Newbie questions

Hi everyone,
This is my first attempt to breed Common BN's.

Have had a pair of Common SF BN females for about 15 months, and finally got a male about a month ago.
They're in my heavily planted community tank (4 footer) with guppies, and some cherry red shrimp.

The LFS mentioned that common BN's are the "guppies" of the catfish world and spawn like crazy. However, theres no luck for me at the moment.

I can see one of my female has gone really big around the belly area (trying to get a photo this weekend) but the male is not interested in any of the caves I've laid out for it.
(1 x D cave, 1 x slate) Its a heavily planted tank and hes content to swim around the place.

A few questions
- can BN's breed successfully in community tanks with tank mates like guppies and shrimps?
- How can I get the male BN to be interested in a cave?
- Did my fish just outsmart me? Is patience really a virtue?

Hi,is the male old enough/big enough to breed? Are the caves the correct size? If you can put pics up of the females and the male and the caves/tank then we can help you with your questions.

There is no issue breeding in a community tank. My peppermints breed in my American cichlid tank all the time.

You will just have to wait for the male to cave up. Normally it is a sign they are still a bit young. Give him some time an he will sort himself out. Then you can start with the triggers, no use trying til then. That said, just try and keep your water nice and clean and forget about it for a month and you will find babies. thats what most people do.

Thanks guys.
The males just a little over 6cm.

I think the cave maybe a tad too large for him.
I've been trying all weekend to get a photo of them but they maybe camera shy.

tevoro wrote:

Thanks guys.
The males just a little over 6cm.

I think the cave maybe a tad too large for him.
I've been trying all weekend to get a photo of them but they maybe camera shy.

6cm's is to small, he needs to be bigger than that, he needs to be towards the 3 inch mark really...

Hi,as Curby said he is too young/small to breed yet and that is why he isn't bothering with the caves.Do you know the measurements of the caves?

I agree with what Curby said and Bristlenoses he is too small, yet! As said, closer to the 3 inch mark is a good indicator in my experience also. But having said that I would consider what Doug said too. Let them sort themselves out, find their places and get comfortable. I have noticed that young males or young females given just the presence of the opposite sex- (hormones and the release of pheromones? not sure but) whatever it is seems to speed up sexual maturity- just in my own personal experience. Let nature take its course-soon you'll be surprised to have little wrigglers!!!

Thanks for replying everyone. I'll do as advised and let them be.

Are long fin BN's exactly the same as commons? I got given a pair of long fins, and was told they were breeding size, but if I discount the long fins, they are actually smaller than the commons I've got.
I'll let nature run its course with these as well.


Cave measurement, approximately -
L = 13 cm
W (bottom of D cave) = 4.5-5cm
H (to highest point of D) = 3.5 cm

I've got some ceremic tiles at home, I might do some home made caves this arvo.

Hi,yes long fins are exactly the same as short fins except the long finnage.Just be patient,feed them well with good foods,let them grow some more and i am sure that soon they will start breeding.

The cave size is about right so I wouldn't worry about that.

Personaly I wouldn't use ceramic tiles as some ceramic tiles are made from porous clay which would be no good to use at all.

Heres the DIY cave that I made from some tiles I had at home, and pictures of the BN's.



Male doing an inspection of his potential cave


He goes in from time to time but doesn't stay in for too long.


Does the female look like she may have eggs?


And a female longfin BN that was recently given to me (was told it was breeding size but im not too sure.. she looks small)

Hi,
Thanks to all that have replied to this thread, I have left the BN's be and let them do their thing.
To my surprise, I found some eggs this afternoon in my DIY cave. (They completely ignored the store bought one...grrrrr)
This evening though, the eggs, about 10-12, were all outside the cave. The male must have kicked them.

The female still looks quite big. She possibly still has some eggs left. I've left them like that for now.
Should I make a DIY tumbler for the eggs that were kicked out?

Hi,is the inside of the cave the smooth side of the tiles,if so it will be too smooth for the eggs to stick to.Also are the tiles the porous kind? if so i wouldn't use them.

You can put the eggs into a tumbler or fry saver type receptacle but they will also need plenty of oxygenation,usualy supplied by being put above an airstone.


Bristlenoses

Hello all,
Thanks for all the help and answering this thread.

I've managed to hatch and keep about 18 of the little fellas.
They are about 2cm now.

As a thank you, if anyone on BNWorld in Sydney wants some fry, I'll be happy to give a few to them.
PM me.

Sorry mods if this is against forum rules. I'll remove the give away part if it is.