecs,

i use Almond leaves to tan the water and make the water soft. and i also have lots of bogwood in there,

a group of 6 Green Laser Corydoras where the only tank mates.

i fed them Frozen Blood worm, Lobster eggs, Bloodworm and Brineshrimp Flake and catfish Pellets.

i also have 3 caves in the tank and all of them caved, but once they where ready to spawn the female would hang out under the bogwood next to the males cave for a few days. trappings would last for a day before they would lay eggs.

i got a new male 3 months ago but so far there has been no spawnings but im sure it wont be long females are nice and plump.

Hope this helps

Thanks for sharing your knowledge John.

cheers john......

Thanks a lot John!
I'll keep in mind, but mine are a bit small (~ 5 months old).

got a fair way to go then They mature at about 2 years, serious investment of time!

Go for it mate, no harm in trying L134s are a beautiful pleco and I encourage anyone to get them. Just don't have any myself Good luck breeding them if you do try. If you can get confirmed breeders as they should be easier to spawn

Thanks heaps guys, i have found a L number breeder in sydney and he said i could get a known breeding pair for $1000 . Do you think this is a bit steep. He is a good breeder though he showed me his setup and he had plenty of fry of quite a few different l numbers

hrmmm, it does seem a little steep.

But then again if they are a know breeding pair and he can tell you how to trigger them then you will prob make it back in one or two spawns.

There are a few pleco forums out there that often have stuff for sale. have a bit of a scope on some of them

I would say the price is correct.

Just give it a thought: you'll get a couple who will surely breed, once you manage to re-create the conditions, of course.

On the other hand, you would have to raise a couple, which in the end might not fancy each other, so will not breed.

Yeh well thats right at least they are a known breeding pair. He also has L333 which are awesome looking fish to for the same price. So once i make some more money out of the peps, albino LF and commons i might invest in a couple of pairs

Mid October 2011 I paid around AU$ 150 per head for 3 small ones and they are still as small as at the time of purchase.

If you want to be sure, go for the breeding pair. Once they get offsprings, your investment will find its way back to you.

It seems unbelievable to us in the UK the prices you have to pay in other parts of the world. Over here the L134 is probably one of the cheaper L numbers, wild adult fish usully cost less than £40. For a $1000 dollars you could buy a breeding colony, never mind pair, and still have money left.

i know it is crazy, it is one of the more common ones here to but they still fetch a rediculous price if only we could import them that would be sweat.

it is not crazy, it is a wise move. Australia has no plecos native and if they got into the waterways it could spell environmental disaster. well, increased environmental disaster.

Now, lets face it, while we are good fish keepers on here who like to do right by our fish and our environment, but there are others who by either pure stupidity or malicious intent put them into the local waterways.

It sucks that the price is high but I like the ban

Makes sense really. If you were stupid enough to release a fish into the wild would you release something that cost you $40 or $400? By keeping fish out of australia we are protecting our waterways and thus driving the fish already here (or smuggled in) to be harder to get and at higher prices

Have to agree with Doug and kfenk!!!!

-there are too many irresponsible/malicious people out there and Australia sure does not need any more introduced species to mug up the native species!!!!

right now I have four BN's in total: nothing compared to my friends here but until I can afford to buy, maintain for the rest of their lives regardless of complications- I will just not get any more.
- more people should be of the idea that a fish regardless of species is as much responsibility as getting a dog or cat and even more work and care than dogs/cats!
- the stories from the US lately(kansas) and a few from the UK about introduced fish in the waterways and the damage have got me thinking a lot! it's also probably here in Canada too just too cold where I am normally, except for this year


I apologize for shooting off on another tangent.

Yeh i suppose u guys are right it could be disastress to our enviroments here. Its a shame that there are people stupid enough out there to wreck it for all of us. Looking through the L number book there are so many in there that i would love to have but will probably never get a chance to c in my life. Scary enough i did c an artictle in aaqaurium magazine of a fish found in a new zealand river that even though it was decaying looked very much like a fully grown common pleco

i have spoken to several people who have found bristlenose in australian waterways.

it sucks but we have to accept that some people are dumb

Yep, Doug, but not just in Australia.