pregnant? please help!

[bsmall05]

two weeks ago i bought two yoyo loaches from the LFS, at the time i noticed that one was a bit lumpy in the belly. assuming that this was from eating habbits i brought them home, acclimated them and they both have been doing great! the tank is fully cycled, water parameters are great. tonight i noticed that the lumps have gotten much much bigger, she looks quite pregnant to me. i know that they arent bred in captivity, but i cant think of another reason for the swelling. she eats the same as the other yoyo, and i dont overfeed. i just wish i knew what was going on, any one with some insight would be greatly appreciated! thanks!!

[Emma Turner]

How big are your Yoyo loaches, and do they display a Yo-yo pattern or a reticulated pattern on their sides?
How long has your tank been set up for, and what are you feeding the fish on?

You probably already know this, but you'll need to get them some more company of their own kind, as two is not a good number for keeping Botia, particularly fairly lively species like Yo-yos.

Emma

[TammyLiz]

The word "pregnant" leaves me wondering if you misunderstand that they are egglayers and that she could be gravid (full of unfertilized eggs, not babies) without actually breeding in the aquarium.

Exactly how do these lumps look? Gravid fish usually look fat/wide but not actually lumpy, and you make is sound like several lumps.

[bsmall05]

the tank has been set up for almost two months now, the yoyo's school with the two zebras, they were in a tank together when i bought them and i liked the fact that they all played together. she is about 2.5 inches, yoyo pattern, and she looks wide to both sides, she has a dark spot on her underside like my guppies do when they are pregnant. i know that loaches are egg layers, i didnt know the right word is gravid. thanks

[shari2]

does she look something like this?



or more like this?



this is a pic from the archives of Kamphol Udomritthiruj's breeder females from a ways back.
Here's a link to the thread:

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

[bsmall05]

alot like that! is there any special care that i can take to make sure that shes okay? i love my little loaches and would be heart broken if something happened to them!

[shari2]

You could try searching the 'Loach Forum Archives' above for gravid yo-yos or other similar topics. There have been quite a few reports of yoyos becoming gravid. The trick is trying to get them to spawn. Kamphol does it via hormone injection, I believe, but most hobbyists aren't set up for that type of procedure.

Is she reticulated (meaning her yoyo pattern is breaking up like the larger loach?) or still clearly showing the yoyo pattern? How reticulated is the other yoyo? The level of reticulation seems to have something to do with the maturity of the fish. In my experience (which is not alot!) it seemed that males mature more slowly than females. Is your other fish a male? Can you tell? You could search the archives for 'sexing yoyos' too...

[palaeodave]

My big girl got rid of her eggs somehow. She was enormous but...well....not like that fish in the picture there!

I didn't see any eggs or different behaviour but one day out of the blue her belly wasn't huge anymore. Can't think of anything I may have done to trigger it.

[bsmall05]

she is still large, but very happy and active. she still has a defined yoyo pattern, i dont know if the other is a male or female i will have to do some research. one quick question, does anyone know how long they remain gravid? and if one of my zebra loaches (which im sure are both males) might fertalize the eggs? they are all very close and school together. thanks everyone for all of the help!

[Graeme Robson]

she still has a defined yoyo pattern

Most likely a very Greedy specimen.

I have a old picture of one of mine here>

[bsmall05]

thats more like what she looks like. so she is just happy and well fed? if so then thats great!

[Wendie]

Mine have become so large that they tend to push their way across the sand on their stomachs. Not only that, when they rest on the bottom they now tilt to one side or the other. They no longer fit comfortably in their hidey holes and have settled for spots that are protected outside of the holes.

[TammyLiz]

That doesn't seem healthy. I don't feed mine until they get that uncomfortable.

[Wendie]

If anything, I underfeed them. All the food is gone within a couple of minutes. The male with them is perfectly fine with no weight problems. These two females are constantly on the go and chasing each other which probably contributes to everything by getting them excited. Mine are about 2 years old.

I also fast the tanks at least two days a week by skipping a feeding.

The larger girl - sleeps on her side or back


Second female

[bsmall05]

i was watching them eat this morning and i noticed that unlike the other loaches, the larger girl eats her own shrimp pellets, samples the others, and also eats flakes and bloodworms from the top... i guess i didnt notice before, thats probably why shes lost her girlish figure hehe.