my 1st zeb

bigmac · Post by **bigmac** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 8:38 pm

hi, i will be getting my 1st zeb at the end of the month

i need some advice before it arrives and it goes in to my tank.

1. acclimatising the zebs

i have read alot about acclimatising the zebs before thay go in to the tank. i keep other plecos and all i do before they go in the tank is keep them in the bag and place them in the water for about 15 - 20 mins to get use to the temp, after that i let a little of the the tank water go in to the bag and leave for another 5 - 10 mins then let the bag go in to the water and mix fully and then let them find there own way out. this has seemed to work with all of my other fish and was wondering if this would be ok for the zeb or has anyone got a better way to acclimatise them?

2. water conditions

At the moment my water conditions are - ph of around 7 - 7.5 and a dgh of around 9. this is kept at that level by a 1/3 water change weekly of 50% tap water and 50% ro water and all seems to be stable and all the fish are fine but i have read that ro water can cause ph crashes and alot of other problem so i was thinging would it be ok to use a 100% tap water? i have tested the tap water straight from that tap and the results are - ph of around 8 and a dgh of around 15, would this be ok for the zebs or should i keep on with the weekly water changes of tap and ro water?

3. filtration

my tank is 180 liter but with all the bog wood, sand and rocks it hold more like 150l. i currently have 2 filters running, 1 internal that pumps out 600 lph and a external 1 that punps out 680 lph so that is a total of 1280 lph. is this ok or do you think i should have a bigger filter running? i also have been told that zebs like a strong current so do you thik i should have pump inside the tank to make stronger current and if so how many and where to place them?

i want my tank to be perfect before my zeb comes so any advice would be greatfully received.

thanks.

crazie.eddie · Post by **crazie.eddie** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 11:34 pm

1. Your acclimation process would be fine if you know the zebs come from the same water parameters that you have.

The way I acclimate the zebs is, I carry a 5 gallon water bottle with me when I buy zebs. I collect some water from the breeder I buy them from. When I bring home the zeb, I put it into a tank with it's own water, then I use a drip line to slowly drip the water from my regular tank, into the tank containing the zebs.

2. I keep mine at 100% tap and allot of other people do as well. Breeding conditions may differ.

3. The filtration looks fine.

bigmac · Post by **bigmac** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 2:13 am

hi, thanks for the reply. i will start to use tap water and see how i get on. it is starting to get a bit of a pain getting all the ro water every week from my lfs anyway.

about the acclimatising. i have read other posts that say this is the best way but surely this stresses the zeb out! being moved out of the bag in to another tank of cool water then slowly filling the tank up with the new tank water then moving him again into the new tank. this takes time and i would have thought that the sooner the zeb gets settled the better? does any1 know of a quicker way that is less stressful for the fish or is this generally the best way to get the zeb use to the new water?

also do you think having a stronger current in the tank will help him settle in or is this done just when you are ready to start breeding them which is my main aim when i can get my hands on a few more.

i also forgot to ask about caves. i know when you are trying to breed them that slate caves are best but for the moment i have used plastic pipes that are around 4cms wide and about 10cms long buried in the sand with rocks on top to give my tank a natural look. is this a good idea or should i just get some slate caves?

thanks

bigmac · Post by **bigmac** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:38 am

help i'm slipping!!!!!! come on any1

crazie.eddie · Post by **crazie.eddie** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 5:56 am

Slates are not necessary. Enclosed pipes or tubes are fine.

McEve · Post by **McEve** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:12 pm

bigmac wrote:help i'm slipping!!!!!! come on any1

Congrats on your new zeb bigmac, and welcome to the forum!

Please observe rule 3 and 14

Post by **John** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:43 pm

How about current tank inhibitants? or is this tank not occupied by fish.

smithrc · Post by **smithrc** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:03 pm

we were lucky... our zebs came from a local seller - eg same water conditions as us...

I floated for 10 mins to warms them back up a bit then added a couple of cups on our tank water, then let them go.

bigmac · Post by **bigmac** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 12:53 pm

in the current tank i have 5 other plecos - x2 l128, x1 l200 x1 l260 x1 l215. the biggest being 5" (l200) & a few corys.
i have got another 50g that will be used to house and breed the zebs when i get a couple more but at the moment with only 1 i can't justify setting it up 2 my missus.
i am toying with the idea of getting a small 6g (31l) that i could setup for the zeb if putting the zeb in with the other plecos is a problem but i've been assured that this is not the case as long as i get the tank setup right!

Post by **TwoTankAmin** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:50 pm

I am not a fan of mixing zebras with other plecos. I have done it and the only plecos ever lost in the tank were zebras. I mixed them with 134, 260 and 333. The zebras can not compete with larger plecos well at all, especially for territory.

bigmac · Post by **bigmac** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 5:49 pm

i guess it would be a bit of a risk, have been advised its not a good idea in previous posts but some people tell me that theres get on fine as long as theres enough space, plenty of food and lots of hiding spaces.
would a 6g be ok to house a couple of zebs then? and what would be the best way to set that up?

thanks

McEve · Post by **McEve** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:18 pm

I've found that a 120L dedicated to the zebs (for max 8 if the decor is right) is a good size. I've got an Eheim 2128 with a diffusor on this size tanks.

bigmac · Post by **bigmac** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 9:19 pm

i have got a 180l tank waiting to be setup for when i have a few more but because of lack of space (we also breed leopard geckos) i can't justify setting it up for 1 or 2 zebs.
so its going to have to be the 180l community tank or the 31l for the moment until the day comes when i can get my hands on a couple more.
if i was to set the 32l tank up what would be the best way to set it up and would it be ok for the 1st couple i get?

thanks

McEve · Post by **McEve** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:05 pm

I wouldn't reccomend the 31L tank, as it will be too hard too keep clean enough for the Zeb. You will soon find that you will need to overfeed to keep the Zebs in good shape, and therefore the 31 Liter will be unsuitable. You won't be able to keep it clean enough

I think I'd invest in a larger tank to keep them in optimal conditions... after all, I guess you have spendt a few £ on aquiring them? Why not make sure they thrive..?

The community tank won't be suitable for the reasons mentioned earlier.

This proves the importance of research before buying.. Anyway, hope you find a suitable solution!

bigmac · Post by **bigmac** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 11:22 pm

as i said earlier in my posts i haven't got the zeb yet and i won't get it until i have best setup possible for them, which is why i am trying to get as much info as possible before i go and pick it up.
i have been thinking about this for a long while now and to be honest wasn't expecting to be lucky enough to come across one this soon but luckily for me i have found a top supplier who's keeping it for me until i get things sorted.
i wouldn't put a endangered species at risk for my own pleasure and don't agree with any1 that would.
surly a 31l with good filtration (at least x10 the 31l per hour) would be ok? or what would be the minimum size tank i could house 2 - 3 zebs in before i could setup 180l tank

thanks