Loaches Online Forum

Folks:

Please refer to
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php ... highlight=

Chrisb is me as I had my account messed up.

1) the tank is still bear bottom;
2) I have maintained the water temperature at 78F;
3) I have been feeding frozen brine shrimp once a day and my mixtures twice a day;
4) I "cranked up the air some" to not only induce greater turbulence on the surface but induce some flows into the tank
5) fed and lighted appropriately such that some algae grew on the sides and bottom of the tank and
5) have "religiously" been doing 90% daily WC's from my main tank (which has pristine water).

This may sound "crazy" but:
1) these loaches are now 1.5" and
2) this morning I observed mating behavior on the front pane of the tank.

What in the world is going on here that I am "having so much luck" with these loaches?

TR

Hello. I am quite sure I purchased my lineolata from the same source, though I obtained some of his earliest F1s. They are now full grown and have spawned for me.

That being said, I don't really understand what your question is. It seems as though your previous assertions have shown that the provided tank has been more than sufficient for keeping these balitorids, and now you're baffled that they are exhibiting spawning behavior? I don't get it.

If you keep your fish in brilliant condition, it is only natural that they would thrive, or am I wrong here?

Cup wrote:... your previous assertions have shown that the provided tank has been more than sufficient for keeping these balitorids, and now you're baffled that they are exhibiting spawning behavior? I don't get it.

Cup:

I appreciate your response but yes this is exactly what I am asking.
I do not understand why these loaches would be exhibiting breeding behavior (which I have not observed since I posted) when "nothing about the water or tank conditions" are in accordance with previous posts on this Forum or the literature.

Cup wrote:Hello. I am quite sure I purchased my lineolata from the same source, though I obtained some of his earliest F1s. They are now full grown and have spawned for me.

Cup:

Mine came from:

http://brianstropicals.com/ohio_tropical_fish.html

Could you post a photograph of the tank in which yours spawned, the water parameters and other particulars?

Also posting "how you grew them out"? would be appreciated.

TR

Hey TR. Have you read this article?
Breeding Sewellia lineolata?

It seems that they are rather unparticular regarding conditions when it comes to breeding. Don't worry. Be happy.

Not sure, but it sounds to me as if they are just well cared for fish. And yes, I did indeed receive my fish from your source.

Anyways, I feed cyclopeeze, homemade tilapia mix (broad beans, tilapia, kale, collard greens, garlic), brine shrimp, hikari carnivore pellets, and a plethora of vegetable crumble/flake foods thrice a day.

They are housed in a fifteen gallon with 4 barbus hulstaerti, 5 boras micros, 5 corydoras pygmaeus (and fry), 3 hara jerdoni, many, many cherry shrimp, and 3 celestichthys margaritatus. Sounds overstocked. It is. This is a pic from maybe three weeks ago, but I cleared it out in favor of cryptocorne and anubias almost completely as anubias is far easier to maintain.

Filtration comes from two fluval internals and a homemade sponge filter, air driven. Water changes are made whenever I'm not sleeping or not going to 8 am lectures.

Water quality figures are unknown-I have never tested the water in my life.



You can just barely make out a young adult male in the lower left hand corner.

Ah HAH! More Java moss, the fishy aphrodisiac.

Cup and Shari:

I very much appreciate yall's input.


Cup (and folks)

Two Items:

One)

I absolutely agree with the following assertion by Eric Bodrock in the web page which Shari cited:

"algae may play an important role in their diet and conditioning for breeding. "

Due to overfeeding (even with the significant WC's previously cited) the walls of the 5G hex in which I have the loaches had algae which required scraping to remove.

As the loaches have grown significantly I am "having trouble" keeping algae on the walls of the tank.



Two)

I am principally feeding my homemade mixtures also (twice a day with the third feeding, at noon, being Tetramin Tropical Flakes) although every "couple of days" I will feed frozen brine shrimp.

The principal differences of our recipes which I can ascertain from your post is that

A
My recipes contain only one "meatie" (ie. one will have beef heart, another prawns, another fish,etc) and the "veggies" vary from batch to batch.
I do this in order that my fishies will have a variety of flavors with respect to my recipes.

B
In each pound of "meaties" and 4 cans of veggies I add
10 Centrum Multipurpose Vitamins;
3 packages of yeast and
10 garlic cloves.

TR