Loaches Online Forum

I was in my favorite fish store the other day and they had gotten in some Puntius rhomboocellatus. All but three had been purchased.
I have a nice school of Puntius pentazona and was wondering if I could mix the two species. Also, would they school together?

Hi Jim,

They should mix fine personality-wise, but it's important that the water is soft and acidic for the P. rhombocellatus. Here's a good little read: http://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/databank.aspx?id=217
These chaps can be delicate when first imported, so it would be worth reserving them and monitoring them for a little while before purchase.

Graeme.

Thanks!
Most of the communities in my state have very hard water. But, I happen to live in one of the few with somewhat soft water that tends to get a bit acidic. The store has had them for a couple of weeks and they look quite good, so I may pick them up in a week or two.

If I were keeping them I'd try to keep my water neutral ,just to be on the safe side I had mine in with P.forsch and they were no trouble and they grew healthily too

I think you're on the right tracks there, Jim. The P. rhomboocellatus in the trade are currently all wild-caught; they're collected from peat swamps and blackwater streams in Borneo. You could always add some aquatic peat to your filter to help replicate their preferred conditions.

Emma

hi Jim
have a look on "bornesuckers". as far as I know p rhomboocellatus is the only puntius-pecies in trade syntopic with gastromyzon. that means: same habitat, same keeping conditions
cheers Charles

That is not actually correct! They may come from the same region but their habitats are very different. In many parts of Asia they are commonly known as Peat Swamp Barbs! Our supplier have told us that their fishermen collect these from relatively calm Black-waters.

Graeme Robson wrote:That is not actually correct! They may come from the same region but their habitats are very different. In many parts of Asia they are commonly known as Peat Swamp Barbs! Our supplier have told us that their fishermen collect these from relatively calm Black-waters.

I wouldn't deny that, Greame. I don't believe that the specimen in trade are caught with gastromyzon. the species is mainly recorded from Kapuas, Kepajang, Barito, Kahajan. all in all: Kalimantan, no gastromyzon in trade from there. "normal" habitat is a peat swamp.
if I remember right, Tan notes it as syntopic with gastromyzon. or my notice as "good" company for a large "mixed gastromyzon-tank" is totally wrong. I'll try to verify.
cheers Charles

I kept my shoal successfully in pH 6.8 with a GH & KH of 3dKH. As they matured they became more shy but, they were beautifully coloured. I've moved the whole group onto somebody with a much bigger highly planted tank now. They became very nervous and were no longer useful as a dither fish as a result, their nervousness started to rub off on the loaches I do miss them not being in the tank.

There's more info on the following link, which also shows a picture of what their habitat may be like:

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile.ph ... tus&id=978