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Those a very awesome. Good luck on breeding them!

Oh nearly forgot they ARE available in Australia on the quiet but your looking at a hefty price tag of $950 upwards, And you must bear in mind that they are sensitive to being transfered whether that is from a pet shop or just from one tank to another.

Well actually, i'm hearing all this talk about the Hyp. Zebra being illegal to export from Brazil, However I have not heard anything about this. In actual fact I have just finished writing a report for the Department Of Environment and Heritage (here in Australia) As they are actually considering the Zebra Pleco right now to be added to the Australian Import List. Surely if they were illegal to export from Brazil then the Australian DEH would know this and not even consider it for addition to the AIL!!!!
The reason that they are illegal here in australia is due to the fact that the Zebra Pleco was on classified in 1991. There fore not enough has been know about them and the environmental impact they could have in Australian Waters, and if there would be a risk and consequences of them becoming Feral in our Water Ways. I actually rang Alexa who works at Trade Communication and Live Imports For DEH on Friday 29th October to find out how the reports were going and was told that this minister is actually reading all the reports now.
So If any one could let me know where it is stated that it is illegal for Brazil to export them it would be greatly appreciated, because as far as I'm concerned If the DEH is still going ahead with their Import list then I can't see that they would be illegal.

As far as how to sex them the first ray of the pectoral fin of a mature male is thicker and has odonotes (bristles or tiny spines). These can be seen just below the operculum (gill plate). Also if you look down upon the H.Zebra the males head is visibly broader.

The spawn at any time and if the water conditions are perfect it has been reported that they can spawn every 45 days sometimes quicker. But it all depends on the water conditions and alot of people do water changes or start flood programs to entice them to spawn.

If there is anything else i can help with just sing out.
Hope this helps

I'm pretty sure they'll just breed whenever as long as you give the right conditions.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

i have another question, do zebras spawn all round or its seasonal?

just out of curiosity does anyone know why they cant be imported to australia?

It's against the law. But now it's illegal for people to export from Brazil, so you're probably not gonna see any for a long time.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

just out of curiosity does anyone know why they cant be imported to australia?

i wish they sold them in australia!

Me too!!
They're stunning

same links as above, jjust making it clickable so its easier for everyone, just learnt how to do this yesterday!

one on the left
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/2222222222.jpg

one on the bottom
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/P1030101.jpg

the rest i think are males
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/1.jpg
[link=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/P1030106.jpg
]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/P1030106.jpg
[/link]
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/66.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/22222.jpg

thanks alot for the info and help guys. those were old pictures, i took new ones just 2 days ago, it might be easier to tell.

ive concluded that i might have 2 females

one on the left
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/2222222222.jpg
one on the bottom
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/P1030101.jpg

the rest i think are males

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/P1030106.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/66.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/22222.jpg

what do you guys think?? and what sizes do they start breeding?? any experienced breeders have a pic of a tank set up that we can see?

hi im new to this forum, can experts out there help me sex my plecos?? i cant really tell wether theyre male or female. i would greatly appreciate it for the help. thanks in advance<br><br><br>(the plecos are assigned w/numbers)<br><br><br>

It can be a dead giveaway in some, but often the male Zebra Plecs do not show off in that way.:%)

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Really? I thought the primary pec ray was a dead giveaway?

Guess I need to read up on it more.

lovely fish you have there, hope they do well for you.

LoL, that same article is on PlanetCatfish.

As with all hypancistrus sp., zebras are fairly easy to sex. In the males, the bony part of the pecs are thicker and spinier. Males are also smaller and more compact than the females, often with, larger, broader heads.

Zebra Plecs can be rather difficult to sex, actually. There are many topics posted on PlanetCatfish asking for their Zebras to be sexed. Sometimes it can be hard to tell for sure. :%)

Good luck breedin' those suckers. Since they're illegal for Brazil to export, you've got some of the last F0 fish. And some pretty unique ones you have too; those stripe anomalies are cool.

Last edited by Shinigami at 17-Oct-2004 11:01

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

http://www.scotcat.com/articles/article28.htm
I just found that, don't know if it will help(guy documented his zebras breeding)
Hope it will though

Beautiful fish, Du Ma!

If you have succes breeding them, you'll make a fortune. Good luck with them!

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

As with all hypancistrus sp., zebras are fairly easy to sex. In the males, the bony part of the pecs are thicker and spinier. Males are also smaller and more compact than the females, often with, larger, broader heads.

hi du ma, nice plecos! where u from? i wish they sold them in australia! these plecs a apparently almost impossible to sex so sorry! here is a link to another thread with alot of links and info on them.

sorry i dunno how to make it a clickable link, can sum1 fix it?

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/The%20Recovery%20Room/47753.html?200409261201


instead of IMG in the tags put link - Lindy



Last edited by Lindy at 16-Oct-2004 22:05

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/P1020808.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/1234.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/783b4760.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/25c910a8.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/36090489.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/67c9aee9.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/dumaaa/ac2ac604.jpg
I did this so everyone could gain acces to the picks easyly. Hope you dont mind. Nice plecos wish i had em. I dont know how to tell the sex of them but i think it would have to do with something in the finage.