tank mates for fry

Hi how big are bn plecs when they do get brave enough to come out? im getting 2 in the morning and im hoping they bread, what do you feed the fry when they are inside the cave and out? i have 7 dannio 3 kuhli loaches and 2 clown loaches the biggest of my clowns is 2inch are any of them a threat to the fry? thanks Becky

Hi Becky, while the fry are in the cave they will be feeding from there yolk sacs, once the daddy lets them out (5-8mm in my case) or some wrigglers escape they will feed on the algae initially and even pleco food, mine seem to go for the courgette I put in on one of those plastic clips on the side of the tank, as regards your other fish eating them, this is quite possible so try to give them some hiding places, good luck

What type of BN's are you getting in the morning? As for the diet part there is a really good resource on this site about their diet, search for "veggie list "I think and this may help you out. As for compatibility with the other fish you have, I myself have no experience with those particular fish, so I could not say, however there are many here that are very 'fish savy'; and will probably be able to answer your concerns. Good Luck with your new BN's!!!!And have Fun and Enjoy!!! They are incredible little guys!

I have Kuhli Loaches and they are really nosy and like going in and out of things. I would think they might annoy dad while he's in the cave with the eggs and wigglers. The clowns though small would definitely snack on any wigglers that might escape the cave.

What I like to do is lift Dad, cave eggs and all and move them to a tank where they are the only occupants. That way dad can concentrate on hatching eggs and taking care of wigglers and fry.

Just some thoughts.
carol

How small are the BN's you are getting?

Clown loach and BN's do not always get on well with each other and assuming they are larger than the BN's the could be feeding issues and small BN could find it hard to compete with the loaches for food.

my bn are bigger than my clowns

clown loaches are a great fish nd usually ont comepete that much as bristles can be territorial with wafers

bexlt17 wrote:

what do you feed the fry when they are inside the cave and out?

When a male has fry in a cave the first few days (approx 4-5) they will feed of the yolk sacs, there is topic HERE with suggestions once on what to feed once they start looking for food. Basically theu are capable of eating anything adults can eat but some foods are better left untill they have developed slightly.

RE: your Clown loach I still think they could be a potential problem, they are known to eat eggs, if yours BN's do breed then it would be something to be wary of. I'm not saying it will happen but something to watch out for

bexlt17 wrote:

im getting 2 in the morning and im hoping they breed

If you have a male and a female I'm sure they will