Loaches Online Forum

Smiling Loachists,

I've collected a local lump-fish/sucker bellied goby ... i'd have to look up the appropriate name (it's on fishbase, but i'm lazy just now)... in very fast water, and it's a dead ringer for many of the fast-water loach photos i've seen here.... but without the brilliant colours.

Thus my question to the forum:

It's not losing weight (that i can tell) but it is very timmid, though the spp isn't supposed to be nocturnal or schooling. Any suggestings for helping it get over its "wall flower" reluctance to mingle or feed?
The mouth is directly to the front and not of a sucker/algevoire style, so floating/swimming particulate foods would be the diet, as fishbase suggests. It sticks via modified pelvic fins like the other gobies, though they do eat algae.... i should send some photos.

I've got it in with the other gobies and pipefish from the same and similar rivers, along with the musketeers (little clowns x 3) and a few other small spp in a 100 gal long/show with about a 2-10cm/second circular current (with refugia).


If it begins to obviously loose weight it's going back... no worries.


Andyroo

This?

http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Country/Co ... ies=banana

Love the name!

Looks rather like a Moosehead

Martin.

Heheh! Nice fish!

Nope,

That one they call a sandfish (same as the one below on the list, similar spp). I've had one before, but they are difficult to feed as they eat... well, sand. They power through mountains of it through the gills. I reckon my sand/substrate may be old/mature enough to hold one now. They're reasonably common. Folks eat them.

The fish in question is a clingfish, on fishbase at:

http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Country/Co ... cies=nudus

though i can get better photos then this. As i'd said, it's a dead ringer in looks, habitat and likely behaviour to many of the hillstream loaches (I love convergant evolution)...thus i ask advice here.
Mine's about 3cm long... i've never seen one anywhere near 15 cm. Seems monsterous.
Mouth is little... too little to be a serious fish eater. Can see it in the through-glass photo.

If interested, the other river gobies are at:

http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Country/Co ... =punctatum

Similar to the Thai gobies i've seen on this forum, though withoiut the flash colours.... but as i'd said on another posting every river has a quite different spp: colours, sizes, patterns etc... Again, i can get better photos.

And yes Graeme, this is the gobie collection that would be subject to the clown knife. I've turned it down :(


Andyroo

Nice looking specimens, andyroo.

Great, and thanks,

But back to the question: based on your experience with similar hillstream loaches, how do it get it to be more social?
Plus some feeding suggestions, i suppose. No blood worms availible here.

Andyroo

Chopped earth worms? They seem to like eating fish/fish scales and insects from the data on fishbase.

Have been through the usual: chopped small table shrimp, hard boiled egg yolk (dried), ant eggs, earthworms are oddly hard to get. Not too common, and the little old gardener ladies know what i'm up to and are fiercely protective.
The bits float in the current right in front of hi nose, but no takers. It's not loosing weight, so it may be finding enough juv. shrimp and snails etc...

Andyroo