found some of these online and they are priced around $300-400 is that a good price ? they must be pretty rare still to fetch such a high price.
john
john
zebra plecos prices?
- Thread starter jpcampbell123
- Start date
No. Thats too much if your in the states. I personally wouldn't pay more than $200 per. I have a few sources that sell around $150-200 when they have them.
Very cool fish, but I wouldn't pay more than $200.
Very cool fish, but I wouldn't pay more than $200.
do these need the driftwood like the other pleco species? also do they breed readly in captivity?
john
john
Driftwood can be added, but unlike other algae eaters, they do not chew on driftwood; so its your choice whether or not you want to have it in your tank, but its certainly not required.
& heres some zebra pleco breeding info I found on www.aquaticcommunity.com,
"If you want to breed Zebra pleco you should of course start by providing them with excellent care and a nutritious diet. The levels of organic waste must be kept really low and the oxygen content should be really high. Include plenty of caves, crevices and upside-down flowerpots in the set up so that your Zebra plecos have several suitable breeding sites to chose among. The recommended temperature interval for Zebra plecos is 26-30 degrees C (79-86 degrees F), but if you want to induce breeding you should increase the temperature up to 28-30 degrees C (83-86 degrees F).
During the spawning the female will lay several batches of large white eggs inside a cave or similar while the male guards the entrance. The male will leave the entrance to fertilize the eggs, and when all batches have been laid and fertilized he will chase the female away. The eggs are cared for and guarded by the male and it is therefore very important to let him stay in the aquarium. Zebra pleco eggs normally hatch within a week and the fry will receive nutrients from their yolk sacs for another 3-4 days. It can sometimes be tricky to notice that the eggs have hatched since the fry are so small. They look almost like tiny strands of hair and are not able to swim around until they have finished their yolk sacs.
When the yolk sac has been devoured, the fry is ready to eat newly hatched artemia. You can supplement the artemia with powdered flake food. Zebra pleco fry develop noticeable striping at a really early age, often right after having consumed the yolk sac. Within a week or so, they will look like miniature copies of their parents.
When rearing Zebra pleco fry, it is really important to keep the oxygen content up and the levels of organic waste down. Over feeding is a common reason behind foul water and must be avoided.
Carry out small and frequent water changes instead of making large water changes once in a while. Another risk in the aquarium is the filter system. In order to prevent tiny fry from being sucked in, you can cover the opening with filter wool or similar.
Don't loose heart if the first spawning does not produce any fry; it is quite common. Your fish will most likely be more successful next time."
& heres some zebra pleco breeding info I found on www.aquaticcommunity.com,
"If you want to breed Zebra pleco you should of course start by providing them with excellent care and a nutritious diet. The levels of organic waste must be kept really low and the oxygen content should be really high. Include plenty of caves, crevices and upside-down flowerpots in the set up so that your Zebra plecos have several suitable breeding sites to chose among. The recommended temperature interval for Zebra plecos is 26-30 degrees C (79-86 degrees F), but if you want to induce breeding you should increase the temperature up to 28-30 degrees C (83-86 degrees F).
During the spawning the female will lay several batches of large white eggs inside a cave or similar while the male guards the entrance. The male will leave the entrance to fertilize the eggs, and when all batches have been laid and fertilized he will chase the female away. The eggs are cared for and guarded by the male and it is therefore very important to let him stay in the aquarium. Zebra pleco eggs normally hatch within a week and the fry will receive nutrients from their yolk sacs for another 3-4 days. It can sometimes be tricky to notice that the eggs have hatched since the fry are so small. They look almost like tiny strands of hair and are not able to swim around until they have finished their yolk sacs.
When the yolk sac has been devoured, the fry is ready to eat newly hatched artemia. You can supplement the artemia with powdered flake food. Zebra pleco fry develop noticeable striping at a really early age, often right after having consumed the yolk sac. Within a week or so, they will look like miniature copies of their parents.
When rearing Zebra pleco fry, it is really important to keep the oxygen content up and the levels of organic waste down. Over feeding is a common reason behind foul water and must be avoided.
Carry out small and frequent water changes instead of making large water changes once in a while. Another risk in the aquarium is the filter system. In order to prevent tiny fry from being sucked in, you can cover the opening with filter wool or similar.
Don't loose heart if the first spawning does not produce any fry; it is quite common. Your fish will most likely be more successful next time."
If you provide the correct environment they can breed in captivity fairly easily. High current, high temp(86) and high oxygen content and NO direct lighting.
Seeing as the o2 concentration drops off as temp increases, overflitering is a must. I'm setting up a breeding tank for them as we speak and my tank turnover will be about 10x an hour. They have no use for driftwood. They prefer rocks(rounded)and sand. If you to think about trying to keep them, it's important to know they do NOT compete well for food and do NOT eat algae at all. They are carnivores that do not do well in most community settings. Zebras are best kept with more zebras.......
I can see a full grown going for that much, around here in Toronto we get smaller sized ones around 2 - 3" for $150 - $200. I wanted to buy some from the last batch I saw, but most of them had snub-nose; a genetic condition produced through unknown causes, most likely inbreeding. I sugest watching out for this.