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hello all.

i'm getting a pair of zebra plecs in a few weeks, they will be housed in my 40G tall tank with large tetratec 1200 exturnal filter.

few questions

best aquascape?
feeding suggestions?
other stock?


at the moment the tank is home to
1 L001
1 Bristlenose male
1 clown plec
20 neon tetras
2 swordtails
5 silver hatchets
5 corys

the bristlenose could be rehoused in my 70G,
L 001 into my 20G?
and apart from the clown, cories and hatchets i could return the other fish.

so what do you suggest as an ideal stock for the tank?

see my profile for my other tanks

thanks Karl.

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

They don't care much about the aquascape, but zebra plecos like caves. Be sure to have a few in the aquarium for them to choose from. They prefer those that leave just enough room for them to squeeze into.

These fish are carnivores, so stuff like frozen bloodworms is pretty happily taken.

As far as other fish, just be sure not to get anything that will bother them or steal all of their food away.

L001 grows over half a foot, so be sure you'll have room for it in a larger tank later. The hatchetfish would be a good choice for the forty gallon, and the neon tetras should be okay as long as you can get around them at feeding time. I'm not sure if you'd be able to keep the clown pleco with the zebras, but it seems like the clown should keep to itself on its piece of driftwood.

---

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

I have two articles on their care from the early 1990s issues of TFH in my CD-ROM files, and will look them up for you soon. From what I remember, they:

(1) Are pure carnivores (remarkably for Plecostomus, they totally ignore plants and algae.)

(2) Demand extremely clean water, preferably at a high temperature (up to 85 F, or 29 C) -- but aren't sensitive to its pH.

(3) Are extremely shy and easily frightened -- they may not come out of their hiding places in the daytime at all for months after you get them.

As with many hypancistrus, they will feed on seeds and even fruit. I have tried mango with great success.

cheers for the replies

i let you all know how i get on with them.

Karl

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

Here, as promised, is a bit more on the care of Zebra Plecs from the Sept. 1993 and Jan. 1996 issues of TFH. (You'll note that my memories of the articles' information wasn't completely accurate.)

(1) "Even in somewhat alkaline, hard water, they do well. For day-to-day keeping, temperatures of 78-81 F (26-27 C) are fine. But although water chemistry is not important, water QUALITY is. These fish need very clean water, with plenty of oxygen. Supplemental aeration is strongly recommended." (The article also says that, for actul breeding, water temperature should be raised to fully 86 F [30 C].)

(2) They aren't as territorial as many other loricarids, and several can be kept in one tank -- but be careful keeping them with larger and more aggressive fish, which can easily injure them. They need a few hiding places (caves made of slate or other stones) -- but they don't chew on driftwood like some other plecos.

They are NOT nocturnal; they're active during the day, but are very shy and will tend to retreat back into their caves if anyone watching the tank moves even slightly.

(3) They totally ignore algae as a food. One article says that they also don't need any vegetable food such as lettuce or zucchini -- but the other article says that they WILL eat cooked zucchini slices. However, both articles agree that they are mostly carnivores, and that they readily take small live or frozen food such as cyclops, daphnia, and brine shrimp nauplii, and also love bloodworms. (One article says that they they dislike larger animal food, such as adult brine shrimp or krill -- but the other article claims that they WILL take adult frozen brine shrimp.) The articles also agree that they will also happily take food tablets or flakes with a vegetable base.

In short, the key requirements seem to be to keep their water very clean and well-oxygenated, provide them with a good deal of small animal-based food, and provide them with hiding places.

Bruce is right--all that attention to pH is really unecessary. They are not particularly sensitive fish and wil enjoy a range of water parameters. However, despite them enjoying a social setting, they are MOST DEFINITELY territorial---I do not know of any loricarrid of the ancistrinae subfamily that isn't. Males can be just downright nasty towards one another. Even as a pair there will be interspecific squabbling during dinner time.