# L340 mega clown plecs



## tattiescone (Oct 12, 2013)

Hi folks
Newby here so heres my first post.
I have 8 mega clown plecs i got from rare aquatics a few months ago,i asked for 4m and 4f.
I have them all in the same tank with gravel substrate and enough slate caves for each one,i have been hoping they would show signs of caving but nothing seems to be happening yet as i cant see anything which leads me to my first question.
With the light on they all stay in the caves(normal behavior) but you cant see any signs of eggs etc, i dont want to put the light out and use the dreaded Torch as i hear that shouldnt be done so what do you guys do and also should i remove the gravel and just have a bare tank with the slate caves like ive seen on many forum photos.
Thanks for any replys


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

There's nothing wrong with checking on your fish with a flashlight at night. It's not something that I would do several times a night, every night... But don't be afraid to take a peak when you want to know something. They aren't going to die.

You didn't mention how big they are, but perhaps they just aren't sexually mature yet. In any event, these things can take time. If you just got the fish then they are probably still stressed and so breeding is the last thing on their mind. 

Fish have 3 prime directives - don't get eaten, eat, breed. That is the order of importance. When you get a new fish, especially one like a pleco, they immediately find shelter. They will not eat until they feel it's safe to come out. Even then, the fish is not totally at ease - they are still skittish. Eventually, they become comfortable in the tank and that is when you can expect breeding. How long that whole progression takes varies by fish.


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## tattiescone (Oct 12, 2013)

jaysee said:


> There's nothing wrong with checking on your fish with a flashlight at night. It's not something that I would do several times a night, every night... But don't be afraid to take a peak when you want to know something. They aren't going to die.
> 
> You didn't mention how big they are, but perhaps they just aren't sexually mature yet. In any event, these things can take time. If you just got the fish then they are probably still stressed and so breeding is the last thing on their mind.
> 
> Fish have 3 prime directives - don't get eaten, eat, breed. That is the order of importance. When you get a new fish, especially one like a pleco, they immediately find shelter. They will not eat until they feel it's safe to come out. Even then, the fish is not totally at ease - they are still skittish. Eventually, they become comfortable in the tank and that is when you can expect breeding. How long that whole progression takes varies by fish.


Thanks for your reply
I would say the plecs are almost fully grown,mega clown plecs are one of the smallest plecs you can get which is one of the reasons i got them and i think they are well settled in by now.
As you say i will just have to wait and hopefully see


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I think mine is just a super clown ;-)


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## Agent13 (Apr 23, 2013)

What temp are you keeping it at? I know the person who breeds those and Chocolate zebra plecs for my local store and he raises the temp to 84 to encourage breeding.. and I think if I'm not mistaken he keeps a good current going in there with more females then males. (the girls like to get around ;-) )



jaysee said:


> I think mine is just a super clown ;-)


 I think mine is more of a scary type of clown..the kind that makes kids cry given the company he keeps. :lol:


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## tattiescone (Oct 12, 2013)

Agent13 said:


> What temp are you keeping it at? I know the person who breeds those and Chocolate zebra plecs for my local store and he raises the temp to 84 to encourage breeding.. and I think if I'm not mistaken he keeps a good current going in there with more females then males. (the girls like to get around ;-) )
> 
> 
> I think mine is more of a scary type of clown..the kind that makes kids cry given the company he keeps. :lol:


Thanks for replying.
The temp at the minute is up at 84 and i have 2 filters going 1 in each corner to create a flow.maybe i will have to do more water changes to fluctuate the temps.
Any tips about gravel or no gravel, wouldnt think that would be an issue but i have seen a lot of photos of breeding setups with no gravel.
Cheers again


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