l333 sexing

[fishfan]

Hi
Ive had these 4 L333 for over 15 months
Was sold to me as breeders
Havnt had any luck with them yet as I thought if i just left them alone they would breed eventually as I read in a few forums.
So maybe I have all males?
They seem to be really fat maybe gravid?
If anyone could give me some tips to breeding It would help me out alot
Ive read a heap of posts ib breeding. tried daily water changes etc etc
maybe try different caves? maybe tank is too small?
(have no trouble breeding peps,marbles etc in same size tanks)
Details are below

water changes - 30% weekly like clockwork
sometimes rain water sometimes tapwater
ph neutral, nitrates, nitrites, amonia all ok
2 slate caves and 1 ceramic cave round
1 airstone, driftwood

 

[bigbird]

what size are they, they seem around 8cm mark ? Why do you not open up the whole tank and give them the 4ft space ? Are you sure they were breeders ? did you ask for fry or pics ? cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[fishfan]

hey mate
yeah all around the 8cm mark
The glass separaters are all glued in.
Only was told they had breed before didnt have fry or pics
I brought with a bunch of others for a great price so I wasnt to worried at the time

 

[bigbird]

so you have 4 of them in a 1foot space ? Why not remove the silicon and give them more room. Anyway can you get individual shots from above for each ? Find them still a little small. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[Plecomate]

Nice little setup although I would give the 4 a 3ft minimum if you want to breed successfully. Keep the 4ft with 1ft sections as that comes in handy when you get fry. Just my 5 cents

Thanks

 

[fishfan]

yes they are in the 1ft space
to be honest the rest of the tanks are choc a block full also
im trying to move some around and get them into the tank directly below which is a 2ft.
will get some better photos
thanks mate

 

[bigbird]

it is cruel to keep 4 sub adult plecs in a 1ft space. that should have been considered before you bought them. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[fishfan]

photos updated

UPDATED
Ive moved them to the 2ft tank below
also taken some better photos
the first 2 are 9cm
second 2 are 8cm
thanks

 

[lcrazy]

Agree with bigbird, setups should always be considered first before you obtain fish, it amazes me how people do this, very crule......

you have 2 pairs, if you dont get them moved soon expect health issues even death.

 

[Brengun]

I would separate fish 2 and 4 to another tank and expect fish 1 and 3 to be the first pair to spawn.

 

[Bigjohnnofish]

think a 2 foot tank is a bare minimum for adult plecs - but its all about the tank furntiture - if they all have somewhere to hide its all good....

too big a tank and they dont get enough interaction to breed...

 

[lcrazy]

think a 2 foot tank is a bare minimum for adult plecs - but its all about the tank furntiture - if they all have somewhere to hide its all good....

too big a tank and they dont get enough interaction to breed...

Would have to disagree Johnno, Look how much space these guys get in the wild,
My Babies breed in 5ft tanks, and in my brothers and he has 6ft tanks.

 

[Bigjohnnofish]

Would have to disagree Johnno, Look how much space these guys get in the wild,
My Babies breed in 5ft tanks, and in my brothers and he has 6ft tanks.

they have loads of space in the wild but a lot of plecs wont venture far beyond their safe bit of ground... remember the food generally comes to them in the flow of water....

next time you come to WA give me a bell and you can come over - you may have a different opinion then! :hi::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[jacksonsjones]

Hi Brengun,

Your comment: "I would separate fish 2 and 4 to another tank and expect fish 1 and 3 to be the first pair to spawn"

I would love to know how you would come to that conclusion?
Much of the tread has been about tank size relative to #s of fish, without giving feedback on the original post and that is sexing these L333s.

So, your thought on sexing fish 1,2,3 and would would be appreciated.

I must admit, I have two L333s and I cannot sex them either (1x8cm, 1x9cm), despite them looking slightly different (though I bought them as L333 from Mike W about 2yrs ago).

Your expertise is appreciated.

And BTW, mine are in a 4ft