Egg bearing yoyo loach

[vividdingo]

One of my yoyo loaches has been bearing eggs for about one month. I know this because she became very large and round very quickly. She often buries herself beneath a log on her side to hide away. She is still very active, and healthy. I have looked online to find out the gestation period of a yoyo loach , and havent found anything to determine how long she will carry the eggs. Does anyone know what the gestation period is? Also everywhere I look it says not known to breed in aquaria. Do they give birth to live fry, or simply lay eggs , and wait to be fertalized? Im sure my barbs will make short work of the eggs or fry either way if I dont seperate them at that point.

[Mark Janssen]

don't know but i to had one big fat yoyo for a few weeks... and she went from huge to normal in one night at some point. never saw eggs guess they were eaten as soon as the were laid.

[Emma Turner]

Hi vividdingo, and welcome to Loaches Online.

Yo yo loaches (Botia almorhae) are egg layers. However, breeding has not occured in the home aquarium, perhaps because of lack of mature males that are of breeding age/condition in the same aquarium as the gravid females. There are many reports of females that are so gravid they look like they are going to pop, and then suddenly, next time they are observed, the belly will be of normal size again. The eggs have ben released, but perhaps no willing males have been around to fertilise them.

These old threads may be of interest:

http://aquaweb.pair.com/forums/archives ... read=45074

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=5206

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=3650

If your fish are not youngsters and you have males in the same tank, assuming you wanted to make a serious attempt at spawning them successfully, your best bet would be to remove the other species and try triggering the Yo yos into spawning via some sort of environmental change to simulate a natural seasonal change. This article may be of use:
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/bre ... asons.html

Best of luck,

Emma

[vividdingo]

My female is bearing eggs about 3 times a year, or more. There is a mature male that chases her endlessly around the tank. I also have several Barbs, so I know there is no chance of a succesful hatch.