 Hypancistrus
zebra LO46, more commonly known as the zebra pleco, is from Rio
Xingu in Brazil. In June 2001, I purchased 8 wild caught fish from
an importer in California. There were 4 males and 4 females in the
group. The males have a broader head. They were supposed to be adults,
but I don’t believe they were. At the time of purchase, their
size was 2.5 inches. Since then, they have grown to 3 inches.
I set them up in a 20 gallon long tank with a breeding bell and
a sponge filter. The water temperature was 80 degrees and the pH
was 7.0. After 2 months, I found 2 of the males dead. I assumed
that the other 2 males killed them, since none of the females died.
When I went online, I found only a few articles on breeding these
fish. I decided to add a lot of rocks and a second bell (so that
each male would have a bell). I lowered the water level and added
a powerhead. The current of the powerhead was pointed at the rocks
and breeding bells. One article suggested that the tank should resemble
a rocky riffle area in a stream with good water movement. I changed
35% of the water twice a week and raised the temperature to 86 degrees
and lowered the pH to 6.6 —6.8 range. The DH was 2.0. I removed
the tank light and left the ceiling light on in the room. The only
food the fish would consistently eat was frozen bloodworms (zebras
are carnivorous, not algae eaters). They never came out to eat until
the room was dark.
A year later, I saw a little zebra swimming around in the tank.
After removing all the rocks, I found 2 more. The interesting note
here is that they never used either of the breeding bells. One male
would disappear for 15 to 10 days and would go deep into the rock
crevices; when he reappeared, the babies would start to show up.
Since last June, they have bred 3 more times. The second and third
time, I only noticed one little zebra each time, but on Januar y
3rd, I found 6. In my research, I learned that a female lays no
more than 8 to 10 eggs. Of the fry that hatch from those eggs, only
half make it to the free swimming stage. At about 2 months of age,
only 1 fry survives for every 4 eggs laid. Two-month old zebras
are 3/4 of an inch long. The zebra from June 2001 is now over 2
inches long. There is no special feeding of the young. After they
use up their eggsacks, they feed off the microfauna that live on
the rocks. As they grow, they eat bloodworms; I feed a very generous
portion every night. The adult zebras do not bother the young.
In summary, I still do not know what triggered them to spawn. I
consulted Sallie Boggs, and she suspects that the powerhead with
the extra current and oxygen could be the trigger. She could be
right. They are expensive fish to buy, but seeing the little guys
makes it worthwhile!
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