Lateral Line March 2011 - Hill Country Cichlid Club

25Multiple generations of bristlenose in the same aquarium.any other species including other bottomfeeders. They will fight amongst themselvesover a cave or hide and other than that theyseem to claim no territory.Sexing and breeding is quite simple. Maleswill get soft fleshy growths on their nosethat reminds me of "Velcro" and femaleswill be mostly smooth, but may have somegrowth but it will be much shorter then amales and not as many. To breed them it isalmost as easy as getting a mature male andfemale and throwing them in a tank with acave, but not quite. It is best to prep bothyour male and females before breeding byfeeding a diet of fresh vegetables and a littlebit of a meaty food. Caution - too muchmeat will cause bloat which may causeyour fish to die. I believe this diet helps thefemale in her egg production and the male tobuild up a energy reserve that he will usewhile incubating and protecting the eggs andfry. I seem to be able to stimulate breedingby doing a 75% water change with moresuccess if I cantime it with a coldfront movingthrough the area.To breed, the malewill get the femaleinto the cavewhere she will laythe eggs and themale will fertilizethem, then fanthem with his tail.It doesn't take longfor the eggs tohatch I seem tohave a new batchof free swimmingfry every otherweek in my breedingtank.Once the fry arefree swimming the male is ready to breedagain. Bristlenose don't seem to be pickyabout what they call a "cave" so as-long-asthey can squeeze into it and feel safe theycan call it home, this seems to apply more tothe males as they are home body's while thefemales seem to roam more. Caution -make sure all aquarium decorations havesufficient room for them to get in and outsince they are not very flexible. While it ispossible to have breeding in a communitytank, the mortality rate of fry can be veryhigh due to predation. A separate tank is recommendedif breeding is the main goal. Ifthe goal is to use them as part of your algaecontrol program they readily mix with justabout any species in all but the smallest oftanks as-long-as you give them plenty ofhiding places and provide a steady diet ofveggie based food. Go ahead, give them atry, you won't be disappointed.