Kuhli Loach Egg Development

[kcartwright856]

I've seen pictures of deceased kuhli loaches and their eggs. Most of them have been green, but I also recall seeing a picture of a smaller kuhli loach with what looked to be smaller yellow eggs.

Do kuhli eggs perhaps start out as yellow when they first begin to form and then turn green as they mature into a "ready to be released" state?

The reason I ask is that one of my kuhlis has developed and area in her (I'm assuming.) abdomen. At first, I only caught it because she was swimming in the light, which allowed me to see through her skin at the area. It runs right along her bowels, because I could also see a strip of feces.

I can't say whether or not this area has grown, but I've only just now noticed it. She, along with some of the other kuhlis, do seem to be larger from back to belly than my others, but I'm not certain about width. As far as length and overall size, I wasn't under the impression that any of them were sexually mature yet, as they are all perhaps just a bit shy of 3 inches long and a bit thinner than a regular wooden pencil.

I'm hoping to get pictures of what I'm talking about soon to give you all a visual. She hasn't given me a reason yet to be concerned about her health, but I just wondered if anyone knew about the coloration of those eggs.

Thanks in advance!

[kcartwright856]

Still trying to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Two of my girls now are filling with these tiny, tiny yellow eggs. I had figured that they were females, as their bodies are deeper than some of the other kuhlis, but it wasn't until this week that my suspicions were confirmed.

It's still come as a huge surprise, because I had no reason to believe that my kuhlis are sexually mature yet. I got a tape measure out while one of the average-sized loaches was lounging against the glass, and measured in at 2 and 1/4 inches. I've read 4" as a maximum adult size.

Right now, my hypothesis is that perhaps females develop their eggs early on and they start out yellow, but turn green as the kuhli and her eggs mature.

Since I can't find any information on this, I suppose I'm flying solo for now! Only time will tell.