How To Set Up a Pleco (Breeding) Tank

[@TMAquatics]

For the record, some plecos like panaqolus NEED wood in their tanks, whereas other species like the pekoltia and hypanscistrus can do fine without it. Most species in my fish room love to hang out on and under the wood. The panaqolus species love to rasp wood and the biofilm forming on wood much more than pekoltia and hypancistrus. When it comes to the panaqolus tanks, I do add significantly more wood, including various types of wood like apple and oak.

[@GM-kc1qf]

Is lighting important in breeding plecos? So, how many hours a day should the lights run?

[@Obit88]

Happy to see another great video from TM Aquatics. Thanks Tom.

[@fishiemon64]

Thank you Tom for sharing your many years of experience with us , i always lear something new from your videos 👀✌🏽👍🏽

[@pelhamsaquatics]

Fantastic information on the pleco set ups! Your fishroom is quite excellant tom, you are the pleco source for america…tremendous respect for you sir.

[@TMAquatics]

Thanks

[@unionfish3807]

Thanks Tom. The leopard frog juveniles from you are growing fast, looking great.

[@TMAquatics]

Good to hear. They’re beautiful fish.

[@CaylorsReptilesAquatics]

Very helpful information. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience.

[@gregjonesonline]

great video, funny enough i was just cutting some 1ft x 2ft home depot slates today for my pleco tanks, i ripped them down to 6 inches x 2ft on the wet tile saw and then rounded the 4 corners off. I'm going to experiment with using super glue to attach 4 PVC pipe feet to the slate to elevate it as i have bare bottom tanks. My hope is i can get enough flow underneath and have nothing else touching the bottom to create 1 dead spot for detritus to gather... then i can place a DIY SLO filter over that spot and bang, cleanest, neatest tank ever =)

[@TMAquatics]

Sounds like a great plan. What did the 1x2 tile run? Are they closer to $7-8?

[@gregjonesonline]

@@TMAquatics montauk black from home depot, $3.50 per square foot, so yeah, $7 per full tile or $3.50 per finished shelf, but they were leftovers from an old project

[@FoisyAquatics]

The tanks look great! It’s crazy how similar you and I set up our pleco tanks - like almost identical (besides the use of substrate)

[@TMAquatics]

I know many opt for bare bottom tanks. I tried that but ended up using the sand. I found the sand helps keeps the caves from moving around and wobbling. The plecos also seem to enjoy digging, and I prefer the look. Either way works great. All personal choice.

[@aquarialife8418]

Well done Tom. It’s amazing how much the Hypans rasp or whatever they do… with driftwood. You can see from the “dust” that comes off. 👍🏻👍🏻😉😉

[@j.a.rbulldogs5269]

Very good info for newbies including my self thank you 🙏🏼

[@johnbrand1893]

Great 👍 video, full of necessary info to keep these fascinating fish happy healthy and breeding. 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿I’ve liked and subbed. 👍

[@TMAquatics]

Thanks you.

[@timothymcdermott7626]

Very honest and informative video thanks Tom for another great lesson /video tim

[@fishysnowman9082]

Great video. 👍. Enjoy it.

[@shanemiddaugh3643]

Awesome! Thanks for the info, it’s going to help me setup my tank!

[@024DJF]

Great video! Thanks.

[@jaydenforbes1245]

thank you for the vid i am getting into pleco breeding soon and this was great for some questions i had

[@flexintonsaquatics]

As always great video and very informative.😁👍

[@TMAquatics]

Thanks flex 💪

[@jingshengyeow4707]

Hi Tom, really appreciative of the in-depth info you so generously share in your uploads. I've just started deep diving into breeding plecos and have experimented with several different setups. My question is why your entire caves/slates setups are positioned in primarily the center of the tank, instead of pushed all the way to the back of the tank? I'm thinking perhaps that allows easier maintenance to vac the waste? thank you very much

[@CrazyAquariumGuy]

Thanks buddy!

[@SandyDoughty]

Great video! Thank you for so much great information!!

[@All_Things_Fish]

Great tips as always, Tom. An inkbird might be the best 25 dollars worth of insurance in your entire fishroom.

[@TMAquatics]

Agreed

[@BentleyPascoe]

Great video Tom! Two questions: have you tried the courser grained sands like lapis luster? Second: Is there a specific reason you don't heat the room?

[@TMAquatics]

Bentley, I haven’t really had a reason to try anything else because this pool filter sand works. I don’t heat the room because it’s not insulated, In addition, heat it to what? Temps that my Corydoras prefer (74-76)? Or warmer for the plecos, which is too warm for the Corydoras? Ambient temp already stays around 72-76, depending on time of the year. Not as simple as it sounds. Perhaps once I get rid of all my Corydoras, and I rebuild some stands, I can look into insulating the two inside walls and ceiling.

[@BentleyPascoe]

@@TMAquatics appreciate the answers

[@brianleinheiser2738]

What type of air system do you reccomend I’ve been breeding on accident and now have a good thing going I’ve got an fx2 on the tank though and even with the prefilter I feel like I’m loosing fry I have tetra air pumps I could hook up for now I think to the hydro pros…? Maybe hopefully? And then when they die I’d like to have something I have a little more faith in thanks great video

[@steveallen3845]

Very nice!!!

[@nozem2022]

Thanks great info. Would you be able to tell us some more about your air supply setup?

[@user-ps8ds4df4w]

Hi tom, I have a 55 gallon with 6 frogs and 6 L333s I have an aquaclear110 and another Topfin 55g hang on back filter there’s tons of water circulation but do you think I should put an air pump in too?

[@lupobrothers7278]

very nice video sir im about to start breeding some plecos got 3 peppermints and 3 bluefantoms rather small still like 5-7 cm big. im feeding them the round pleco food on 27 degrees👍

[@kristianmller7451]

Nice video.. Maybe you have made a video about it before, dont know:) But would love to see a video about how you goo about hatching your pleco eggs.. The whole proces of it:) Kind regards…

[@TMAquatics]

Perhaps once my fish get busy and start spawning. Breeding season is just starting.

[@kieranmoore6618]

I love the video!!! Could you make one for your corys?

[@TMAquatics]

Maybe 👍

[@paulbolton1071]

Hello ive never kept plecos before, im a firm believer in doing my research so that at least i know the basics before i do anything . ive just watched your video and been taking some notes , you say about fitting a foam filter to any intake pipes please can you tel me the size of the ones you use and are they also from hydro pro As for heaters the ones that i have are quite basic so will be buying the eheim 150 watt , and the malasian driftwood. You advice the heater control with alarms what make do you recommend and are they adjustable to work with the heater , The 2 varieties of plecos i really like are the L333 king tiger and the L260 Queen arabesque i have just subscribed to your channel and liked the video and look forward to watching your videos and learning as i do so . Paul from the UK

[@fbos7357]

Good info greeds from holland:)

[@underwater-world]

Thanks! very usefull video!!! 👍👍👍

[@tastyfishsauce4410]

Agree on Aqueon pro=garbage/high failure rate/cracking, the regular aqueon glass heater is far more reliable in my case, Cobalt is waaay overpriced and same issue with aqueon pro. Eheim heaters are not like the old ones but has been more reliable in my fish room. Only two cons of Ehiem heater are: suction cups sucks (easy fix/replace) and they are unusually long compared to same wattage heaters. The Honeywell brand shop light at Sam's Club has served me well, and the hygger. Don't know why menards stopped selling the slate tiles but glad to know HD still has some. You forgot to mention which tidal filter was that next to the AC70, is that the 75? Thanks for the tips.

[@TMAquatics]

Thanks. I have two tidal 75 and one tidal 110. The filter shown in the video was a 75. Agreed with your thoughts on the Eheim. The old Ebo-jager green heaters lasted for decades. Too bad they don’t still make those.

[@BigStevesGlassBoxes]

This was a great video. Great info! Any chance you've noticed any preference to color, when it come to plecos choosing their cave?

[@TMAquatics]

Any of them will work, but I have some active males that definitely prefer the darker caves.

[@robloxultra333..2]

Hey Tom I was wondering where you got your L046s if you could reply back I'd really appreciate it. Keep up the great content and informative videos!

[@TMAquatics]

Several sources. Kris from Des Moines. Jorge at Nationwide Aquatics. Amy, a loc breeder. And Jeremy Basch.

[@aquaballs]

I think my L129 are big enough to start breeding do they need RO water or LA hard water is ok I never breed this

[@TMAquatics]

Not sure what LA water is like, but I know some people have bred this fish with a TDS between 250-300. Personally, I would still cut it with RO. The Orinoco is fairly soft with low conductivity. Good luck.

[@a_ocampo]

where did you purchase the inkbird heater controller?

[@RoseAuto]

im starting a L-number / pleco farm next week with 3 kinds of plecos i have 3 of every L number Blue phantom, Peppermint and Golden nugget. i want to put them into a 60 L tank per 3 with pleco caves and a nice piece of wood. any tips for me when i start on wednesday?

[@haydenberlin9249]

How do you determine if the rock/slate is aquarium safe? Thanks!

[@sierrag1985]

Good day! Love your channel. I have a few questions about the sunshine plecostomas: 1 how large do they get? Are they ok with being with large aggressive cichlids? Lastly, how fast do they grow? Thanks

[@TMAquatics]

Thanks. The L014 usually reach 12-13 inches in the aquarium. Some sources claim they can reach 15-16”, but I’ve never seen them reach that size. We have a group of them in my brothers fish room. They are slow growers taking many years to reach maximum size. I can’t answer your question about keeping with cichlids, as we don’t keep “aggressive” cichlids. We keep with Severums and geophagus and they do fine.

[@sierrag1985]

@@TMAquatics Good Day! Thanks for last response. How much are your 4-6" sonshine plecos plus shipping to Florida? Thanks

[@TMAquatics]

@@sierrag1985 We are not selling the L014. They are a long term breeding project we are working on. All my known sources don't have any in stock either. Sorry.

[@jonoaus111]

Hi Tom, new sub from Australia, great channel!! How many adult L397 can you keep in a well set-up 40gal. Breeder tank?

[@TMAquatics]

That’s subjective and depends on water changes, filtration and other livestock in the tank. Personally, in a pleco only set up, I would be comfortable with 8-10 assuming good filtration and weekly water changes. They are a messy fish. I believe I have about 16-18 in my 75, however that tank is on an auto water change and gets 20% new water daily.

[@reneesnugent3358]

How do you keep the 💩 up.. as soon as I feed, I have 💩 in the bottom. I've got 4 sponge filters and fluval aquaclear 70 on the 40-gallon breeder. How many plecos do you keep in your 40-gallon breeder?

[@mmnelson82]

Do you keep your wavemakers going constantly, or do they kick on and off with a timer or controller? I also use driftwood in all pleco tanks. My theory is that some microorganisms needed for their digestion only grow on natural wood. I even have small pieces in the breeder boxes holding newly hatched fry.

[@TMAquatics]

They run 24/7

[@fishtropiccanada4747]

Breed green or blue phantoms yet

[@robertbaker3174]

Hello Tim. I'm 65 now and have kept many things off and on over the years. I've had a few projects that I finally fixed but it took me a couple of years. I picked up Camallanus and had water issues. Got a carbon filter and that was fixed. The nematodes was a nightmare. But that is over also. I'm awaiting a delivery right now for some rainbows that I have never had. With that being said I has lost a couple of plecos in the past and a couple I being had to do with stated issues. I've kept some Zebras years ago and lost them when I has to work extensive hours and know why they died. Most recently I attribute it to the other problems I was dealing with. My question is are Gold Nuggets and others super sensitive to nitrates and nitrites when maintenance is in question.? Thanks.

[@TMAquatics]

Great question, and the straight answer is yes. Plecos do not like nitrates, although really not harmful until higher levels are reached. I don’t know what that level is since my tanks are usually at 30ppm or less, and I’m it about to experiment with it either. Regarding nitrites, that is deadly to plecos. The slightest amounts of nitrite can kill an entire pleco colony. Even if some survive the initial water changes, assuming you catch it before they’re all dead, they can continue to die off over the next couple days. Strict maintenance and water change routine is very important to have thriving groups of plecos. Visual signs to watch for are plecos outside of their caves, sitting on the substrate with rapid breathing. Even if it’s only one fish and the others appear fine, test the water and perform multiple water changes accordingly. ~Tom

[@pelhamsaquatics]

1st🙂 and watching

[@doncheko6866]

Hi Tom, do you know if the ceramic tiles of the Home Depot that you mention have that white residue on the back that comes on them from the manufacture? And if they do do you know if it affects the water parameters? I checked all their floor tiles and they all have that white residue on the back side of the tile which I don’t know what it is..

[@realhusky]

I’ll bet that’s bits of ceramic from washing. Should clean right off

[@jomoske]

What size tank should I use for bristle nose pecos?

[@MrSlmarvin]

Thanks Tom love your videos and your fish room! I have a question I have some long fin red plecos and I’m pretty sure I have male and females but no breeding happening I don’t keep my temperatures that high and have hard water I do have some Cory’s in with them do you have any suggestions? Thanks for your help Steven

[@TMAquatics]

My experience with bushynose if they will breed in any type of water. You definitely need both male and female, so try and confirm. Other than that, a cave, water changes, food and patience.

[@MrSlmarvin]

@@TMAquatics patients has paid off just saw some babies today!

[@TMAquatics]

@@MrSlmarvin Nice to hear! Congrats!!

[@swiftfeather147]

do you think he works at TM aquatics?

[@drewrhodes993]

What brand of slate tile do you use? I keep reading how some slate tile is bad for fish tanks.

[@TMAquatics]

Natural slate. Can buy 12” x 24” at Home Depot and cut them. Been using for 5+ years. Haven’t had any issues. 👍

[@nicolachiari7925]

Do you use osmosi water?

[@jeremycover]

Thanks Tom. For plecos, what pH and TDS do you need to achieve to get breeding to occur?

[@TMAquatics]

I don’t really test pH, however the L183 I have are a black water fish, preferring acidic ph. So when that group is of age, I will definitely monitor pH. I do track TDS and found 125-150 to be the sweet spot for my plecos.

[@jeremycover]

@@TMAquatics thanks so much Tom, wish me luck with my L134’s and L260’s!

[@unionfish3807]

Like opinion on putting a tidal 75 or 110 on a 40g and then skip the waive maker?

[@TMAquatics]

Tidal 75 would work great.

[@eliazvega]

Do i have any dither fish with l134

[@jadenkamau-mq3jk]

Doesn’t the ceramic tile affect the water?

[@jadenkamau-mq3jk]

U know with the chemicals?

[@-AndrewR]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@johnnyharris5993]

How can I tell Male green phantoms to female’s one’s please

[@dannytyler8771]

Looks like york stone the material your using instead of slate.

[@TMAquatics]

Thanks.

[@mitchpope6623]

I don’t think you’ve allowed people to join your members only in your settings

[@GoodLifeFilmz]

put a set of hotel caves at a angle, i promiseeeeeeeeee you, youll get way more spawns!!!!! cant just have the ones straight out the front so you can "Inspect easy", try it !

[@stringer1818]

website broke

[@chasnelson5753]

No mention of plants ?

[@TMAquatics]

I prefer no plants in my pleco tanks. The plants I do have are for the benefit of the dither fish only. I only use rhizome type plants such as anubias, bolbitis and Java fern. No stem plants.

[@therealhonestraider7921]

Glass Bottoms... thats the only way to breed... cleaning the waste is infinitely easier on a glass bottom with no substrate at all...I just use a siphon hose for water changes, it's the only thing you need.