by TwoTankAmin » Fri Jul 16, 2010 5:52 pm
Imo there is a problem in having smaller females spawning. The number of eggs a female will produce on average is a function of her size- smaller = fewer eggs and larger = more egg. Initially all of a fish's energy is basically devoted to growing- it heads toward maturity and size. However, once the female reaches sexual maturity (i.e. the ability to make eggs) any energy used for reproduction is thus not used for growth. In the wild and in tanks with decent size colonies, the females compete for the right to spawn just as the males do. Normally these competitions are won or lost based on size.
If a female in a tank begins spawning at a small size due to the specific conditions in that tank making this possible, the result will be she slows her growth rate in favor of egg production with the end result being a smaller female who produces fewer eggs over the longer term.
This is one of the reasons I prefer to keep plecos acquired with the intent to spawn them in groups rather than pairs or trios. Of course if one is starting with grown adults this would not be an issue, it is when one is growing out fish to spawning age/size that is can be.
What makes the common person uncommon is common sense.
