Unexpected Baby BN Plecos

[Stef]

Well, surprise surprise, I have a tank full of teeny little baby plecos. I just found them out and about yesterday. I have to split up the parents because I hadn’t expected them to breed so easily and I don’t want another spawn. 
 

My question at this stage is I assume the dad is done raising or protecting them. Can I remove him (or mom) to my 20 gal now?  The babies are all out feeding and exploring. I can’t see into the cave to check for others in there. From what I can see actively swimming around, I have about 15. But probably more. The only other occupants withe the babies are a betta, 3 panda corys, amano shrimp and nerite snails, and the pleco parents. 
 

My other question is when can I give/sell the babies to my lfs?  At 1 inch?

[lefty o]

if they are out, they are fine on their own. as for the lfs, call and ask them how big they like them.

[Tihshho]

Think about the size that most people want to purchase them at, most people want a 2"+ BN. Larger they are the better they transport and the hardier they are.

[Brandon p]

My will that them at about an inch but they don’t pay much 

[gardenman]

You probably have more than fifteen, but they're good at hiding out and avoiding detection. And once they're out you can separate the parents. If you want the best for the plecos, I'd keep them until they were about two inches. At that size they're pretty tough little fish. They're always pretty tough, but some pet shops mix them in with fish they probably shouldn't be mixed in with. A LFS here had a young Super Red in with young Oscars and the poor pleco looked like he'd lost a war. His fins were badly torn, and he was not a happy fish. He was still alive though. 

[Guppysnail]

I keep mine until at least 2 inches. As mentioned many pet shops mix incorrectly out of necessity.  At 2+ inches they are tiny tanks. 🥰 I’ve also found there is always at least double the number I can see. 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Guppysnail