{"id":7176,"date":"2022-08-20T13:19:12","date_gmt":"2022-08-20T13:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/?p=7176"},"modified":"2022-11-02T14:20:56","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T14:20:56","slug":"breeding-pleco-catfish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/","title":{"rendered":"Breeding Pleco Catfish &#8211; Guide With Pictures"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"7176\" class=\"elementor elementor-7176\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a06ac1e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a06ac1e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-339e7e1\" data-id=\"339e7e1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-39e0e1b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"39e0e1b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 01-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>Breeding pleco catfish isn&#8217;t as hard as you might think. In fact, with a clear guide it&#8217;s rather easy to breed most pleco species.\u00a0<\/p><p>Although breeding plecos is pretty different per species, I&#8217;ve done my best to create a full resource that&#8217;s suitable for most species.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a6aa389 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a6aa389\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 01-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Breeding bristlenose plecos<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-509c849 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"509c849\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Breeding bristlenose plecos is extremely easy. If you put a male and female together and have some form of cave, it&#8217;s almost guaranteed they will spawn.<\/p><p>This guide is ment for the plecos that need some more care to breed. If you want to breed bristlenose plecos, it will probably be a lot easier than what this guide talks about.<\/p><p>Read the full Guide To <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-bristlenose-plecos\/\">Breeding Bristlenose Plecos<\/a>\u00a0\u2192<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9b928e9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9b928e9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 01-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/antenna-catfish-g1e94c7578_1280-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7321\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/antenna-catfish-g1e94c7578_1280-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/antenna-catfish-g1e94c7578_1280-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/antenna-catfish-g1e94c7578_1280-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/antenna-catfish-g1e94c7578_1280-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/antenna-catfish-g1e94c7578_1280.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f815420 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f815420\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Part 1: Setting up a breeding environment<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2503265 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2503265\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Before thinking about breeding pleco catfish, your tank will need to meet certain criteria. This will ensure that your plecos feel comfortable for breeding and that no other fish will disturb them.<\/p><p>I always recommend to set up a dedicated tank for this. This tank doesn&#8217;t have to be really big, but comfortable for the amount of plecos you want to house.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4d9fb6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a4d9fb6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Tank setup<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7fa04ed elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7fa04ed\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Tank size<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-da59679 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"da59679\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>For most species, a 20 gallon &#8216;long&#8217; tank is a good size for a pair or trio (1m2f). This tank doesn&#8217;t have to be high, as plecos will hang around at the bottom of the tank most of the time.<\/p><p>This tank size is great for bristlenose plecos, zebra plecos, clown plecos and other species that are around the same size. Some bigger Hypancistrus species like the L333 need a tank that&#8217;s at least 30 gallons to be comfortable.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-847dec1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"847dec1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Filtration<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-682b77e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"682b77e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>It&#8217;s important to put a strong filter on this breeding tank setup. Not only will plecos breed faster in clean, high quality water, the eggs will have a higher hatch rate and the fry will survive better.<\/p><p>For a 20 gallon tank, a cannister filter is a good choice. This filter should do around 120 to 200 gallons per hour.<\/p><p>Apart from filtration, it&#8217;s great to have a source of oxygen. You can choose to add a sponge filter to the tank, with an airstone as power source. But in this size of tank, pointing the filter outlet so that it creates bubbles and a lot of surface movement is also a good idea.<\/p><p>I&#8217;ve found that plecos like some current before their caves, so you can point the filter outlet so that it creates a flow before the cave entrances.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-86dd00f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"86dd00f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Pleco caves<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-67f3d25 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"67f3d25\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Schermafbeelding-2022-08-21-om-17.07.19-e1661094501585-1024x500.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7224\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Schermafbeelding-2022-08-21-om-17.07.19-e1661094501585-1024x500.png 1024w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Schermafbeelding-2022-08-21-om-17.07.19-e1661094501585-300x146.png 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Schermafbeelding-2022-08-21-om-17.07.19-e1661094501585-768x375.png 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Schermafbeelding-2022-08-21-om-17.07.19-e1661094501585-1536x750.png 1536w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Schermafbeelding-2022-08-21-om-17.07.19-e1661094501585.png 1880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-33c3052 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"33c3052\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Pleco caves are the most important accessory to put in your breeding tank. It might seem optional, but they will make your life a lot easier.<\/p><p>First of all, I&#8217;ve found plecos to prefer pleco caves over any other decorations, especially for breeding.<\/p><p>Second off, these caves are extremely easy to use and if needed, to take eggs or fry from.<\/p><p>They&#8217;re quite compact, so they will take less place than other accessories.<\/p><p>Every male will claim his own cave, and the females will enter the cave if the pair is ready for breeding. This way you&#8217;ll have a clean overview and view of what your plecos are up to.<\/p><p>I recommend to provide at least one cave per fish (including females). However, more is always better :). Otherwise, it can cause conflicts and <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-aggression\/\">aggression between males<\/a>.<\/p><p><a style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; background-color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Plecoceramics-pleco-cave-Natural-Size\/dp\/B08Z8KPTWG?keywords=plecoceramics&amp;qid=1661094053&amp;s=pet-supplies&amp;sr=1-2&amp;linkCode=ll1&amp;tag=keepingcatfish-20&amp;linkId=d888a45e10b16fef47f61b157ea184b2&amp;language=en_US&amp;ref_=as_li_ss_tl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Buy Pleco Ceramics Caves (High Quality) on Amazon<\/a><\/p><p>Optionally, you can also choose to add live plants to your tank. These live plants will provide extra natural cover for your plecos. Read our guide on the <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/7-best-plants-for-plecos\/\">best plants for plecos<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19cf992 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"19cf992\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Tank mates<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a0533ab elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a0533ab\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Adding tank mates to a breeding tank is optional. However, there is one main advantage of keeping some middle to upper layer fish, like tetras with them.<\/p><p>In the wild, plecos are vulnerable animals. Because they live on the ground, their sight is limited which put them at risk for predators coming from above.<\/p><p>This is why they always look at the fish swimming above them, and read their signals.<\/p><p>When these fish suddenly disappear, chances are there is danger coming.<\/p><p>To mimic this natural environment and to make plecos feel more safe, you can add rasboras, tetras or any other active (but non territorial) middle to upper layer fish.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-74b5879 elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-blockquote--button-color-official elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"74b5879\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor-pro - v3.14.0 - 26-06-2023 *\/\n@charset \"UTF-8\";.entry-content blockquote.elementor-blockquote:not(.alignright):not(.alignleft),.entry-summary blockquote.elementor-blockquote{margin-right:0;margin-left:0}.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote{margin:0;padding:0;outline:0;font-size:100%;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent;quotes:none;border:0;font-style:normal;color:#3f444b}.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote .e-q-footer:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote .e-q-footer:before,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote:before,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote cite:after,.elementor-widget-blockquote blockquote cite:before{content:none}.elementor-blockquote{transition:.3s}.elementor-blockquote__author,.elementor-blockquote__content{margin-bottom:0;font-style:normal}.elementor-blockquote__author{font-weight:700}.elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer{margin-top:12px;display:flex;justify-content:space-between}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{display:flex;transition:.3s;color:#1da1f2;align-self:flex-end;line-height:1;position:relative;width:-moz-max-content;width:max-content}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover{color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button span{font-weight:600}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i,.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button span{vertical-align:middle}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i+span,.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg+span{margin-left:.5em}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg{fill:#1da1f2;height:1em;width:1em}.elementor-blockquote__tweet-label{white-space:pre-wrap}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{padding:.7em 1.2em;border-radius:100em;background-color:#1da1f2;color:#fff;font-size:15px}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover{background-color:#0967a0;color:#fff}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before{border-right-color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button svg{fill:#fff;height:1em;width:1em}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{padding:0;width:2em;height:2em}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i,.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-classic.elementor-blockquote--button-view-icon .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button i{position:absolute;left:50%;top:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%)}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:before{content:\"\";border:.5em solid transparent;border-right-color:#1da1f2;position:absolute;left:-.8em;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%) scaleY(.65);transition:.3s}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:before{right:auto;left:-.8em;border-right-color:#1da1f2;border-left-color:transparent}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before{border-right-color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:before{left:auto;right:-.8em;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:#1da1f2}.elementor-blockquote--button-skin-bubble.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button:hover:before{border-left-color:#0967a0}.elementor-blockquote--skin-boxed .elementor-blockquote{background-color:#f9fafa;padding:30px}.elementor-blockquote--skin-border .elementor-blockquote{border-color:#f9fafa;border-left:7px #f9fafa;border-style:solid;padding-left:20px}.elementor-blockquote--skin-quotation .elementor-blockquote:before{content:\"\u201c\";font-size:100px;color:#f9fafa;font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-weight:900;line-height:1;display:block;height:.6em}.elementor-blockquote--skin-quotation .elementor-blockquote__content{margin-top:15px}.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote__content{text-align:left}.elementor-blockquote--align-left .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer{flex-direction:row}.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote__content{text-align:right}.elementor-blockquote--align-right .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer{flex-direction:row-reverse}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote{text-align:center}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote .e-q-footer,.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote__author{display:block}.elementor-blockquote--align-center .elementor-blockquote__tweet-button{margin-right:auto;margin-left:auto}<\/style>\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\tAlthough this is purely anecdotal, I've heard people claiming hormones of other fish breeding can encourage plecos to spawn. So, as tank mates you might also choose an easy to breed fish like guppies. Make sure to think about what you'll do with the babies though ;). \t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-69ba21a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"69ba21a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Composing a breeding group\/pair<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0be9567 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0be9567\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Plecos often do best in small groups for breeding. The ideal size is around 5-6 fish I&#8217;ve found, with 2 males and the rest female.<\/p><p>However, it&#8217;s certainly not impossible to breed plecos in pair. Especially in the bristlenose pleco&#8217;s case, that is rather easy to spawn.<\/p><p>Naturally, there will be one dominant male (alpha) who will mate most frequently. He will have a preference female. The non-dominant male will also be able to breed, even though he&#8217;s not the alpha.<\/p><p>If you are thinking of buying a certain species, I always recommend to buy young fish and let them grow up. It will be much cheaper, and you&#8217;ll know that you buy young fish.<\/p><p>You can f.e. buy 10 young fish, and after composing your breeding group, sell off the rest<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a84b402 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a84b402\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sexing pleco catfish<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3e64db9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3e64db9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Sexing pleco catfish can either be super easy, or super hard. Here&#8217;s a comparison between a male and female of the bristlenose pleco.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-7401973 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7401973\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;a1e4f1d&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_tablet&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_image_mobile&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_speed&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;%&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:50,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;jet_parallax_layout_type&quot;:&quot;scroll&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_fx_direction&quot;:null,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_z_index&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_x_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y&quot;:50,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_y_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_tablet&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_bg_size_mobile&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_animation_prop&quot;:&quot;transform&quot;,&quot;jet_parallax_layout_on&quot;:[&quot;desktop&quot;,&quot;tablet&quot;]}]}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-0944c42\" data-id=\"0944c42\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-89edb7e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"89edb7e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"308\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368673_280e454ae3_w.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2445\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368673_280e454ae3_w.jpg 400w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368673_280e454ae3_w-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8dd4e21 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8dd4e21\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Female<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-b060736\" data-id=\"b060736\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c80e15e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c80e15e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"308\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368515_384806aaf0_w-e1641390185941.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2444\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368515_384806aaf0_w-e1641390185941.jpg 400w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/6941368515_384806aaf0_w-e1641390185941-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dd48474 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dd48474\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Male<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eceb9b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eceb9b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhotos by <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/bzok2v\">Fran Estevez<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b239516 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b239516\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>As you can see, the male of a bristlenose pleco develops big bristles, and the female doesn&#8217;t. This makes it easy to sex mature bristlenose plecos.<\/p><p>Other ways to sex plecos are:<\/p><ul><li>Size difference &#8211; Males are usually longer than females<\/li><li>Body shape &#8211; Females have a drop-like shape, while males are more streamlined<\/li><li>Odontodes &#8211; Males can develop odontodes on the tail base and pectoral fins<\/li><li>Behavior &#8211; As discussed, males will claim a cave while females roam around more.<\/li><\/ul><p>Not every pleco will show all of these signs, though. It highly differs per species and individual!<\/p><p>Want to know even more ways to sex different types of plecos? Read our <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/sexing-plecos\/\">full guide to sexing plecos<\/a>. It covers this important topic in-depth.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-74c4af6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"74c4af6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How fast are plecos sexually mature?<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9040137 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9040137\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Before being able to sex the plecos, you have to know that they&#8217;re sexually mature.<\/p><p><strong>Most pleco species become sexually mature at 1-2 years of age. This includes the bristlenose pleco. Before this age, it will not be possible to sex the animals.<\/strong><\/p><p>At this age, the plecos should&#8217;ve grown to almost their full length, although reaching that can take many more years.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-97b930a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"97b930a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Part 2: Conditioning the adults<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-396060c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"396060c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Conditioning your plecos for breeding does two things:<\/p><ul><li>It prepares your plecos physically to breed, because this process takes a lot of energy. The male will not eat for weeks when on the eggs, and the female needs to make eggs.<\/li><li>It gets them ready to spawn. Plecos will be more likely to spawn if they are fed great food beforehand, which mimics their natural environment.<\/li><\/ul><p>You condition your pleco while feeding live foods for a couple of weeks, before you start the process of getting them to spawn. Great foods are blackworms, bloodworms, artemia. You can also feed frozen foods or Repashy, which is highly nutritious.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0423e72 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0423e72\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"591\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/frozen-foods-.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3830\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/frozen-foods-.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/frozen-foods--300x173.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/frozen-foods--768x443.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0499f16 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0499f16\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to know if plecos are ready for breeding<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-77c3916 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"77c3916\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, there isn&#8217;t one certain way to know whether a pleco is ready to spawn. You can see some subtle signs though that can indicate spawning behaviors.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;\">Female plecos will have a round body shape, indicating that they&#8217;re full of eggs. Males on the other hand will try to trap a female in the cave to mate. If a female is ready, it will hang out around the male&#8217;s cave more often.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;\">More often than not, it&#8217;s not possible to predict a spawn based on visible signs, though.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c67e041 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c67e041\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Part 3: Incentivize spawning<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7896a81 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7896a81\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>After the conditioning of the plecos, it&#8217;s time to trigger the fish into spawning.<\/p><p>This is usually not that hard, but it does require some consistent efforts.<\/p><p>Before going into detail about how to incentivize your pleco catfish to spawn, it&#8217;s important to know some context about what triggers these fish.<\/p><p>In the wild, pleco catfish will spawn in the rainy season. A lot of new, fresh water flows into the rivers and more food is available. These are the optimal conditions for plecos to spawn.<\/p><p>To trigger these fish, we will recreate a mini rainy and dry season. This method is surprisingly similar to <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-cory-catfish\/\">breeding cory catfish<\/a>, about which we also have a full guide :).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b01e213 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b01e213\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Step one: dry season<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1283d01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1283d01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>For around a month, don&#8217;t do any water changes. Optionally, you can increase the temperature gradually by 2 or 3\u00b0C.\u00a0<\/p><p>During this period, keep feeding the fish like you would normally.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-199bcba elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"199bcba\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Step two: rainy season<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-75b7bfd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"75b7bfd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>After this month, you&#8217;ll do just the opposite. Start by changing water with softer (lower pH) and slightly cooler water.<\/p><p>Ideally for this purpose is rain water. Rain water usually has a lower pH than tap water and is thus a good alternative for RO water.<\/p><p>It highly depends on the individual case how far you have to take this part.<\/p><p>Sometimes, the fish will start spawning after one 30% water change. Other times, you&#8217;ll need to do multiple rounds for success.<\/p><p>One method I learnt from Larry Vires, who wrote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetcatfish.com\/shanesworld\/shanesworld.php?article_id=244\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">article about it on Planet Catfish<\/a>.<\/p><p>Each day, you perform a 30% water change with softer and slightly cooler water. You do this for 7 days, after which you pause for 7 days. During this first pause week, plecos will likely spawn. Sometimes the plecos need multiple weeks to spawn.<\/p><p>Please note that you need patience to breed plecos. Sometimes, it just won&#8217;t work. You&#8217;ll have to give them a break and try again later.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c115313 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c115313\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Weather conditions<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4cd26f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4cd26f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>As we&#8217;ve discussed, plecos spawn in the rainy season. Sometimes your plecos won&#8217;t need any triggers, because of the weather conditions outside.<\/p><p>If there is a storm or a lot of rain, chances are your plecos will spawn. This is because they will notice the lower air pressure outside.<\/p><p>The spring (march and april) and october are the ideal months because of the rain.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d4b6ce elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4d4b6ce\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Part 4: Caring for The Eggs<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-47ce3a9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"47ce3a9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"622\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pleco-eggs-e1641143306513.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2320\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pleco-eggs-e1641143306513.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pleco-eggs-e1641143306513-300x182.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pleco-eggs-e1641143306513-768x467.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-34352b0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"34352b0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>So, your plecos spawned, now what?!<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, plecos are great fathers. In good conditions, the pleco male will care for the eggs and guard them in his cave. He will eat the infected eggs and provide them with fresh water.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on water temperature and the species, the eggs will hatch in 3-10 days. After this, the fry will live in the cave for another 1-2 weeks after which they can live autonomously.<\/p><p>If you notice your male is sitting on eggs (sign briefly with a light at night in the pleco cave), there are two options you can take<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-39d4349 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"39d4349\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Option 1: let the male care for the eggs<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cd70bb2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cd70bb2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>I always recommend this method. There is no better egg tumbler than a father pleco :).<\/p><p>The disadvantage of letting the father hatch out the eggs is that if he <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-dying\/\">gets stressed<\/a>, he might eat the eggs. If you notice this problem occurring often when he sits on eggs, it&#8217;s a good idea to &#8216;pull the eggs&#8217;, which brings me to option 2.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e362b45 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e362b45\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Option 2: hatch them yourself<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-722f22b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"722f22b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>If your male has kicked the eggs out of his caves (meaning you see a random pile of eggs in the tank) or if he keeps eating them, there are some great methods to hatch them yourself.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d64d46 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1d64d46\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to pull the eggs<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5dbf3dd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5dbf3dd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This is another reason for getting pleco caves. It&#8217;s very easy to pick the desired pleco cave out of the tank.<\/p><p>Prepare another tub and gently move the pleco cave (with the male inside) like a seesaw. After a couple movements, the egg clump should fall out. You can then put the cave with the male back at its spot<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aba0f7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"aba0f7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to hatch the eggs<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e00b33 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6e00b33\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The thing you&#8217;ll need is an egg tumbler. You can either make one yourself or buy one on Amazon.<\/p><p>The egg tumbler will do what the father normally does and keep the eggs moving in fresh, oxygenated water.\u00a0<\/p><p>Watch out for infected eggs. Pleco eggs can develop bacterial infections. Normally, the male will eat these, but now you&#8217;ll have to pick them out. These eggs will have a noticeably different pale color and moldy structure.<\/p><p>The same goes for infertile eggs. These infertile eggs are more prone to the infections and will have to be removed.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ad90e15 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ad90e15\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"821\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25-821x1024.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2286\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25-821x1024.png 821w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25-241x300.png 241w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25-768x958.png 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25-1232x1536.png 1232w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25.png 1238w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 821px) 100vw, 821px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\"><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-fe1b559 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fe1b559\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[],&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-046af3a\" data-id=\"046af3a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e3ddc63 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e3ddc63\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"821\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25-821x1024.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-2286\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25-821x1024.png 821w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25-241x300.png 241w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25-768x958.png 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25-1232x1536.png 1232w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Schermafbeelding-2022-01-02-om-15.00.25.png 1238w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 821px) 100vw, 821px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-6cfb391\" data-id=\"6cfb391\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f55510d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f55510d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Read the full guide about pleco eggs<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-d077d6b\" data-id=\"d077d6b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-53b14ea elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"53b14ea\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/pleco-eggs\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Pleco eggs 101<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-724c877 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"724c877\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Part 5: Raising The Fry<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f284a04 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f284a04\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Young pleco fry will not look very different from the eggs. They will live off their yolk sack for a couple days, before taking on food. During these days, the fry is extremely vulnerable and should have the same treatment as the eggs.<\/p><p>Only when the yolk sack is starting to disappear, you can start adding the first foods. Ideally are catappa leaves, which provide a great food source for newborn fry.<\/p><p>Raise the pleco fry in the breeding tank for a couple of weeks, until they are strong enough to undergo a move to their own growout tank.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c03f96 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6c03f96\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Growout tank<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e8e3b14 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e8e3b14\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Having a dedicated grow-out tank for the fry is not absolutely necessary, but if you are keen on having a high success rate it&#8217;s the best choice.<\/p><p>In this environment it&#8217;s way easier to monitor the fry and make sure they eat enough.<\/p><p>Depending on the amount of fry you want to raise, a 20 gallon tank with a strong filter does the job.<\/p><p>You can choose to have it bare bottom or with a thin layer of sand.<\/p><p>Nothing too fancy about this tank, the most important thing is to keep it clean and perform regular water changes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46b0094 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"46b0094\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Diet<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3a36113 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3a36113\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Young plecos eat practically the same as adults.\u00a0<\/p><p>Make sure to look at what your pleco needs in terms of diet. Is it a herbivore, carnivore or omnivore?<\/p><p>Most plecos are omnivores, meaning they need a mix of plant-based foods and meat. I recommend to compose a diet of <a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/feeding-plecos-vegetables\/\">vegetables<\/a>, pellets and a little bit of frozen foods. Having such a varied diet will make the fry grow a lot faster.<\/p><p>It can be useful to chop up the frozen foods and to blanch the vegetables briefly, so that the fry can eat it more easily.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-fa89047 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fa89047\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;jet_parallax_layout_list&quot;:[],&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-78a0b3a\" data-id=\"78a0b3a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-20e5d34 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"20e5d34\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"591\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pleco-catfish-fry-1024x591.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-6121\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pleco-catfish-fry-1024x591.webp 1024w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pleco-catfish-fry-300x173.webp 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pleco-catfish-fry-768x443.webp 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pleco-catfish-fry-1536x886.webp 1536w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/pleco-catfish-fry.webp 1872w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-914cc79\" data-id=\"914cc79\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-50ee33c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"50ee33c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Read the full guide about pleco babies<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-5239c32\" data-id=\"5239c32\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8f8b471 elementor-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"8f8b471\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/raising-pleco-fry\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Pleco babies 101<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a80e8c5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a80e8c5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Breeding pleco catfish in a community tank<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6b7b82e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"6b7b82e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"357\" src=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/aquarium-g8ce568ab6_1280-1024x357.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-7333\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/aquarium-g8ce568ab6_1280-1024x357.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/aquarium-g8ce568ab6_1280-300x105.jpg 300w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/aquarium-g8ce568ab6_1280-768x268.jpg 768w, https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/aquarium-g8ce568ab6_1280.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-be1982f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"be1982f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Although I always recommend to set up a dedicated breeding tank, breeding these fish in a community tank is not impossible.<\/p><p>The main disadvantage of this method is that it will be disturbing the other fish in the tank, if you choose to go through the different phases of breeding.\u00a0<\/p><p>In the case of bristlenose plecos, these are the best to breed in community tank because they don&#8217;t need much triggering. Just place on cave in the tank and carefully monitor them.\u00a0<\/p><p>Raising the fry in a community tank will not be a good idea. Unless you don&#8217;t mind pleco fry getting eaten, a dedicated grow-out tank.<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/setting-up-a-pleco-tank-ultimate-guide\/\">Setting up a pleco tank.<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-83c0b0a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"83c0b0a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Warning: crossbreeding<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07bd78f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"07bd78f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>One of the dangers to fish species is the hybridization of different types.<\/p><p>Many <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/L-number\">l-numbers<\/a> are related to each other, and very similar. The same goes for Ancistrus species (bristlenose plecos). Some species can interbreed and produce viable offspring, which is a danger for the hobby.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;\">Crossbreeding different species is not a good idea because you will create hybrid fish that don&#8217;t belong anywhere. These hybrid fish may be sold as a certain species, which will eventually lead into no pure species existing anymore.<\/span><\/p><p>So, before composing a breeding group make sure that all are the same species. This keeps the hobby fun for all of us!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b3f36d3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b3f36d3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Breeding plecos for profit<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f2a633 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1f2a633\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Plecos are in my opinion one of the best fish to breed for profit.\u00a0<\/p><p>Because the fry is relatively easy to care for and doesn&#8217;t need much more elaborate care than the parents.<\/p><p>On top of that, almost all plecos are in big demand and you&#8217;ll be able to sell them of easily.<\/p><p>If you are a starting aquarist, bristlenose plecos are ideal. Many local fish stores will be happy to take your fish.<\/p><p>When breeding for profit, it&#8217;s important to make a clear plan and to know how you&#8217;ll be selling before starting to breed. This ensures you don&#8217;t end up with 500 baby plecos you can&#8217;t get rid of.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bf43e47 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bf43e47\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How often do plecos spawn?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-883925e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"883925e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the right environment, plecos can be like rabbits. Although it depends on the fish and the species, here&#8217;s the average on how often plecos breed.<\/p><p><strong>If plecos feel well, a pair will breed around once every 6 to 8 weeks. Some species need more time, like 3-4 months. Females can visit multiple caves, and can breed more frequently than males. It&#8217;s important to give the man some pauses to prevent it getting exhausted from constant breeding.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c2bd626 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c2bd626\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Conclusion<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24f7227 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"24f7227\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Breeding pleco catfish is not that hard, but it does require continuous efforts. Depending on the pleco species, the process of making these fish spawn varies in difficulty.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the 5 steps that you&#8217;ll have to go through when breeding plecos:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Setting up a breeding environment &#8211; <\/strong>A dedicated breeding tank with lots of caves makes breeding a lot easier.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conditioning &#8211; <\/strong>Feed high quality live and frozen foods<\/li>\n<li><strong>Incentivizing spawning &#8211;<\/strong> A series of water changes mimics what goes on in the wild<\/li>\n<li><b>Hatching the eggs &#8211;<\/b> The male will most likely care for these, otherwise you can use an egg tumbler.<\/li>\n<li><b>Raising the fry &#8211; <\/b>Set up a dedicated tank, the fry is easy to raise<\/li>\n<\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Breeding pleco catfish isn&#8217;t as hard as you might think. In fact, with a clear guide it&#8217;s rather easy to breed most pleco species.\u00a0 Although breeding plecos is pretty different per species, I&#8217;ve done my best to create a full resource that&#8217;s suitable for most species. Breeding bristlenose plecos Breeding bristlenose plecos is extremely easy. &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Breeding Pleco Catfish &#8211; Guide With Pictures<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"","site-content-layout":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Breeding Pleco Catfish - Guide With Pictures | Keeping Catfish<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Breeding Pleco Catfish - Guide With Pictures | Keeping Catfish\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Breeding pleco catfish isn&#8217;t as hard as you might think. In fact, with a clear guide it&#8217;s rather easy to breed most pleco species.\u00a0 Although breeding plecos is pretty different per species, I&#8217;ve done my best to create a full resource that&#8217;s suitable for most species. Breeding bristlenose plecos Breeding bristlenose plecos is extremely easy. &hellip; Breeding Pleco Catfish &#8211; Guide With Pictures Read More &raquo;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Keeping Catfish\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-08-20T13:19:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-11-02T14:20:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pleco-catfish-breeding.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1872\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Thijs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Thijs\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Thijs\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e\"},\"headline\":\"Breeding Pleco Catfish &#8211; Guide With Pictures\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-20T13:19:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-02T14:20:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/\"},\"wordCount\":2942,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Breeding\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/\",\"name\":\"Breeding Pleco Catfish - Guide With Pictures | Keeping Catfish\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-20T13:19:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-02T14:20:56+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Plecos\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Breeding\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/breeding-plecos\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Breeding Pleco Catfish &#8211; Guide With Pictures\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/\",\"name\":\"Keeping Catfish\",\"description\":\"Tips for Keeping Catfish In Your Aquarium\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Keeping Catfish\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png\",\"width\":396,\"height\":80,\"caption\":\"Keeping Catfish\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e\",\"name\":\"Thijs\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Thijs\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/author\/thijs\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Breeding Pleco Catfish - Guide With Pictures | Keeping Catfish","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Breeding Pleco Catfish - Guide With Pictures | Keeping Catfish","og_description":"Breeding pleco catfish isn&#8217;t as hard as you might think. In fact, with a clear guide it&#8217;s rather easy to breed most pleco species.\u00a0 Although breeding plecos is pretty different per species, I&#8217;ve done my best to create a full resource that&#8217;s suitable for most species. Breeding bristlenose plecos Breeding bristlenose plecos is extremely easy. &hellip; Breeding Pleco Catfish &#8211; Guide With Pictures Read More &raquo;","og_url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/","og_site_name":"Keeping Catfish","article_published_time":"2022-08-20T13:19:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-11-02T14:20:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1872,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pleco-catfish-breeding.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Thijs","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Thijs","Est. reading time":"15 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/"},"author":{"name":"Thijs","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e"},"headline":"Breeding Pleco Catfish &#8211; Guide With Pictures","datePublished":"2022-08-20T13:19:12+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-02T14:20:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/"},"wordCount":2942,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Breeding"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/","name":"Breeding Pleco Catfish - Guide With Pictures | Keeping Catfish","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-08-20T13:19:12+00:00","dateModified":"2022-11-02T14:20:56+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/breeding-pleco-catfish\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Plecos","item":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Breeding","item":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/category\/plecos\/breeding-plecos\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Breeding Pleco Catfish &#8211; Guide With Pictures"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/","name":"Keeping Catfish","description":"Tips for Keeping Catfish In Your Aquarium","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#organization","name":"Keeping Catfish","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keepingcatfish-1-e1652029789702.png","width":396,"height":80,"caption":"Keeping Catfish"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2fadde910b38ba49e9d65d52776d583e","name":"Thijs","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/55d1318cd9c55207aab82d413fd68bff?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Thijs"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com"],"url":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/author\/thijs\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7176"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7176"}],"version-history":[{"count":154,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8405,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7176\/revisions\/8405"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keepingcatfish.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}