Please Help with New Zebra Pleco Babies

Everything you ever wanted to say about "Zebra luvin", but didn't because you thought everyone would take the mickey! Plus general topics for discussion including everything from what you feed them to your personal experiences.

GlockFu
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Please Help with New Zebra Pleco Babies

Post by GlockFu »

Hello everyone! I just had my first group of babies! This is why I don't really know what to do now...

I found babies last week. I havent really been paying attention to my tank and someone else was looking in my tank and said "Dude! You got babies!"

I was cleaning my tank out and I found at least 5 babies! Oh MAN I started laughin to myself :lol:

Anyways... What should I do now? The babies are about 3/4 of an inch now and I would guess that they are 3-4 weeks old based on pictures that I've seen on the internet.

Should I leave the babies in there with the adults? Or should I put them in their own tank or should I put them in a fry container or is there something else I should do? I know the adults shouldn't harm them but I am worried they may not get enough food.

They look long and skinny, is that normal for 3/4 inch babies?

Please help...Thanks!
smithrc
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Post by smithrc »

sounds like they need feeding up - I prefere to see our small little plecs with a nice rounded belly :)

I'd leave tehm in the tank now - they have hatched and are out and about so should be ok in there with the parents.

If you want I could always take them off your hands for you :) :)
Click For Our Plecs
[url=http://www.smithrc.f2s.com/gallery/plecs][img]http://www.smithrc.f2s.com/assorted/PlecSig_sm.jpg[/img][/url]
gkornerj
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babies

Post by gkornerj »

I totally disagree with what Smithrc sugested. You should sell them to me :lol: or just leave them in the tank. They seem to be doing fine.
Des
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Post by Des »

Hi GlockFu,

Wellcome to the forum.
Firstly ,congrats on finding the babies.
A few questions, before being able to give you some answers.
How big is the tank?
What other fish have you got in there?
What substrate have you got?
What are you feeding the adults and how often?

Regards,
Des.
GlockFu
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Post by GlockFu »

Thanks all for the replies. Oh and I couldn't let you kidnap my babies! :lol:

The tank is a 26 gallon long.

I have 2 male and 4 female adult zebras along with 2 cardinal tetras

The tank is a bare bottom tank

I feed them once a night. I usually only feed Hikari carnivor sinking pellets and have been dropping 6-7 pellets. Is this enough?

So what do you think? Leave them?
smithrc
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Post by smithrc »

They will be fine at that size with those inhabitants :)

sounds like they arent getting enought food though.
try feeding a couple more pelets (how big are they pelets?)
Click For Our Plecs
[url=http://www.smithrc.f2s.com/gallery/plecs][img]http://www.smithrc.f2s.com/assorted/PlecSig_sm.jpg[/img][/url]
Shell231
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Post by Shell231 »

The pellets are about 5mm across in diameter and do slightly swell with the water intake, have u tried bloodwoom or JMC High protein fish food, they are both big winners with mine!
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Post by Des »

Hi GlockFu,

You could try using Jmc catfish pellets and Jmc high protein food ( with the yellow lid).Be careful not to overdo them as they can easily pollute the water if overfed.
You could also use ZM foods (A VERY GOOD QUALITY HIGH PROTEIN FOOD)available mailorder on the internet in various grades . For your size of babies I would start using the ZM200, then 300 and so on..
Does your Hikari pellets all get eaten up?. It seems a lot to me.
I would leave them with the parents, given the answers to my questions.

Regards,
Des.

P.S. DO NOT , DO NOT, DO NOT feed irradiated bloodworm as the babies are likely to choke on them. I as well as other members on this site have found this out ,after the event when babies have DIED. In an adult only tank, feeding them in small doses is fine.
GlockFu
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Post by GlockFu »

Thanks for all the great suggestions. So it sounds like it's a consensus, I'll leave the babies in there then. People have told me they will still breed with their babies in there. Do you think this will slow them down or discourage them at all. My male hasn't been showing interest in breeding again. He just stays tucked away in his cave all the time and doesn't hang his tail out anymore. I also see him chasing away the females hanging around his cave when they come close to the entrance.

I think that all the pellets are gone but I'm not 100% sure because it's a bare bottom tank with current so I can't be sure the pellets aren't hiding although I usually can't find any when I look for them. That's what makes feeding these little guys a bit tricky.

It seems that the babies must be eating these pellets (since they are still alive). Is this not good enough for them?
Des
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Post by Des »

Hi GlockFu,

The choice is yours. Granted that the babies are still alive but skinny. What does this tell you ? Are they eating enough or a varied enough diet ?.
Considering their cost and current scarcity , dont they deserve a little more than just Hikari Carnivore pellets.

Sorry if this reply seems a little harsh.

Regards,
Des.
GlockFu
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Post by GlockFu »

True True... I mean I DEFINATELY want these babies to do good and grow up nice and fat. I'd be crushed if I found out I lost any of the babies. I'll try and find the other foods for them.

I dont know how they are supposed to look as babies. When I say that they look skinny I mean their body proportion. I can't get a look at their bellys since they dont go on the sides anymore. I don't know if I am describing it well but I am comparing them to the adults body proportions. The babies are longer then they are thick in proportion compared to the adults. This is why I say they look skinny. Is this normal?

If I do find that they aren't getting enough food, wouldnt it be better to scoop them out then? (I'd have to wait to get a look at their belly before I came to this conclusion but just in case)

No offense taken Des, thanks for the advice, that is what I'm here for.
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McEve
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Post by McEve »

Hi GlockFu

If you have a look at this link:

http://www.storheim.biz/gallery/upload/index.php

KLick "main menu - Mine fisker - L046"

You'll find pictures of a whole bunch of Zebra babies in different developmental stages.

They do go through a stage where they are long in skinny compared to the when they get older when they get broader "shoulders". Maybe that's what you mean when you say they look skinny? If they are indeed skinny you should see it right behind the head as well, as they get sunken there too when skinny, granted they are very skinny when that happens.

I noticed with mine that they tend to look skinny - long and thin - in the approximately two weeks after they finished their youlk sack. Maybe because it takes them some time before they realize, and get used to, finding food?

Some people take the fry and feed them in a small frytank for a few weeks to make sure they get enough food in this period, and there's no doubt that you'll get a higher survival rate doing it this way. On the other hand, I had one fry escape when I had mine in the container. I was very worried about it, but when it finally turned up it was actually bigger than the ones I had kept separate from the parents.

Use your discretion and see what seems to be working best for you, the situation taken into consideration. Meaning they are already free swimming and out on their own, but like Des says - do *not* feed bloodworms. They choke very easily at this age.

And remember, even though this fish needs mainly a proteinbased diet, the babies need their veggies too! Try to vary the diet for them :)

Good luck!
Shell231
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Post by Shell231 »

Wow! who collection is that McEve? there must be at least 50 in there! lol :shock:
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Post by McEve »

Des
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Post by Des »

Hi GlockFu,

If I may ask, where are you based?. If in the UK, you should be able to get some of the foods I have talked about, but of course the choice of foods, would be different in different parts of the world.
Indeed there are advantages and disadvantages to both leaving the babies with the adults or removing them to a fry brooder . For now it might be better to leave them with the parents but offer a variety of foods.

I will try and take (and post) a photo of one of my babies which are aprox 2-3 months old, which are now with the adults . As you say, your idea of skinny, could be quite normal.

Regards,
Des.
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