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Hi i am posting these pics of my first spawn of zebra plecos!!! The pics are from a few days back as i wanted to make sure it looked like the fry would make it before i posted.
Hopefully the pictures show up.

The pic is of the wigglers from May 27, 2012, these large eggs with tails would always be at the front of the cave in the mornings but gone by night, hopefully rounded up by the male.

The last time the male let me look into the cave i counted 10 eggs. Not sure how many are left but i had one fry that had it eggs sack almost used up so i am hopeful i will be seeing the new zebras in the open tank soon.

Trying really hard not to keep shining the flashlight in the cave, but boy is it ever tough to do.

Bob

Looks like it worked. Sorry about the crappy quality of the pictures. Poor operator!!!
Bob

The first spawn is so exciting.

Try putting something under the front edge of the cave so that it will slightly slope down towards the back. This will make it less likely the eggs can accidentally get knocked out of the cave.

I have always shone my flashlight into caves with eggs, wigglers or fry to no ill effect. I have shone it in during trappings as well and it did not prevent a spawn. I normally do cave checks in all my pleco tanks twice a day with flashlight in hand. Anybody's experiences in this regard can vary, so I might just be lucky.

Ya, I think it's just my luck. I actually had a 2nd male spawning a few days after the first one and I could see a egg so I was super pumped thinking I had two batches going at once. But I jumped the gun and I think he ate it. I was still positive because later that day there was a female in there with him again. I guess I can't tell for sure if it's because it was his first spawn or my constant harassing with the flashlight.

I actually have all my caves sitting on a larger piece of slate that I put in at an angle but it almost looks like it leveled off. Maybe cause of all the trumpet snails digging around. I'll have to break up some smaller piece of slate and do it that way.

Have you ever had a problem with trumpet snails getting at the eggs? I have them by the hundreds, but leave them in because they seem to make pretty quick work of any left over food.

Bob

I only have had MTS in two tanks. The first is my clown loach tank and it has been years since I have seen a snail in that tank. The second was a planted 45 gal community. It is now filled with assassin snails and no MTS in there either. Many of my other tanks have common pond snails. Those which seem to have the least are ones with zebras which I believe will eat snails when they can.

Since my zebra tanks are all bare bottom, they are not all that MTS friendly as the snails like to burrow and hide in substrate.

I rarely have left over food in any tanks.

Wow this is just crazy!!! I have a second spawn in the cave with the fry at the same time.

I had a bit of a let down after my second male ate his eggs, so I just kept checking the fry. Well last night I could see at least 8 fry on top of the cave but towards the front of the cave. This was odd because they are usually by the males head. I took a closer look and he had a trapping going on at the same time. A look this morning and the fry are still on the top side of the cave but closer to the back now and the male is in the middle. In the back of the cave I can make out eggs!!!

Anybody know what the chances of being able to brood the second batch at the same tIme are? I do not think I can get the fry out of the cave without disrupting the male and the eggs.

Bob

Leave em, this happens more often, no problem for the male or the brood.

Congrats and enjoy it

Hi John

I think you are right. This male seems to really know what he is doing. At one point there was a egg at the entrance to the cave so I was worried he might do something, but I shut off the lights and just left them alone. I just checked this morning and he is still rolling the eggs around and the fry are also still in there with him.

This is just so darn exciting, my wife tells me that I was not this excited with even the birth of my own kids

Bob

I've experienced this behavior three times with my group now. The male managed to raise both spawns without any problems every time.
Leaving the eggs/fry was the best decision here imo, good luck with raising the fry!

Hi har_eh

Wow and I thought that I was lucky!!!

Yeah I can see now that the male is really good at taking care of his brood. I must have agitated him with the flashlight last night and next thing you know there was a single egg beside his tail so I shut off my flashlight right away. I was so paranoid after 5 mins I tried to shine the light indirectly to see if the egg was still there, but it looked like he took care of it right away. This is the second time he has had eggs behind his tail with this spawn.

Do you mind my asking how big your spawns were? Only reason why I am worried is it looks awfully crowded in the back of the cave. I can see eight fry for sure in my first batch but there might be more, and his new egg bundle looks almost as big as his first one was. These guys are meat eaters so you gotta wonder if the fry ever try to eat the eggs.(my first batch have almost no egg sack left)

Was it the same male with each of your multiple spawns? I have two males that are doing the trapping with my one super dad and my other guy is a super dud so far(ate his eggs).

Bob

It was the same male and female on all "double" spawns. Usually the female lays 8-9 eggs. In case of the "double" spawns their were only 3 or 4 eggs at the first attempt and then 1 or 1,5 week another 3 or 4 were added.
Maybe she got disturbed the first time and came back later for the second batch, not sure. So I've never really had more then 9-10 fry in one cave.

Hi

I am thinking with my spawn that it must be two different females as I have 8 fry for sure maybe 10 in the cave with dad now, and the egg bundle is almost as big as the first batch but looks like smaller actual eggs on this one.

I was debating trying to catch the fry but I have not seen them venture out yet. The fry at times look as if they are right on top of the eggs at the same time as the male. They look seriously crowded.

It sounds like this breeding thing might be a streaky thing so I think I'll be leaving the tank alone and see how the father does with his second batch mixed with his first.

Bob