Bristlenose Pleco Breeding Inquiry

Question
This morning I awoke to find my bristlenose pleco dead @ the bottom of the tank and a batch of eggs hanging in its typical hiding spot.  I have a 75 gal tank with a ft long clown knife, an 8 inch long (supposed) leopard pleco & 2 snails.  Is it possible that the other pleco may be a male & fertilize the eggs?  Or is this just a lost cause?  Also, is it common for a fish to be alive & healthy one day, & lay eggs & die the next?  I'm just trying to determine if there were other factors involved.  Thanks...

Answer
Hi System404;

So sad, I'm sorry you lost her. The male guards the eggs, so if he is doing that they are probably fertile. I can't say what happened to the female. If you don't see any obvious signs of illness or stress, who knows? It happens occasionally with all types of animals. If she refused to leave the nest after she laid the eggs, the male may have chased her and stressed her out. Could the clown have bitten her?

Here is a great article on breeding them;
http://www.seacave.com/gaas/ttopics/1999/bristle.htm
Maybe it will shed some light on the situation.

Wish I could be more help......
Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins