Few days ago I thought that my zebras have spawned. The male stayed in his cave until this morning, when I found him outside, just hangin between some rocks.
I thought that "that was it then" but when I looked more carefully, I saw two eggs, or more likely just hatched baby zebs, on the bottom of the tank. Quikly I collected them in to my net. They seem to be alive, but I'm not totally sure of that. Seems that my male have been eaten all the rest of the babies... (I saw also some eggshells.)
The two eggs are yellow in colour and there seems to be a little foetus on the surface of the yolk sac, but they are not (yet) moving.
Now I'm first time in the situation, that I'm going to raise youngsters by myself. I really hope that I got two nice Christmas-baby zebs this year! I'll post some pictures if everything seems to be ockay.
I found two eggs/foetuses
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nightowl1350
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I am sorry you lost your fry, but maby this is just the beginning of a long series of new zebra plecos 
I copied a part of McEves article:
Leave the fry with the male if at all possible. The fry I have left with the male is today twice the size of the fry from the same spawn that I kept in a fry trap. It's unquestionably best for the fry to be left with the father. As soon as the egg yolk is used the fry will need to be fed. The fry will eat any protein based food as long as it's small enough. Crushed Tetra Discus, sinking tablets, finely chopped shrimp mix, crushed flake food, but NOT blood worms! There have been several occurences of fry choking on blood worms, which by the way can also happen with other foods if it's not fine enough. An important addition to the mainly protein based diet for the fry is vegetables. Feeding parboiled squash is ideal, as it also gives the fry an opportunity to use their teeth.
It's commonly considered that the first spawn will be infertile. This is not my experience. The first spawn I had resulted in 3 wrigglers, but they did fall out of the cave prematurely. I caught the three wrigglers and put them in a fry trap, and I still have them today. I believe the first spawn will indeed often fail due to the males inexperienced to look after the eggs and fry properly, or he might not fertilize them, but fortunately the first attemt doesn't always fail.
You can find the hole articel here: http://www.zebrapleco.com/articles.php
I copied a part of McEves article:Leave the fry with the male if at all possible. The fry I have left with the male is today twice the size of the fry from the same spawn that I kept in a fry trap. It's unquestionably best for the fry to be left with the father. As soon as the egg yolk is used the fry will need to be fed. The fry will eat any protein based food as long as it's small enough. Crushed Tetra Discus, sinking tablets, finely chopped shrimp mix, crushed flake food, but NOT blood worms! There have been several occurences of fry choking on blood worms, which by the way can also happen with other foods if it's not fine enough. An important addition to the mainly protein based diet for the fry is vegetables. Feeding parboiled squash is ideal, as it also gives the fry an opportunity to use their teeth.
It's commonly considered that the first spawn will be infertile. This is not my experience. The first spawn I had resulted in 3 wrigglers, but they did fall out of the cave prematurely. I caught the three wrigglers and put them in a fry trap, and I still have them today. I believe the first spawn will indeed often fail due to the males inexperienced to look after the eggs and fry properly, or he might not fertilize them, but fortunately the first attemt doesn't always fail.
You can find the hole articel here: http://www.zebrapleco.com/articles.php
Well, this was not at all the first spawn, the male has 10 babies already. First spawn 1,5 years ago went well, total success, 9 babies. After that no success, exept one baby two months ago. The mother-zeb has spawned about 5-6 times after the first succesfull spawn, and only one baby has survived. My male zeb does clearly something wrong, i think that eggs are fertile but he simply eats them. 
I am planning to change a male and try one of my younger (but adult) males instead. I feel sorry for the female, who tries so much, without success.
I could now have about 40-50 baby zebs, but no, male has eaten them. Does anybody else have an useless alpha male?
I am planning to change a male and try one of my younger (but adult) males instead. I feel sorry for the female, who tries so much, without success.I could now have about 40-50 baby zebs, but no, male has eaten them. Does anybody else have an useless alpha male?
have you thought of removing the eggs before he can polish them off?No, he has not fathered them, he has eaten them! I've got only 10 babies from ~ 7 spawns. I dont want to rise eggs/babies by myself, I think it's unnatural to do so. (I tried to do that two days ago and they died.)Inia by what you are saying he is actually quite useful if he already fathered 50
But I'm going to change the male. I hope my other male is more useful than my useless alpha.
inia wrote:No, he has not fathered them, he has eaten them! :
Charming!
I thought he was eating his own spawn ..... maybe he is too young yet to be a daddy? He may need time to learn ... I would put him seperately with a couple of females and see what happens and leave the rest of the girls with another male, as you suggested.
inia,
sorry about your losses - to make you feel better I will tell you that my alpha male has bred about 12 times, he is constantly in his cave with eggs or with a female but I have only had 2 young survive for any time and one died last week. He seems to do the right things but often I see him kicking the wigglers out and as I mentioned - 1 fry from 12 spawns, so you are doing better.
I was thinking that I am doing something wrong but a couple of weeks ago I had the alpha male and a second male each on eggs, the alpha blew it as usual and is in his cave with another female again but the second male has been a really good daddy and as he went out to feed today I counted 11 fry that are almost done with the yolksac in his cave.
I have been surprised from the start that the alpha male who is constantly breeding is not the largest male , actually there are several larger ones.
It sounds sensible what Caesar is saying and I may just move the alpha male to another tank and let a couple of the other males have a go. There seems to be several females who are willing to breed so we shall see.
sorry about your losses - to make you feel better I will tell you that my alpha male has bred about 12 times, he is constantly in his cave with eggs or with a female but I have only had 2 young survive for any time and one died last week. He seems to do the right things but often I see him kicking the wigglers out and as I mentioned - 1 fry from 12 spawns, so you are doing better.
I was thinking that I am doing something wrong but a couple of weeks ago I had the alpha male and a second male each on eggs, the alpha blew it as usual and is in his cave with another female again but the second male has been a really good daddy and as he went out to feed today I counted 11 fry that are almost done with the yolksac in his cave.
I have been surprised from the start that the alpha male who is constantly breeding is not the largest male , actually there are several larger ones.
It sounds sensible what Caesar is saying and I may just move the alpha male to another tank and let a couple of the other males have a go. There seems to be several females who are willing to breed so we shall see.
Well, I changed the male an what I have now...
- 7 cute little zebra babies! Seems that this younger male is a better dad than the older male. This younger male kicked out tree babies, but I collected them in to an empty cave and putted cave in to a net. One baby died on fungus next day, but then I read that snails eats fungus and added few of them in the cave with these two babies. Babies grew up well, one snail actually was with them all the time they were in this cave-net system. So snails are my best friends from now on!
- 7 cute little zebra babies! Seems that this younger male is a better dad than the older male. This younger male kicked out tree babies, but I collected them in to an empty cave and putted cave in to a net. One baby died on fungus next day, but then I read that snails eats fungus and added few of them in the cave with these two babies. Babies grew up well, one snail actually was with them all the time they were in this cave-net system. So snails are my best friends from now on!
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andrewcoxon
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