just a few random pics

[mickthefish]

i was playing obout with my camera in the fish room.
B histrionica old style


S maepiensis

Y caudimaculata

and a sequence of shots of the ornatus, ( very fast little loach)




a few more to come

mick

[Ashleigh]

Beautiful and well conditioned fish as always Mick

How are you finding the Nemacheilus ornatus ? I never see less than 4 together at a time, they seem to crave one anothers company.

Cute little histi


Ashleigh

[mickthefish]

thanks Ashleigh, yes the ornatus always stay in a group, they seem to be very shy loaches but they are good eaters.
here's just a few more. the first is a loach i got quite a while back, they are still a nasty piece of work.
male

female.

a head shot.

and clown i just put him in the show tank to check it out.



cheers
mick

[daspricey]

Very nice! I'm very jealous.

[Graeme Robson]

Superb!

[Thomas]

Hi Mick,

I have the ornatus too and I think I have a pair. I have them since july in a "breeding tank" but they do not much...only this behaviour that I've filmed.You can see the big female and the thinner male (I hope so). http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=WJgaKkSIt0k

So I still waiting on their spawning...
Wish you luck with your N. ornatus

Thomas

[mickthefish]

thanks for showing your vid Thomas, a couple of questions mate, how large are the pair especially the female?.
are you sure they are'nt already going through the dry run up to spawning as at one part of the vid i could actually see the male prees into the female and pause and i'm thinking that was a milt release?.
have you thought about getting a pebble base as the eggs are open to predation from the pair on the sand substrate.

mick

[piggy4]

Both Thomas and Mick , its nice to see two top fishkeepers debating strategies together , I await the outcome with interest !

[Thomas]

I await the outcome with interest

Me too, Andy

Mick, both are about 4cm (1,5 inch) (TL). The female maybe a little bit longer. There are pebbles on the ground, the sand is only in the foreground. It's a small stripe to have a better control about the feeding (even for the eventually fry). Of course the two chaps thrown the sand away and mix them with the pebbles

Ok Mick, the next time I can see my two do this (I'm sure it will not take long), I will take them out of the tank into another one! And see what happens.

I'm wondering why the female didn't become thinner but who knows.

Many thanks for your hints.

It's very exiting!

[mickthefish]

i looked at the vid again bud and at 16 secs and 30 secs that male was definitely releasing sperm.
when my zonalternans spawned the female never looked any thinner than before the spawning, and from what i saw of the spawning they don't have a particular spot where they spawn, they just spawned when the male could pin the female down all over the tank.

mick

[Thomas]

Thanks Mick, and sorry for kidnapping your thread. This evening they lost their colors again, but it was not so as in the vid. But the next time they have to leave their tank.

I will report back (and start a new thread)

[ey]

Nice photos Mick!

Very healthy looking loaches.

[mickthefish]

thanks ey. much appreciated.

mick

[chefkeith]

Love them loaches. Makes me want to get more.

[plaalye]

Beauties Mick! I really like the Y. caudimaculata. How does it differ from caudipunctata? Are they as ornery as it says in the profile?