Loaches Online Forum

Hi, guys! So I'd put in a order for striata at my LFS last week and they came in today. Only... they weren't striata. I'm pretty sure they're baby rostrata, which is just fine by me and will work just as well as the striata, but wanted to make sure since I haven't seen this guys in person before. Here's some pictures:






They're about 2 inches long and very active. Their heads are shaped exactly like my kubotai and they are very similar, color-wise as well. Have them quarantined and eating bloodworms at the moment, looking to be released into the main loach tank after a couple weeks. They'll join the kubs and clowns. And eventually, some striata might even show up...

But first, just wanted to make sure. So... rostrata, yes, no?

Got them 5/$12, by the way, and there's still about 40 of them left at the store if anybody in Southern California near the Orange County area was looking for them

Angela

Please post the address of the place I live in Pasadena and have a G.P.S.. I am VERY interested in taking a peek at your store.

Hiya!

It's Tong's Tropical Fish, a family-owned place that's been around for quite a while, from what I gather. I've had great luck with getting healthy fish from them, and they're the only store I know that stocks clowns bigger than 3". The address is:

8976 Warner Avenue
Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Their number is 714.842.2733

They might not know the loaches by their real names, though -- the owner apparently was calling them "striped yoyos" though his daughter (the one who orders the fish) seems slightly more knowledgeable. I usually order stuff by printing out pictures and stuff, then giving the page to her

Angela

Thank you so much...sorry I was no help to you but thank you for helping me.

i think they might possibly be botia dario - queen loaches. the bands look very uniform to be rostrata.

are you able to get any more pictures when they are out of the bag?

Hi, Helen!

Here's an out-of-bag picture:



I considered dario, but the yellow stripes on dario seem to be very thin compared to the thicker stripes on my little guys. Plus they don't look quite as strikingly yellow and black -- more the same shades as my kubotai.

Hmm. Let me know what you think.

Angela

now they are out of the bag, they do look more rostrata like.

I don't think i've ever seen a golden juvenile Botia rostrata before.

They sort of remind me of juvenile Botia udomritthiruji.....can this be possible that they have found Emperor juveniles...

http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-unknown01

Graeme Robson wrote:I don't think i've ever seen a golden juvenile Botia rostrata before.

They sort of remind me of juvenile Botia udomritthiruji.....can this be possible that they have found Emperor juveniles...

http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-unknown01

This crossed my mind for an instance .. But then again I also thought they may actually be hybrids.. looking at the nose shape on the top fish in the photo of them out of the bag and it looks somewhat deformed to my eye..

I'd be more inclined to go with B.rostrata x botia ?

Yeah, to be honest i was also thinking the same but one thing that makes the Botia udomritthiruji stand out from other Botia's is the large lips they seem to carry and same with the snouts.

I would love to see regular updates on how these chaps grow. Can you do this for us Angela?

I'd be interested in more photos, especially face on and close ups of the head and mouth as well as photos as they develop..

Would it be possible to try and track down the importers info and area collection details?

Doc wrote:Would it be possible to try and track down the importers info and area collection details?

Please!!

Last week, I imported what is claimed by the supplier to be a new species from India, which they have listed as Indian Polka Dot Botia (Botia cf. kubotai). I have lots of pics but have been too busy to put them up on here yet. Will try and do so later today, or tomorrow. Anyway, the main reason for my rambling here is that these 'new' Botia do not look like the ones in this thread, there is definitely no yellow colour on them. It would be interesting to know what country the above ones came from. Let's hope it isn't eastern Europe!

Emma

Hi again!

Well, I dropped by the store again today hoping to talk to the girl who does the ordering, but she was out buying fish. I spoke with the owner, but wasn't able to get much information from him about the source. He said that they went through a chain of suppliers, but that these fish came out of the same guy in Indonesia who gets their yo-yos. So there is a southeast Asian source, at least. I didn't really expect to find out any more, since they are still calling these fish "striped yo-yos" and they were what got ordered instead of striata. The owners themselves are southeast Asian, and probably brought their supplier contacts over with them when they set up the shop out here. I honestly do not think they know much more beyond what they told me, and that the last stop in the supply chain before it reached them probably doesn't know much more either.



The fish are all around 5cm in length, including tails, and are highly active. I uploaded a gob of photos and some videos to photobucket, for you guys to peruse at your leisure. There's some from inside the tank with flash, some from in a tupperware container with flash, then without, with a black background, etc. The tupperware pictures have flourescent kitchen lighting. So yes. The mystery continues...

http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/hh55 ... s/Loaches/

password: showmethepix

I'm curious to know what they are, of course, but in the end I'll keep them and love them no matter what they are, funny-looking heads and all

I have to take back what I said. I am just going through my photographs now, and although to the eye those 'new' Botia looked to have a silver-white background colour, in the pics there is yellow-gold at certain angles. Will put the pics up in a bit.

Emma