Robusta rascals

[Emma Turner]

Here's a few pics I took last week of some of the Sinibotia robusta at the shop. They have been getting more and more fiesty as they have grown, and are now at the stage where I'm really seriously thinking about moving them up to the infamous 'grrrr' stock tank ....
Don't be fooled by that cute little face and that 'robusta look'....


There's been some flank biting and fin nipping going on (as you can see by that tail)....


You don't want to upset them....


Greyed out and angry....




Beautiful fish, nasty temperament!

Emma

[Jim Powers]

Nice fish, Emma. I haven't seen these around here for some time. They used to show up once in awhile. My favorite lfs even had someone from out of state stop by the store looking for them. He ended up buying out their remaining sids and rostrata, however.

[Graeme Robson]

Superb pictures and Loaches, Emma. These are known to be belligerent, but i never knew they crossed the 'line' that much.

[Mark Janssen]

indeed very nice and goodlooking fish... i sold them the 4 i had in the past... they are fast too (faster than other botia i saw i mean)

mine are about now 15cm i've heard...

they don't school that much all 4 had seperate sleeping arangements

i wanted to focus more on the kubotai and they werent a good mix unfortunatly or i would never done them away. colors are very nice of the robusta... mostly night active only saw nosetips during the day and fights during the evening with the kubotai...

[Emma Turner]

Thank you.

Superb pictures and Loaches, Emma. These are known to be belligerent, but i never knew they crossed the 'line' that much.

Yeah, they have been surprising me. I imported them as juveniles and at that time they were fine in with some Schisturas. Then once they got to a certain size, their temperament began to change and they started damaging the Schisturas. Needless to say I moved the Schisturas and gave the robusta their own stock tank. Yet their aggression levels still continue to grow.

Emma

[Mark Janssen]

Yet their aggression levels still continue to grow.

Emma

they need own hiding places... they won't share and will fight over it...

when every fish has one or 2 spots to choose from they won't fight... problem is in a stock tank buyers wont get to see them during the day if the have hiding places...

[Emma Turner]

they need own hiding places... they won't share and will fight over it...

when every fish has one or 2 spots to choose from they won't fight... problem is in a stock tank buyers wont get to see them during the day if the have hiding places...

Mark,

All our loach stock tanks have numerous hiding places, and anyone that's visited us will confirm that. I know it is not the same as an aquarium at home, but we put in plenty of bogwood and caves made from rocks, live plants etc. Many customers probably don't see some of the loaches properly, but that is a risk we're willing to take where the wellbeing of the fish is concerned. We put them first and are not like other shops who don't provide any decor.

Emma

[Mark Janssen]

great to hear that emma but isnt that a pain to catch the fish when someone wants to buy them?

dont know how many robusta you have in the tank but at home when i still kept the 4 i had they each had a won hiding place and kept there distance between them... when i first got them they were very small and all stuck together like you said but when older they need a personal space unfortunatly but still very nice fish to look at and cheap to...
3.95 a peace if my memory serves me right.

not a beginners fish for sure... but very fun to watch great diggers to (bury a pellet of there food they will dig 10cm of sand in a mather of seconds to get to it)... and by far the best snaileaters... once cought one of them swimming with a snailhouse on its nose through the tank

[Emma Turner]

It might take a little longer to catch the fish, because of having to remove the decor first, but to be honest most customers do understand the loaches needs and do not mind this. It doesn't take that long anyway. Happy, healthy unstressed fish or unhappy, stressed out fish - I know what I'd prefer as a customer.

There are 10 B. robusta in the tank and they have all grown up together. They havn't sold because we just haven't found anyone who wants to dedicate a tank to a fairly boisterous species like these. I'd really like them all to go to the same person as they have been together for so long.

Emma

[Graeme Robson]

I would love to set up a tank for these pugnacious loaches, Emma.

(some wordings are just e-mail banter fun)

[Emma Turner]

Another 'grrrrr' tank! You might have to fight Helen for them! She's been thinking about them for a while now.

[Mark Janssen]

indeed a special playground for these would be great but at 18cm they need a big tank fullygrown...

[Graeme Robson]

Ahh yeah! I remember Helen talking about these. You go for it Helen!

[helen nightingale]

sadly i will have to wait untill next year to have somewhere to put them! so if you have a good home for them, at least you are worthy of them, if you beat me to it.

feisty they may be, but they are beautiful, and it must be worth having a special tank with not much else in (in the way of fish i mean) for a species like this

Mark, i have seen Emma's stock tanks in the shop, and in some of them she has to lift out the decor to show people the fish. But that doesn't seem to cause her concern for catching them, as she is very good at it. all of a sudden, the right fish has been caught, and is in a bag with a look on its face to say "oh, whats going on here? she beat me ". well, with loaches anyway. i cant imagine a guppy having a loachy "look"

[Graeme Robson]

indeed a special playground for these would be great but at 18cm they need a big tank fullygrown...

Is'nt it amazing that no one has images of this 18cm Loach, that 'Fishbase' quotes. Hmm.....