Why are Zebra Pleco, L46, so expansive?

[jcdeng]

same as title. I think they look interesting, but I will definitely not spend 200 bux on one. But I am curious to know why they have such a high price tag? Is it because they are the newest? color? hard to catch? very rare? very easy to keep? or other interesting attributes/personality that other plecos don't have?

thanks in advance

[Heyguy74]

They are very rare. Dont have many fry if you can get them to breed and are no longer allowed to be exported from Brazil. I believe they could be in danger of extinction becasue of that huge dam Brazil plans to build.

[jcdeng]

oh wow, I didn't know that, if thats the case then it make sense. thanks

[Tony]

They also are pretty particular in terms of water conditions (to spawn) and take a long time to become sexually mature. 3+ years, I believe.

[Buckcich]

Some interesting reading here (allow yourself a couple hours to complete the reading):

http://www.fishaholics.org/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2288&sid=63d05464a5a8748cf6da438b514e5489

[exasperatus2002]

Anything & everything to do with zebras can be found here- http://www.zebrapleco.com/

[m1ke715m]

also because they are so cute.. where else you gona find a pleco that adorable? lol

[jcdeng]

just read up on them, they are somewhat prettier than the other plecos (maybe its the white that stands out), and the fact that they are in danger makes me want to keep some. if only they have a less "baller" price tag

[Longstocking]

At the catfish convention... one of the speakers talked briefly about them. And a few friends of mine breed them.

While some believe them to be "rare" I wouldn't call them rare any more. At one time they were over fished... but once there was ban on export put on these particular fish many years ago ( before the current ban ).... the fish in the wild are doing much better.

The reason for price...

1) like all fancy pelcos.. they tend to be high in price.... it's just the market for them.
2) Small spawns... while not any harder than any other hypan. they do have small spawns like all hypans. Not hard to breed in terms of plecos but not easy by all means either.
3) The dam in brazil... while it hasn't been built yet many species will be wiped out or close to it once it has been built. So that raised the price due to the wonderful future plans of Brazil.
4) The ban on export... very few wilds come out. A lot more are being bred. believe it or not the price used to be MUCH higher.

[jcdeng]

I see, but I also see that other wild brazil plecos are 30-40 dollars each while the zebra is 8 times more, if the dam will wipe them out, shouldn't all the Brazil pleco have a high price tag on their heads right now?

and is the current ban really a ban? cuz I still see ppl offer "wild caught L46" for sale... If ppl can still openly sell them, or claim them to be WC, then thats not really a ban, to me, Asian Arowanas ban is a ban.

[Longstocking]

If you look at other wild hypan plecos from the same AREA you are still looking at a large sum... 100.00 bucks or more.

People smuggle them in from columbia. It is illegal and there is a ban. But it's south america.... lots of problems, so some people get away with it.

[jcdeng]

Thank you for clearing that up for me :ty:

[Zippo]

just read up on them, they are somewhat prettier than the other plecos (maybe its the white that stands out), and the fact that they are in danger makes me want to keep some. if only they have a less "baller" price tag

We have a member who breeds them in Mt Kisco NY, might ask what he wants for some fry. I'm sure it's not 200$ ea though. PM TwoTankAmin here.

[bigsink]

I remember seeing a tank of around 100 of them at Fishtown USA in the mid 1990s. They were $25 each. I bought six. Kept them around 4 or 5 years in a ram tank, never bred and were very mellow with each other. It was a 50 breeder.

[jcdeng]

thanks guys/gals for the info, not looking to keep them as of now, maybe sometime down the road.

[exasperatus2002]

I see, but I also see that other wild brazil plecos are 30-40 dollars each while the zebra is 8 times more, if the dam will wipe them out, shouldn't all the Brazil pleco have a high price tag on their heads right now?

No not all Brazil types. Only the Rio Xingu natives. Heres a list of them.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/search_result.php?family_id=4&genus_id=0&distr_id=1

[fishbuddy]

I was able to spend the day with Ingo Seidel and he was excited, that brazil is going to allow some more plecos the be shipped out. He did not Know is this was going to be long term or short term, So keep your Eyes out.
By the way I have a colony of zebra, all they do is hide. very expensive, very over rated. i got most of them in trade for taking apart the fish room of Excotic finds.
in my opinion the L177 is a much better looking fish. I am now looking for the L387 I have only seen pictures so far but wow the red morph is amazing

[Longstocking]

That is correct but they have been trickling in for a while... at least through this guy ....

If I was to buy more wild plecos.... I would probably bookmark this page ;)

http://www.unungy.com/

[vanillarum]

Zebra plecos are actually pretty easy to keep. All they need is clean water, temps over 80°, good oxygenation, and a little flow. The flow seems to be debatable, as I know a few people that raise and breed them without it. In the wild they come from very fast moving waters with little or no plant life or light. They are extremely hard to catch in the wild since they come from deep, fast moving water. Females are harder to catch, since the males are usually in caves and are much easier to catch. While keeping them is relatively easy, getting them to breed is a bit more difficult. And I think the main reason the price stays so high is that people are willing to pay it. If no one bought them at their current price, I would think the price would come down.