'BN Inbreeding Theory

[DutchKiwiCowboy2]

In the diseases section there are two people who have simmilar problems with their BN's. They seem to be dieing for no good reason. I had the same thing happen to me a while ago. Every new BN I bought died within a short time of purchase.

I am wondering how many people who breed BN's regularly get new blood into their breeding program.

What do other breeders think of the theory that BN's are being inbred so much that can't handle a change in conditions (i.e. being moved to a new home)?

[Hannahbell]

I have not had a lot of experience in breeding BN. However Im one of the people who has MAJOR problems with keeping newly introduced BN alive in my community tank. Another member on here, 'suba sam', very kindly gave me 5 of her baby BN. I put 3 in my community tank and 2 in my daughters little 28 ltr tank with her siamese fighters. The 3 in my community tank died the following day. The other two in my daughters tank are still alive and seem to be doing very well. So with these particular BN, I dont think its the fact they are inbred so much they cant handle the change in conditions. But it may be the case with ones I have purchased from pet shops? I think you have raised a very valid point here though.

[Simian]

I too am having troubles keeping my babies alive, they just disapear after a few weeks, surely the adults aren't eating them?

I now have them in a separate tank with some baby platies, lets see how they go this time.

[BK]

When I had problem breeding GBA's it was diet. What are you feeding? any courgette, what about wood.

[Scuba Sam]

Fascinating topic!! I have bristlenoses in four tanks. I have been careful to avoid inbreeding in three of my tanks. Unrelated fish from different parts of the city. BUT - the most prolific breeders are the 'left overs' - a young brother and two sisters. The boy is so small that he has hardly any bristles, and he is Daddy of about sixty of my babies. That said, these babies seem tough.

They have only recently been in a heated tank, but prior to that were in a tank on the kitchen table. Temperature range from 20-27 degrees depending on the weather - no heater. Good survival - only one body ever found and that one crawled out onto the table and dried up. When I used to count them, got the same number every day.

Unfortunately Hannah had three of the five I gave her die straight away, and two live so far. I put another three into a coldwater goldfish tank in Tauranga, after a seven hour car trip, and they looked fine on day four before I left Tauranga. I have given others away and survival has been fine with the location change.

I am really interested in comments on this from people who know more about it than me - perhaps the "tough" start in life has weakened my babies in some way? Or is it the inbreeding?

I have had other BN's from a Trade Me vendor locally where all died over about two months, but no idea if that was inbreeding.

Let's hope we can learn something about these rather cool wee fish coz it is disheartening to have them die off. I am not breeding commercially, just for fun, and have no plans to sell the babies. So maybe some commercial breeders have more insight for us.

[mr pleco]

hmmm well hard one to clearly identify with so many different cases .

i have bred plecos for years and the same ones over and over i do get new lines of blood in now and then but ive never had the symptoms you ppl are decribing but then ive had ppl say theres died in a week or so what i do find is alot of ppl treat them with little respect and toss them in the tank with little regard never feed them and expect them to just survive (not saying thats any of you ppl) but heres some points to note

Like any fish they suffer from low temp and ph shock

by this i mean i have had bn at room temp but their growth is slowed by a slow metabolism and they like other tropicals fall subject to low immune sytem

Poor diet - they DO NOT just eat algae and need wood and courgette as a main diet

Overcrowding - leads to stress and low immune system plus it tends to lower the ph ( this is breeders ph not yrs ) alot of these bn are bred in small tanks and when they are days old thats fine but as they grow they eat and they poo alot fresh water and alot of it produces good strong fish

Imported fish are quarintined (sp) and medicated for disease this lowers their immune system and most often (esp in the hypans ) they are feed a vege diet only which means they are usually overcrowded and underfeed or fed the wrong food coz MAF dont know the difference

Remember just coz it has a amoured plate its not bulletproof alot of ppl feed their fish high protien foods and any pleco will eat this if nothing else is available and even will when there is something else but whats important is a well balanced diet

Also pays to remember plecos get everywhere in bogwood ,on stones and all over the glass where most fish wont venture ,always make a safe place for it to rest and hide and one thats aquaruim safe

Any toxins in the water including ammonia ,are most concentrated at the lower part of the aquarium so it will be the pleco that gets most effected some ppl will tell you otherwise but thats what i have found

Finally the inbreeding like any fish it dosent pay to inbreed for too long and experienced breeders know this and i i see no reason why these guys should be any different but usually its the way in which they have been raised and transported that does the most damage before they get into yr tank , ive had plecos in bog wood given up for dead and chucked out on the back lawn only to find it still alive in there the next day ,ive had a tank crack and everything fry like bacon except for the pleco ive evn found a dried up pleco on a concrete floor after jumping out put it back in a tank and its still alive today

So yes they are hardy and once introduced are very robust but treat them like any other fish in yr tank with care and consideration and they should be fine

hth

[Dixon1990]

dutchkiwicowboy- doy you have wood in your tank?

[DutchKiwiCowboy2]

(weird, I never got notified that there were responses and I havn't been around this site for a while) :-?

I do have wood in my tank, and I havn't had any losses for a while. My LFS told me that they had had a bad batch because there were other ppl that had complained about it too.

I was given a fully grown male with huge bristles and he survived for ages but I think he was at the end of his line and past away 2 weeks ago. My other baby BN is doing well.

[Dixon1990]

Do you know how old the male was? THey can live for years...

[DutchKiwiCowboy2]

No, I was given him by someone who bought some fish of me. He had huge bristles though so he must have been fairly old.

[Dixon1990]

They can live up for 10-20 years i think.

[DutchKiwiCowboy2]

I think this lady was given him as well, so who knows what kind of life he had. All I really can tell you is that he was treated like a king while he was with me.