ID please--are these kubs?

[Manda]

Hello everyone:

I purchased 3 kubs from Petsmart a little over a week ago to add to the 10 kubs I have in my 220 gallon. Two were pretty good-sized and sparring in the store tank, and one was really pretty tiny. The two bigger ones had grayed out from their feisty behavior, and so I couldn't get a good look at their markings in the store. (These were the only 3 kubs they had, btw, and I probably would have grabbed them no matter what so they could be with a big group.)

Well, the two larger kubs look a bit... off. They've colored up nicely in their new home (I didn't quarantine, which I know, is terrible of me) but they don't look like my other kubs at all. For starters, they have a golden base color, not silver. One of them is almost orange. And one of them has a pointy little nose, unlike my older kubs. Whatever they are, they're staying, but I'd like to know what they are so they can have more of their species to hang with.

Can you take a look? I apologize for the picture quality--none of the botia are great at sitting still, unless they're amidst a big obscuring plant or under a piece of driftwood...

Here's the first one--orange-ish, and pointy-nosed:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47575294@N ... otostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47575294@N ... otostream/

And here's the second one--sorry for the poor photo--he does NOT sit still:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47575294@N ... otostream/

The second fish is more golden in color than showed up in that photo, and his stripes are very defined with no bleeding over towards each other.

Thanks so much!
Manda

[DainBramage1991]

I'm no expert, but those look very much like botia rostrata to me.

Take a look at the pics near the bottom of this link and you'll see what I mean:
http://www.loaches.com/articles/botia-r ... ing-growth

As for the golden base color, sometimes (at least in my own experience) that can be influenced as much by diet as it can by species. All of my loaches (histies, kubs, and yoyos) exhibit a golden base color, and I attribute it to type of food I feed them since they weren't all that color when I got them.

[Manda]

Ahhh, yup--those look like my guys! It sounds like they'll be compatible with kubs, and appreciate my setup, so I think it'll be ok. Do you think I need to try and find 3-4 more rostrata to keep them happy? (As far as I can tell, they're schooling with the kubs, although there are still some dominance issues being settled...)

Thanks for your help!

[DainBramage1991]

I know the general rule of thumb is to have a minimum of 3 of each species, but my 2 yoyos seem to do just fine hanging out with the other loaches. If there are more of them readily available to you, it wouldn't hurt to add another couple of rostratas. If not, give it a chance as-is. They may do just fine as a pair, given that you have other similar loaches to keep them company.

It's been my experience that in most pet stores, loaches tend to be misidentified - a lot. When shopping for loaches (and fish in general) be prepared to ID them yourself and ignore most of what you are told by the shop employees (unless you find a VERY good fish store, like the one we are lucky enough to have near here).

[Manda]

I see we're both in New England... Do you mind sharing what your LFS is? I haven't found any stellar ones around here. Petsmart is as good as it gets. (Although I have to admit the Petsmart I go to DOES take good care of their fish. They're healthy and even alive, which is a far cry from the first LFS I ventured into, where *live* fish were a rarity.) I used to live in Northern California, where I was spoiled for choice with top-notch LFS. THOSE were the days...

Thanks for your help!

[DainBramage1991]

You're not too far from me.

If you don't mind the car ride, Laconia Pet Center in Laconia NH is about the best pet store I've ever been in. They're privately owned, take excellent care of their fish (and other animals), have knowledgeable and helpful staff, a good selection, have their fish accurately identified by species, and are willing to order just about anything you want.

I hope the moderators don't mind if I post a link to their website (I'm not affiliated with them, just a happy customer):
http://www.laconiapetcenter.com/web/

I don't think they normally stock rostratas (they usually have yoyos and golden zebras), but they might be able to get them for you if you ask.

[Manda]

Ooooo, thank you SO much! I don't mind that drive, and in a few months I'm adding a group of clowns to the 220 (the spoiled kubs are going to have to share, heh heh hehe) and I'm thrilled that there's a quality LFS to get them from. Thanks for the tip!

Regarding Petsmart, I was in there today getting a power strip timer and they had the smallest, tiniest dojos I've ever seen. They looked slightly bigger than planaria. I was shocked. I would have rescued them, but I think even netting them would have killed them (seriously, they were like threads) and if I have put them in either of my tanks, they would have been immediately consumed, a la bloodworms. Poor little guys.

[DainBramage1991]

I would have been tempted to get them also if I had seen them, but for the same reasons (and lack of tank space at the moment) also would have passed them up. Bummer!

I wonder if they were hatched there at the store, as it seems unlikely (in my opinion) that fry that small would have been wild caught and shipped all the way from Asia.

[Manda]

I don't know how they got them, but there's only one little guy left. I hope he goes to a good home.