albino pleco eggs ...help

[mikedmatthews]

yep.  soybeans.  not all groceries carry them.  they will be in the frozen section.  you might need to go to one of those *specialty* grocers like wild oats or whatever passes for that near you.

my preference is to set them up in an established tank with old gravel.  since they graze all take long on the microfauna in the tank, if you have well seasoned gravel there's much more for them to sift through.  but yes, cave, wood, and some plants of you have them.  soaked (dried then soaked) hardwood leaves are an awesoem addition too, but you need to soak them 1-2 weeks to get off all the tannins.

[ClownMom]

I have a 15 gallon tank that currently has 3 male guppies, 3 cherry barbs, 3 black skirt tetras, 1 long fin baby brown bristlenose, 1 high fin brown BN, 1 gold nugget pleco, and a handful of apple snails.  I can move everyone into other tanks and have Mom and Dad get settled in this tank.  Would it be ok to leave the snails and the 2 brown plecos or should the couple be alone?

Also, thanks for recommending the beans...they all the plecos love them!

[mikedmatthews]

the browns will be fine, so will the snails so long as they are the common apples. 

[ClownMom]

I had to look at my notes they are the mystery snails..

You mentioned a couple of posts ago, hardwood leaves. I know this sounds stupid, but did you mean likea leaf off a tree?

[mikedmatthews]

I had to look at my notes they are the mystery snails..

You mentioned a couple of posts ago, hardwood leaves. I know this sounds stupid, but did you mean likea leaf off a tree?

yep.  take dried brown oak, maple, elm, etc. and soak for 1-2 weeks in tank water.  remove a few at a time and add to the tank.  the babies will suck the slime off of them.

[toddnbecka]

Is pvc pipe suitable for spawning caves? I have almost an full-length piece left over from remodeling the bathroom. If so, how long should it be cut? Cap off one end?

[mikedmatthews]

the ones i  have that i like best are capped at both end with one cap sawed in half.  i make it with an elbow so it won't roll.  its a pain to do, but i have a male that is really dumb and if i don't put a lip on his cave his eggs end up outside of it every time.

[ClownMom]

Is there a certain diameter and length of PVC pipe that you recommend?  I asked my husband about the caps and he said that some pipe have the caps that screw on and others have sealant.  I'm assuming I need the screw on cap.

[mikedmatthews]

no need to seal them.  its actually better if you use the ones that slip together for easy access to the babies.  i don't like the screw on ones as they will be very hard to get apart after being submerged for some time.

i think i used 1.5 inch so i could cut the end easier.

[toddnbecka]

Ya, 1.5" diameter (thick wall) is what I have on hand, and looks like the appropriate size for pleco caves. I'll pick up some caps later today, figuring 1.5 caps gor each piece. About 8-9" of pipe length (+ caps)?