Got me a schistura?

[bevans]

Hi everyone! I was a very bad girl today. A friend and I were out on a fish run-the specialty LFS has supplies 50% off till the end of the year. And we stopped at a second fish/pet store which is a local chain. And there, in a tank of albino aeneaus, otos and barbs, was this one little guy, maybe about 2" long. I thought he looked somewhat like those schistura that Mick bought a little while ago. There was no price tag on the tank. He was really cute, and the fish looked healthy enough (for now) so I asked the kid how much he was. The kid couldn't find his tag on the tank, and he couldn't find it in the fish price book, so he quoted me $2.69 and I bought him, not really knowing what he needed and feeling badly that I only bought the one. Bad Brenda!

As far as I can tell, he's a schistura, so maybe I didn't do so badly, since apparently they're solitary sorts and he only gets to be 4". But it also says they like a bit of flow and I don't have a tank set up for that. The tank he was in didn't have a lot and he seemed very perky, was right out in front. After I quarantine him, do you all think he'd be OK in my 33L with the cories and guppies? I've got tiny pygmaeus in there, and I don't want them et. But I've got two rock hidy-holes and a piece of driftwood in there, and I'm trying to get plants growing well. It has a sand substrate. The other option is to put him in the 55 with the kuhlis, cories, black swords and the red-tailed shark. There's fine gravel in that tank, and major hidy holes. I'd probably never see him-I rarely see the kuhlis any more.

Here are some pictures of him, as best as I could do. He's pale right now for obvious reasons. Sorry they're not clearer!

[Graeme Robson]

Certainly a schistura-cf-balteata. Have a read of the Species profile. >>http://www.loaches.com/species-index/sc ... f-balteata

[mickthefish]

its the cf balteata, good fish but not very freindly with it's own kind,
but do each other very little damage if any at all.
it likes loads of hiding places eats almost anything from flake to mussel.

mick

[Mark in Vancouver]

Looks like Schistura balteata or one of the variants. But the bad news is that you'll definitely need high water flow for these guys. And 33L is very small. I wouldn't worry too much about only having the one loach, as they are somewhat territorial - but you have to get the water moving or he's not going to do well. It's the nature of where they come from.

If you have the fancy guppies, I wouldn't be too surprised if you see some fin damage from this fish.

[Mark in Vancouver]

Great minds think (and post) alike.

[bevans]

Would he bother the kuhlis? Are they too similar in body type? I've got a power head in the 55 that I had set up for them, but I stopped using it because it kept clogging up and they didn't seem to like it anyway.

Taking another look at him, he's less than 2" at this point. I'll figure something out for him. I will say that he's not as shy as the profile says-he's been out and around quite a bit, coming right to the front of the glass. He's not as pretty as the pictures, though I'll wait and see on that. But when he was in the store and in better color, he didn't have any of the yellow near his tail.

It's good to know that he's not a particularly bad actor. Certainly, he's getting along with the albino cories I bought at the same time. My guppies are fancy ones, but I think I might give him a try in the 33L, just for a little while. I've got a red-tail shark who is 4 1/2", and I used to have a golden algae eater who was that big. My livebearers are used to persecution.

I am pleased that I figured out he was a schistura-I'm a bit vague on some sorts of loaches. My cory ID skills aren't much better! Thanks for the help!

[chris1932]

In a big tank these fish are quite entertaining. Mine have been breeding with regularity in a 150 gallon tank. They WILL be teritorial, I have seen mine chase off a quartet of weathered loaches that are between 7-9 inches long.

[Mark in Vancouver]

Hey Chris.

Yours have been breeding regularly? Can you quantify that, please? I have not heard of Schistura spawning successfully in a home aquarium. We'd be very interested to hear more about this.

Photos and details of species type, water parameters, and so on would be appreciated.

[shari2]

Yes, please, Chris! Would be a breakthrough.

[chris1932]

Shari and Mark

I posted some pictures and have been meaning to follow it up but I have not really had the time. The really sad part is that after breeding these fish for some time I could not get sell the fry to save myself. I will make an effort to complete my findings on breeding parameters. At one point I had over 100 first generation fry. Subsequent generations do not loose their bright red and yellow coloration. Much like south american dwarves the colors can be made more vivid by manipulation of diet.

[shari2]

Can't sell them? Bah. Lame lfs's round your way.

Did you end up trading them in? Lots of stores will take fish in on trade, but won't lay out cash to 'hobby' breeders. I cover some fish expenses that way--on trade.

[Emma Turner]

Hi Chris,

Long time, no hear! Hope you're keeping well.

I thought these old threads on your successful spawning of Schistura cf. balteata would be of interest here:

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=7070

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=7708

Remember that the offer of permanently documenting these wonderful events on the relevant species index page still stands, once you get some free time to email me with all the info (I know how difficult it can be to find the time ).

Emma

[chris1932]

Emma
I am going to work on it. I have been really busy. Tanks breed faster than fish, I am up to 60 or so and on my way to more.


Shari2
I put an auction on aquabid and got no response. I was going to sell them to Franks but never got around to it, and I would have hated to ship them. That Pet Place/That Fish Place took them along with 150 anglefish and three dozen pairs of apistos.

[shari2]

Glad you found them a home. TFP is pretty good, I hear. Was going to try to stop in there at one point a couple of years ago, but never found my 'round toowit.'

[chris1932]

They are really good. The place is the size of a large grocery store, its kind of astounding. 600 freshwater tanks.