How should i breed pleco? what kinds can breed easily?

Question

I am getting new pleco today at... obiously... the fishy store!!! well anyways, i want my pleco to reproduce and such, what kind's of pleco can do this easily?
Also, do pleco , goldfish , guppies, and rosie reds get along???

Answer 1

That could be tough.

The most commonly sold plecos at pet shops, Hypostomus, need to be well over a foot long before they are mature. At such a size you will need a minimum of 125 gallon tank to provide enough room for spawning.

You want to get at least four or more and raise them together to mature size. feed them a varied diet, including stuff like bloodworms, beefheart, zuchinni, romaine lettuce, orange slices (you can also experiment with different foods just don't over do it and pollute your tank). Do regular water changes of 25=50% weekly.

Within a couple of years you may start to see some pairing behavior.

I have never heard of anyone actually getting these guys to reproduce in an aquarium setting. They are however commercially raised in ponds.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Your best bet for spawning would be to try bristlenose plecos. They have the added advantage of being one of the smaller plecos at maturity: http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Peters_Bristlenose_plecostomus.html , http://www.djramsey.com/tropfish/plecostomus.htm , http://www.fishpondinfo.com/bristle.htm , http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1923&articleid=2663

Common plecos are far too large and need burrowing sites: http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/freshwater/catfish/plecostomus.html

A few plecos don't mind cooler water, but most are tropical and need higher temps than the goldfish and rosys would like. I wouldn't suggest keeping the fish you list together, if for no other reason than the goldfish will eat anything it can fit into it's mouth. The rosys and guppies would be compatible in a tank that's at least 70o, and the guppies and pleco could live togeter in a tropical (above76o) tank.