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I will use cm's as thats what my books have. Zebras adult are 8-9 cms, yes? I have a chance of purchasing juvenile zebras at 2cm to 2.5cms. It sounds so small compared to bn's and my other plecs like L002.
I suppose it stands to reason with smaller plecs like zebs 2cm to 2.5cm is actually a reasonable size for someone to sell them? That would be say 4mths old?

Should I go ahead and get them and hope for the best or wait some more years (zebras aren't too plentiful here) for some bigger juvies?

I have visions of placing them in a 4ft tank with only 6 whiptails in it. It has logs, rocks, plants, gravel, powerfilter, sponge filters and 2 tiny kribensis fry which hitched a ride on driftwood and who seem to be doing fine in the big tank.

Go big tank, or coddle them in a net, brooder, or little tank? What do you think?

By the way, do they eat microworms? I have about 5 batches of them.

Hello Brengun

First point of view: I have some good friends and fellow breeders. Sometimes we help each other bringing fry up (capacity, or perhaps to divide risks if it is a kind of pleco not being bred before. So I have taken little fry in a age of 3 weeks. And they are doing fine (another kind of pleco).

So if you know, what you are doing - little catfish fry are quite strong.

Second point of view: Being a breeder and seller of these fish, it is unresponsible to sell them at this age. Because - usually you can't be sure, how people will take care of them. In this case - far to many will die. 3,5 cm I would consider as minimum. And if you don't have a clue where they will go - 5 cm should be minimum.

Third point of view: I know it is quite difficult for you to get these fish. Hoping for another chance.....well... If you really know how to take care of them, I would buy them. Aaaand however you decide, they will get sold anyhow, right? But its rather unresponsible of seller.

I have about 5 batches of them.

You have already Zebs?
Then the little guys would be safe by you

Very important in my point of view: don't bring them in a 4 ft tank - it is far to big - and the risk, that they will starve - is to big.

A little tank or a little breeder cube inside the tank. Something like that.
How are your temperature in the tank - little zebs like the water quite warm - with 29-30°C.

Best regards
Line

5 batches of zebs? I wish!
No I have 5 batches of microworms to feed young fry.

Most L plecs I have (L397, L002, L134), I got as 3 to 5cm and they are no problemo.

I raised 7 common bns from 2cm (if that), and they had ich the day I got them. Out of 7, I ended up with 2. A male and a female, so thats not a bad score for such a poor start.

I will inspect the fish, in a day or so and reserve judgement as to if the 7 zebs will be coming home with me or not.

I will likely have to adjust heat settings on which ever tank they go into as mine are around 26c usually. Just a tad chilly for little zebs.

I would consider 3,5 cm. also as minimum, can't you make an agreement with the seller to commit to buying and pick them up when they are this size?

I am dealing through a private supplier. The actual breeder is anonimous so I don't know what his circumstances are for selling so small.

I have offered to leave collection from the supplier for a couple of weeks, so its at his discretion as to when he thinks they are big and strong enough to go.

I'd agree with Barbie on this one - 2.5cm SL is what i go on (1") but that excludes the tail... got to be about 3 - 3.5 CM total length.

I may re home smaller if i know where they are going...

Barbie wrote:I routinely sell zebra fry at 1" (2.5cm), but I only measure SL.

smithrc wrote:2.5cm SL is what i go on (1") but that excludes the tail... got to be about 3 - 3.5 CM total length.

I meant 3,5 cm. TL

Just to reinforce what others are saying. I sell based on total length and age. My rule is minimum of 6 months in age and 3.2 cm TL (1.25 inch).

Typically I sell in lots of 5-8 fish and they will range in size from 3.2-3.8 cm (1.25-1.5 inch). Buyers get an assortment with some at the smaller size, some at the larger and some in between.

I think it also makes a difference whether the fish have to be shipped vs picked up. While I would never consider shipping fry at under the above minimum, I might think about it if it was a pick up.

Most places I have talked to that are selling fry will not sell them under 3.5cm SL. In part they do this as they are not as fragile at that size and are more easily adaptable to new tanks (or so they say)

Well, I viewed the fry and had to make a hard decision.
They were indeed 2.5cm including the tail.
If I didn't want to do the personal pickup today, they were to be flown to Sydney and Melbourne at the other end of Australia.

They seemed very strong and agile, just uncomfortably small.
I decided, rather than have them die in air transit, I would run the risk and take them home with me. After all, I do at least have you learned forum members to help them too.

I am going to start them in a brood net just like fry and they have a couple of weighted leaves to hide under.

When doing the acclimatisation, things were a bit scarey. These little guys can suck onto a plastic bag like you wouldn't believe. The water came out but no fish. Fortunately I was able to coax them into wriggling into the bucket.

When introduced to the brood net in the tank, one started sucking the net as if to feed so that looks promising. I have only put in a bit of live microworm atm just incase anyone cannot wait the standard settling hours and need to eat quickly.

The really hard part is turning out the lights and leaving them alone to settle. Its like having a child of your own and you just don't want to leave it.

Here is a pic from the bucket. I have not enhanced the colors so you can see they went a little pale but that seemed to pass pretty quickly. I did have a ruler in the bucket to measure but they found a little depression around the edge of the bucket and hid under the ruler, so I couldn't get a good photo there.

awww tehy so cute.. would look GREAT IN MY 150 gallon PEACOCK tank...





JUST KIDDING.. I CANT WAIT TO GET ME SOME.. IVE ALREADY PLANNED OUT THE TANK WITH DECORATIONS GOT IT CYCLING NOW, IT WILL BE 2 WEEKS UNTIL MINE COME.

Unfortunately I only have one zeb left now.
A few weeks ago I bought some queen arabesques who must have had a bacterial infection or something as they all died within 5 days.
Second mistake: I must have transmitted the disease on my hand to the zeb tank as in 24 hrs the zebs went from being fine to being dead.
I also lost a L134 in a tank right beside the zeb tank and the arabeque tank. This only appears to infect plecs as neons and cichlids are fine.

Good news is my two remaining L134 have been treated with antibacterial meds and are recovering and the tough little zebra has moved to an uninfected tank and is doing fine

Oh you must be gutted, thats awful

Good to hear there are survivors though