My kubotai dream coming true

The forum for the very best information on loaches of all types. Come learn from our membership's vast experience!

Moderator: LoachForumModerators

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by NancyD » Sun Sep 08, 2013 4:22 pm

Fabulous! I love it!

I think botia type loaches are a bit rowdy for more shy pangios. They also might find any openings in your background & hide all the time.
Image

AnneH
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:21 pm
Location: Denmark, Europe

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by AnneH » Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:17 pm

NancyD wrote: I think botia type loaches are a bit rowdy for more shy pangios. They also might find any openings in your background & hide all the time.
I have thought it over, and I totally agree. The kuhlis stay where they are.

Newest pic, now with some fish added: 5 crossocheilus siamensis (from my other tank) plus 15 danio choprae. I still find the danio tinwini beautiful, but the red of the choprae bring a bit more colour to the tank, so although changing my mind felt like a giant step, I am quite content with the choice.

Image

Waiting for the sid's and the kubotai's will be painful, but I have decided to give it at least a month before I add any of those. Wouldn't it be a good idea to buy the sid's first and then wait a while (how long?) before I add the kubotai?

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by NancyD » Wed Sep 18, 2013 10:55 pm

Very pretty, I like the danios, good choice! What is the crypt/aponogeton plant on the left?

Either sids or kubs would be ok next. Do you have a quarantine tank? It's always a good idea if you can...if not a month or 2 is a good. But if they're hard to get in your area, cross your fingers & get them, lol.

Yours is 1 of the nicest tanks I've seen even before plants grow & without loaches yet. Keep the pics coming please!
Image

AnneH
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:21 pm
Location: Denmark, Europe

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by AnneH » Thu Sep 19, 2013 5:40 am

NancyD wrote:What is the crypt/aponogeton plant on the left?
I think it is a Cryptocoryne aponogetifolia (I got it from somebody who didn't know, but it looks like that one). All the crypts in the tank are "melting down" at the moment, but they will be fine again after a while.

My QT is quite small (about 40L) and has corys in it right now, so I might just have to take the chance. Both sids and kubs are available within an hour's drive, but they are veeeery expensive, so I really hope they'll like their new home once they get here. I actually saw the most beautiful kubs (12 or so) at a rather well-reputed store I went to a few days ago. Usually I only see very small ones, but these were like 8 cm already. The people working there told me that it was because not many people are interested in buying them. I ask myself why and cross my fingers hoping that they're still there in a months time.

Although the tank is new, I have added loads of filter bacteria from another tank from the start in order to speed up the process a bit. But after 1½ years it should be (almost?) possible to wait another month or two. How long would you wait before adding e.g. the kubs after adding the sids? A week or more?
NancyD wrote:Yours is 1 of the nicest tanks I've seen even before plants grow & without loaches yet.

Thanks :oops: With a background like this one it isn't hard to make it look decent :wink:

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by NancyD » Thu Sep 19, 2013 2:50 pm

Gee, I'd have a very hard time waiting to get the kubotai since they're so nice & they may not be there later. 12 medium size fish is kind of a lot to add at once but if you keep an eye on ammonia & nitrite levels it can be done. How long have the other fish been in the tank? A couple weeks now? I think I'd go for the kubs soon & get the sids later, maybe 2 or 3 weeks. Look very closely to see none look thin & of course no signs of ich.

Maybe you can QT the sids once the corys are out, still, it's small for 10 sids...Is it because the sids are smaller than kubs that you want to get them first?
Image

AnneH
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:21 pm
Location: Denmark, Europe

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by AnneH » Fri Sep 20, 2013 12:31 am

The other fish have only been in the tank for at few days, and the tank has only had water in it for 1½ weeks. That's why I intend to wait a painfull month or more from now. This is my dream tank and if I can keep things from going wrong, I certainly will. :wink:
The kubs at the store looked perfect, but of course I'll have a close look again once I buy them. I only want 10 of them, because I want 10 sids as well, and I don't want the tank to be overcrowded.
NancyD wrote: I think I'd go for the kubs soon & get the sids later (...). Is it because the sids are smaller than kubs that you want to get them first?
Yes, I figured the kubs might harass the sids if they felt too much at home before the sids were added? Please correct me if I'm wrong. I have a lot more experience with corys than with loaches.

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by NancyD » Fri Sep 27, 2013 10:28 pm

Oh, I kind of lost track of your tank's timeline, you're smart to wait to add loaches. Since the SAEs & danios haven't been in there long a month or so would be good. Like I said before, 10 kubotai might be a lot to add at 1 time unless they're quite small. I haven't kept them yet so I don't really know if they're apt to harass the sids if they go in first. My sids were never shy any time I had them but it's probably best to do it your way with sids first. Then you can decide if you need more hiding spots. When I had sids with striatas some of each species lived together & only really interacted all together at feeding or after water changes. It'll be nice to see how yours interact.
Image

AnneH
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:21 pm
Location: Denmark, Europe

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by AnneH » Mon Sep 30, 2013 8:57 am

NancyD wrote:10 kubotai might be a lot to add at 1 time unless they're quite small.
Is this because of the water quality or because of their behaviour? As I live a bit far away from all the interesting fish stores, it would be rather inconvenient for me not to buy all ten of them at the same time.

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by NancyD » Mon Sep 30, 2013 8:00 pm

I was thinking of water quality, overwhelming your nitrifying bacteria. It "shouldn't" take long for the beneficial bacteria to multiply enough for the new loaches & the added ammonia but you'll want to keep an eye on it at least once a day. Be ready to do large water change +/or add Seachem Prime to help deal with any ammonia or nitrite over 0.25ppm. You can cut back on feeding so less waste is produced too.
Image

AnneH
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:21 pm
Location: Denmark, Europe

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by AnneH » Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:08 am

NancyD wrote:I was thinking of water quality, overwhelming your nitrifying bacteria. It "shouldn't" take long for the beneficial bacteria to multiply enough for the new loaches & the added ammonia but you'll want to keep an eye on it at least once a day.
I usually wait a few days before feeding (and then just small amounts) when adding new fish to a tank... but then again: there are lots of delicious snails in there already, so large water changes might eventually be the right solution :)

AnneH
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:21 pm
Location: Denmark, Europe

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by AnneH » Sun Oct 20, 2013 4:35 pm

The waiting time might be over soon :D . Next sunday there is a nice fish fair in my part of Denmark, where one of the sellers offers both sids and kubs. He has distributed a price list revealing that he can sell sids a bit cheaper than usual and kubs at half the price. Now I am suddenly tempted to buy both kinds at the same time, cut back on feeding and do more water changes in the beginning. I am trying to keep calm and stick to the rational plan, but it's really hard when these usually rather expensive fish suddenly appear at payable price :oops: .

This is what he offers:
sids (4 cm) = 16.70 usd (normal price 22 usd)
kubs (4-4,5 cm) = 8.60 usd (the bigger and nice ones I referred to some weeks ago cost 21 usd. I don't know if they're still available)

Actually I wanted to buy some bigger kubs because they always look so small and skinny when I finally see them for sale.
What would you do?
1. Buy the slightly cheaper sids and kubs at the same time at the fair and hope for the best?
2. Buy the slightly cheaper sids at the fair and hope that the nice big (and very expensive) kubs still are for sale and buy them later?
3. Buy the cheap (and relatively small) kubs at the fair and add sids later?

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by NancyD » Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:13 pm

Exciting! I think I'd wait & see how the fish look at the fair, price isn't everything. Since the kubs are small, not much bigger than sids & the price so much less, I'd definitely go with your dream fish first if they look healthy. I like to get young fish & watch them grow, especially with fish that can change patterns so much.

As to whether to get both now, that's much harder to say...so very tempting...I might do it too :D . There will be some risks either now or later. Less chance of aggression with similar size fish but 20 fish is a lot to add at 1 time. You may want to add some more hiding places temporarily & keep a very close eye on water quality.

Good luck!!
Image

AnneH
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:21 pm
Location: Denmark, Europe

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by AnneH » Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:29 pm

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It means a lot to me :D

How much do sids and kubs usually cost in the US?

Since I have to preorder the loaches, I think I'll just jump into it, buy both the sids and the kubs (if they look good) and see what happens. In the meantime a few people have told me that the seller is quite reliable. Luckily I have material for making more hiding places if needed.

Then I just have to remember to remove the zebra snails from the tank :wink: I added them a few weeks ago to make them eat the algae, and I must admit that they have done a prober job.

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by NancyD » Tue Oct 22, 2013 9:47 pm

Just do it, Anne, I know you want to! And I want to see loaches in your awesome tank!

I haven't priced loaches lately here. As I recall sids go for a high of ~$16 USD to as little as $5 for smaller ones. Kubs have come down from ~$15-20 a few years ago to "half price sale" of $5 or so...I was very tempted last time I saw that but the shop either didn't have very many or I was getting ready to move house :evil: I'm getting ready for another move soonish or I'd have kubs too & sids again :mrgreen: Next house!

Sometimes you can ask for photos of the actual fish on offer. Look very hard at any "skinniness" behind the head & along the dorsal area, that can be a difficult issue to overcome. Even Ich (white spot) is more easily treated successfully, but look for that too. Ask if you can refuse the fish, if at the fair, they don't look as good as you hoped. IME sellers often bring extras so be as choosy as you can. Fingers crossed for luck!

I just had a thought for your tank...Can you, at least temporarily, move the siamensis back to their former tank? That would help with the large number of fish you'll be adding all at once & help avoid overwhelming your beneficial bacteria... & keep those greedy fish from getting all the food, lol.
Image

AnneH
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:21 pm
Location: Denmark, Europe

Re: My kubotai dream coming true

Post by AnneH » Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:10 pm

I am SO grateful for your advice and support :D

It certainly is useful to know what to look out for when buying loaches, and it is a brilliant idea to move the crossocheilus back to the old tank (which in the meantime has been changed completely) for a while, although they definitely love the loach tank.

Expect pics sometime next week. I might keep the lights turned off for a few days in the beginning to avoid stressing the fish.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot] and 66 guests