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is it because they are harder to breed becasue they do their stuff at night??

everytime i wonder by my lfs and see a fancy looking pleco in the tank, the price is usually enough for me to eat for a week or so. and today i saw this mango pleco, absolutely gorgeous, for 50 dollars, i was tempted to buy it, but dont have room for it, and dont know much about it either.

there are just so many delicate and fancy looking plecos and cats out there, but why the high price??

IMO they're difficult to breed & that's why the high price tag.
Angels are easy to breed & so the price is quite low.


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yup, i thought so, and probably because it takes them years to become big and mature enough to produce just a guess


thaks for the fast reply, just curious

Here in Malta all Pleco's are quite expencive, with the exception of the common ones that grow quite large. Lately the BN's are imported & the prices are about $4 each.
With Corydoras, it's the same problem. The common ones, Bronze, Albino & Peppered are cheap $2 each & the others are quie rare & expencive.
I try to buy some Corydoras from Local Breeders & the prices are a bit more cheaper.


http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos
http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

4 bucks for a bn, thats cheap, i usually see them for at least 13 dollars

Yes, $4 for a 3cm BN & $8 for a 6cm BN.


http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos
http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

most good looking IMO plecos are worth thousands in austra;ia so you cant complain

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''All the clown fish and yellow tangs in the world cant save you now!''

Its because they are illegal to import them here.

Are all Pleco's illegal in Australia?.


http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos
http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

no jason, I commonly see bristle nose plecos here

probly cause their so hard too breed i think


Last edited by goldfishkeeper at 09-Jun-2005 05:47

Last edited by goldfishkeeper at 09-Jun-2005 05:47

There are many reasons. Many plecos and other catfish are not farm-raised, and must be imported from the wild. On top of that, certain "fancy" plecos are imported in relatively low numbers, especially those which reside in export-banned areas. High demand from catfish enthusiasts help to keep prices up; while the demanding breeding requirements of many species prevent folks from successfully breeding in captivity. There are, of course, many other reasons, these are just the ones that came to me first.

For instance; of all of my catfish (Ancistrus triradiatus, L128, Corydoras delphax, C. guapore, and C. septentrionalis), the only one that has a good chance of being captive/farm raised is the Ancistrus. The others were all most likely caught in the wild, with the possible exception of the C. delphax.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Are all Pleco's illegal in Australia?

There are currently no plecos that I can see on our import list. The ones you see in the lfs here are not imported but raised within aus, or for the rare ones, snuck through customs. In September there are some small ammendments being made to our import list, allowing a couple of species on plec onto the list.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Whence reproducing, loricariids give off very few young. It's a matter of not enough breeders/not enough fish.

Apparently Bristlenoses are ILLEGAL to import because they are a pest in Hawaii. All plecs are illegal to import but im 100% sure in September the L168 (Butterfly Pleco, Flounder Pleco) AQIS is allowing the importation of this pleco according to many forums, AQIS and many wholesalers in Australia.

But they arnt illegal to keep and sell. They are hard to get thats why they are so expensive.

It depends on species really.

Depends on where the from, price of shipping, availability and also if they can be captive bred.