Loaches Online Forum

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:09 am**

I managed to get this photo of a couple of my B. Rostrata that have really weird patterns

The pattern has changed quite a bit since I got them but they are very secretive so good shots are hard to come by, over the last 6 months or so the dots have got smaller and the pattern has got tighter.

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:53 am**

V nice fish MD.
Any shots of them as youngsters? Were they the usual aqaurium 'rostrata' that we see in shops?

Thanks

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 8:04 am**

The only one I have is when I first got them, its not a great picture but you can see some of the pattern

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:29 am**

very nice shots!

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:42 am**

Really nice... Something Kubotaish to these patterns, no wonder Kottelat got confused...

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:13 am**

Very very nice. Just look at those fins!

The one at the front really reminds me of that weird loach Helen was after that time, that sadly disappeared.

Emma

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 5:58 pm**

For comparison.....

MD's loach:

The weird loach, which we had wondered was Botia birdii:

Emma

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 5:58 pm**

very nice fish

and very interesting to see the photo of them in the bag. i am now wondering what mine wll turn out like when they get old. have you just had them the 6 months, or is that when the pattern started to change?

Emma please could you telll me if you get any more rostrata in? they are so hard to find

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:06 pm**

Will do Hels, they have quite a short season, and they they are just starting to appear on lists this week. I'll leave it until one of my preferred suppliers has them though.

Emma

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:17 pm**

cheers

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:40 pm**

Emma - There are definate similarities between mine and that possible B. birdii, I got 3 and only one still has regular Rostrata markings these two have changed a lot.

Helen - I have had these just over 12 months but it is only really in the last 6 months that theri pattern has really started to change

Posted: **Tue Sep 04, 2007 7:43 pm**

Were they the B. rostrata that you got from us a while back, MD?

Emma

Posted: **Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:16 am**

Emma Turner wrote:Were they the B. rostrata that you got from us a while back, MD?

Emma

Yes - got them around this time last year

Posted: **Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:40 am**

Interesting.

There is a chance they came from the same supplier as the batch of Yoyo's that Helen spotted that weird 'B. birdii' loach in.
Botia rostrata can be difficult to obtain unless bought directly from India, which is where that batch of Yoyo's were from. I can't be 100% sure on that though, but I'd say there was a very high chance they came from the same supplier. The only other time I remember getting B. rostrata in from elsewhere was problematic, hence why I think these came from that same Indian supplier. The time that I tried them from a supplier in a different country does not tie up with the time at which yours were bought from us either....

Emma

Posted: **Wed Sep 05, 2007 1:10 pm**

Emma Turner wrote:Interesting.

There is a chance they came from the same supplier as the batch of Yoyo's that Helen spotted that weird 'B. birdii' loach in.
Botia rostrata can be difficult to obtain unless bought directly from India, which is where that batch of Yoyo's were from. I can't be 100% sure on that though, but I'd say there was a very high chance they came from the same supplier. The only other time I remember getting B. rostrata in from elsewhere was problematic, hence why I think these came from that same Indian supplier. The time that I tried them from a supplier in a different country does not tie up with the time at which yours were bought from us either....

Emma

Oooh the plot thickens

Thanks for the info Emma, it is strange how only these two have changed pattern and the other one still looks like a bog standard rostrata