Weather loaches full of eggs

[ecitraro]

It seems that the weather loach gals in my 29 gal tank are all ready for a fellow - they are getting round. I have 3 female common weather loaches in varying stages of hugeness - the biggest one is almost a full inch in diameter. I will try to post pics in a day or so. I also have 2 albino loaches that regularly try some mating dances, but I haven't been able to locate eggs from them. The male albino seems entirely uninterested in any of the other females, and sticks with the albino female. I am concerned that the other 3 will become egg-bound if I don't introduce another mature male, or even a near mature male. I had thought that one of the 3 was male, but now that they have all reached the 6" long size, it seems as though he's a she, or isn't interested in the type of females I have. The big enormously round one is a dark greenish with discrete 1/8" darker gray-green spots and a white belly, while the other two are more golden brown, one with a white belly and smaller spots, and the original one I thought was male has a very fine peppering of spots and a golden-beige belly. Since so little is known about these fish, I was thinking about looking for some similar ones that seem to have the male-type pointed pectoral fins and look more similar to the ones I have.

Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Tank details: These 5 are the only fish in the tank, and I am also wondering if I need to be concerned about adding even one more - I confess I don't do anything beyond filter the water and do some water changes, and they all seem happy as they can be. I don't heat the water at all, or my apartment, so the temps get low in winter (San Francisco varies from about 50 to about 68 degrees F over the course of the year) and this seems to make them even happier. The tank has heavy planting, and I leave algae on 3 sides for them (they love to go around and tug bites off for a quick meal. I am filtering with a Fluval in-tank filter with carbon media and the 'polishing' media. I don't test in any way. I have had them for at least a few years now - maybe 4.

[Diana]

A 29 is already too small for the fish you have, never mind adding more.

I have seen a range of spotting patterns on these guys, but I do not know how to tell M/F. Is it in the fins?

Temps you mention are great for these fish; too many people try to keep them at tropical temps.

http://www.loaches.com/species-index/we ... licaudatus

..so it IS the fins!

[allialli]

To tell if it is a boy or a girl the boys have more of a triangular second fin and the girls have more rounder fin

[FishyLady]

With a Fluval in-tank filter aren't you supposed to use the foams for most of the time and just 'polish' when needed?

Va[

[ChanelLeuschke]

Isn't the idea with a Fluval in-tank filter to use the foams the majority of the time and only "polish" when necessary? drift boss