Baby black loach!

[Anaciporta]

I have a 78-80 F, 90 gallon, 6.5-7 pH, with coarse black sand substrate and African driftwood aquarium. I was cleaning it today...after cleaning, when rearranging the driftwood, I saw what I thought was a small piece of plastic. I moved to pick it off the substrate and noted that it moved its head like a loach and then just swam off like a loach! I have 8 black loaches in the aquarium. They have been there about 10 months. I had no clue they were reproducing. I hope I did not suction up any siblings in the substrate. I also have Corys, so maybe they inhibited the number of spawn. Of course, it is possible that they are live bearers and that having a sole survivor might be normal. I cannot snap a picture of it, as I am afraid to net it and possibly injure it. It is about an inch long and as thin as a thread....maybe 10 hairs put together (human hair). It is extremely active and left its hiding place in the African driftwood to swim around once. My camera does not do action shots, though. Still, I am very happy and wish I understood better how this occurred.
Thanks,
Anaciporta

[Emma Turner]

Hi Anaciporta, and welcome to Loaches Online.

Congratulations on your baby fish. Is this the species you have? http://www.loaches.com/species-index/pangio-oblonga

If so, they are an egglaying species, and another recent spawning is documented here:
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=6200

Emma

[Anaciporta]

Dear Emma,
Thanks! Yes, I had found that site....I found on another site though that the black loach has a band at the base of its tail and the cinnamon loach does not. Mine looks like the photo in your link, so if this site is accurate, they are black loaches. Mine are totally unbanded.

I had heard about that breeding but had not yet found the posting's location. I'm kind of doing my mass cleaning today and have only spent about an hour all day not cleaning. So I really did not get a chance to research it yet.

I have 10 false Julii Corys, 8 black loaches and one pearscale, gold, veiltail Angel in my 90 gallon. I had more angels but due to a chronic wasting sort of disease lost many of them. Last spring I had even produced albino veiltail pearlscales, but these succumbed to the disease. I use mardel products, but thus far have only been able to pull two angels showing signs back to health and that is not conclusive. I had two adorable clown loaches over a year old who were thriving, when at 4 am one morning I heard a terrible sound...the filter piece (over the back) had fallen off, allowing them to swim (together as usual) up to their tragic deaths. Even though I stopped filtration immediately, they were both dead.

Enough history. Point is that I adore fish, have kept them since I've been 9, but I go through periods of higher and lower activity. I am trying to clean up (bleaching and drying out) all affected tanks. It was quite a surprise to me to find my loaches had been doing so well despite my recent lack of attention. I suspect that the clown loaches or corys may have eaten this young loaches' siblings. Of course, I may have aspirated some of them this morning during my vigorous cleaning. I did keep a very watchful eye on my tube, but sometimes the water was turbid.

The very little loach is swimming with an adult loach and enjoys hiding under the African driftwood. I'm glad to see these loaches enjoy their home as much as I enjoy them. And I never considered that there was a site of loach lovers...I always look for fish lovers where I live, but cannot find any. Of course, I love all my fish loaches, corys and Angels, but it is wonderful to find a forum of people devoted to socializing on the topic of loaches!