Pleco eggs? But they're not in a cave...?

**Ellen4God** · 04-12-2012, 12:52 AM

So I was watching some baby shrimp fly (er, swim...they look like they're flying to me!) around my aquarium tonight, and I spotted a small cluster of what looks like green eggs amongst some moss at the top of my driftwood. They aren't snail eggs (way way too big), and they're not shrimp eggs (there are too many there...and they're bigger than shrimp eggs). The only other option are my bn plecos, but I thought they would only lay in caves?

Any ideas? I tried getting a picture or two, but they're not showing up very well in my pictures.

**toddnbecka** · 04-12-2012, 05:35 AM

Pleco eggs are orange, not green. Occasionally a clump will get kicked out of the cave, if that happens the best bet is to put them in a net breeder somewhere near a filter or airstone to circulate water through the net. They'll hatch just fine on their own (provided they're fertile,) the male mainly protects the eggs/fry from predators until they're completely developed and ready to wander off on their own.

**Ellen4God** · 04-12-2012, 09:40 PM

Odd. I wonder what they could be then.

**toddnbecka** · 04-13-2012, 04:38 AM

If they hatch you'll find out... Even regular brown BN eggs are orange, and so are the newly hatched fry until they finish absorbing the yolk sacs. The super reds pretty much stay the same color, while brown, calico, or albino fry show their respective colors (or lack thereof) after a week or so.
Cherry shrimp eggs are green, but obviously nowhere near the size of BN eggs. A small clump from a young female would be about the size of a nickel, a larger clump from a more mature female about the diameter of a quarter. The individual eggs are relatively large, and so are the fry when they hatch. Baby cherry shrimp are difficult-impossible to see unless you're almost nose-to-glass on the tank. BN fry aren't such a strain on the eyes, even wigglers are about the size of a half-grown shrimp.