First attempt at introducing my babies to you all!!!

[Littlelady]

Please excuse me if this doesn't work, it is the first time that I am ever trying to add an image to a post....



This is one of my zebra loaches at a very rare 'posing' moment. I grabbed the camera so fast I surprised even myself at the speeds I was capable of!!



One of my more recent additions and one of a group of 3, bought as polka dot loaches. The group will be made up to 6 just as soon as funds allow, unfortunately this wasn't possible all in one go..Less obliging than the zebra loach, this one just would not turn around and stubbornly kept his/her back turned on me! I have studied the articles about how their markiings change as they grow up and in comparison to others but I am no expert, is this one a polka dot loach?



Here he/she is again, but this time with a nosey zebra loach poking his/her nose out from under the wood...



This one is of my alpha clown loach. He/she was sitting in front of their favourite tubes this afternoon just daring me to fetch the camera...I did and he obligingly stayed there and posed for me watching me intently as I clicked away with the camera. In the background are some of the other clowns, with no intentions of coming too close but still inquisitive enough to peep from afar!



And another one where you can see the others a lot better , but also the scratches on my tank In the background is one my clowns with different markings - having a spot on his side instead of a stripe.
This is really one of the first times in over a year of having them that I have had an opportunity to take some decent photos, owing largely to my lack of photography skills but also because they are just so very active and never sit still..Needless to say, as a reward for all his/her effort, they all received bloodworm for dinner tonight and have retired to their tubes, barely fitting their rounded full bellies in, and are fast asleep...

If any of my other babies oblige and sit still for their mother in the next few weeks, I will take some more photos until you have been introduced to all of them - so be warned

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[brett_fishman]

wonderful pictures, nice looking loaches you have there

that kubotai (?) is very fat..haha..big belly = happy loach

how large is that clown in the last two pictures??
what size tank is it?
can we maybe get a full-tank shot?

-brett.

[Mad Duff]

Lovely looking fish, really like the close up of the Zebra

[Graeme Robson]

Superb pictures!

Yes they are Botia kubotai's. (aka, Polka dot)

[Littlelady]

Thank you for your compliments!

Brett - the alpha clown is approx. 4-5" long and just like all my other loaches a real pig! Although I must say he spends so much time rushing around at dinner time trying to stop everyone else eating that I am surprised he manages to maintain his figure hehe. The tank is 5 x 2 x 2 that the clowns are in, the striata and kubotai are in a different tank (we have 8 tanks in total ). I will work on the full tank shots sometime this week.
The fat bellied kubotai were quite skinny when I got them and have turned into greedy little loaches, more so almost than any of my other fish - even the angelfish - and that is saying something.

Graeme, thank you for confirming the identity of my kubotai I feel much more confident in using their latin name now .

[mr white]

I particularly loved your clown loach. I must admit, when my friend first got them, I was wondering what the big deal was, but now I'm a fan. Although I haven't got any of my own (or a big enough tank anywho), I really enjoy them and yours looks like he lives a very comfortable life!

[Emma Turner]

Very nice healthy-looking loaches! Thanks for sharing the pics with us.

Emma

[loachmom]

Your tank looks like a loach paradise. Thanks for posting the pics of your lovely loaches. I have scratches on my glass, too, but the fish don't seem to mind at all.

[RMau]

Super pictures. Thanks for sharing them.

Rick

[Barracuda518]

Very nice, I especially like the ones of the B. striata

[Dave_2133]

Stunning pics. love it how the alpha male was fixated on you, looks like he's ready to ponce on you.

Them tubes look a good idea but do the clowns get stuck if more than one gets in.

[Littlelady]

Thank you everyone for your lovely compliments, I shall let the loaches know that I am not the only only one to find them gorgeous

Loachmom - I think it IS loach and fish paradise in this house not to mention pet paradise in general - they're all just my babies - I am a big softie when it comes to animals...

Dave - with regards to the tubes and getting stuck, so far so good. The only one 'allowed' in the tubes you saw in the pic is that specific loach - he begrudges anyone else having a lie in his tubes
There are some more tubes in the tank as well, which he is not interested in and all the others will lie one behind each other in them, but so far never one ontop of each other or side by side. That group snoozing session gets conducted under wood and/or rocks in the tank (built up area with cavey places underneath) and then they tend to all lie one on top of each other...

[Martin Thoene]

Lovely pictures of very healthy looking fishies. I see you're in Suffolk Littlelady. I moved from Brandon to Toronto a bit over 5 years ago

Martin.

[Littlelady]

Thank you Martin, it is good to know that my loaches all look as healthy to others as they do to me.

Brandon is not far away from me at all - only about 45 minutes or so! I live in Sudbury and only dream about visiting Canada!!