Somebody please pinch me

[loachaholic]

I was perusing the 125g today with the sids in it and saw an amazing sight. I hardly dare hope, but I grabbed my camera anyway.

What does this look like to you? Could this loach possibly be gravid?? I know it's not a Graeme-type pic, but she's timid and I had to stand well back and use the macro zoom (which of course focused on the water spots). Aside from timidity, she's eating like a horse and acting normally.

[Martin Thoene]

Sure looks gravid to me. What else is in the tank apart from that kubotai?

Martin.

[loachaholic]

Along with the eight sids and nine kubotai, there ar rainbows, danios and bristlenose catfish. The bristles and rainbows are also breeding. (Good God! If it's in the water.... *eyes spouse suspiciously*)

I think one or two people on this board have had gravid sids. Has anyone ever had anything come of it? This is a heavily planted tank so if something did come of it, the fry might have a chance. A very small chance.

I have to admit I'm ridiculously excited about this.

[shari2]

she looks extremely loaded to me. Maybe pheromones from the bristlenoses and rainbows played a role. . .

Now to get her to drop the eggs...
(and make sure you clean the tank glass and have your camera battery charged! )

[Wendie]

Looks just like my female Yo Yo's - leaning to one side because of the eggs. I also noticed that my heaviest female has taken to sleeping upside down now.

[NancyD]

I have a sid shaped just like yours but no sign of "interesting behavior". She's one of my bigger ones but still under 2". She's been this way for at least 3 or 4 months without change. I have a smaller, less round but possible female that also has a lot the dark pattern below the lateral line like yours & my "chubbette". Most of mine have little or none & I've wondered if it could be an indication of sex.
I have 10 sids in a 75g with striatas, neon rainbows, SAE & rasboras so I'd need a magic baby-saving filter like Emma's to have any real hopes. All the fish are quite young so maybe when everyone's hormones wake up...
Nancy

[ngsteveinct]

Hi I'm new here....so pls bare with me .I just picked up four of these beauties at a local auction for $4 buck a piece. Yeah I was stroked when I won it for only $16.
I've never ever seen them in person.....but boy was I happy that there werent any other loach lovers there. They are small, so I put them in a 10 gal with Sand substrate, with 5 small albino bristles I also picked up.
It's funny, b/c I have a school of about 12 polka dot botia in a 90. However I have them in with my Tanganyika community. The PH there is a bit high, but they seem to be doing fine.....It's at 8.2. funny thing is that I noticed that their coloration is darker black against thier silvery color when I placed them in the 90.
Has anyone here have them in a PH so high...and did it have an adverse effect on the polko dots ?
I had an infestation of Trumpet snails in there....so I needed some help there. Originally I had them in a planted tank which had an infestation of snails....Now that snail population is starting to multiple so I may end up putting the Sid's into that tank when they get some size.

[loachaholic]

Now to get her to drop the eggs...

I know what you mean. IF she drops them and IF they are fertile and IF they actually hatch (unlikely but you never know), they would have to be very canny fry to escape the tender mercies of the kubotai.

[adampetherick]

Hi I'm new here....so pls bare with me .I just picked up four of these beauties at a local auction for $4 buck a piece. Yeah I was stroked when I won it for only $16.
I've never ever seen them in person.....but boy was I happy that there werent any other loach lovers there. They are small, so I put them in a 10 gal with Sand substrate, with 5 small albino bristles I also picked up.
It's funny, b/c I have a school of about 12 polka dot botia in a 90. However I have them in with my Tanganyika community. The PH there is a bit high, but they seem to be doing fine.....It's at 8.2. funny thing is that I noticed that their coloration is darker black against thier silvery color when I placed them in the 90.
Has anyone here have them in a PH so high...and did it have an adverse effect on the polko dots ?
I had an infestation of Trumpet snails in there....so I needed some help there. Originally I had them in a planted tank which had an infestation of snails....Now that snail population is starting to multiple so I may end up putting the Sid's into that tank when they get some size.

Don't think that 4 loach and 5 plec in a 10 gal is a good idea, they need more swimming space than that. Even the 4 loach alone will soon be too small

In terms of ph the water here at the LFS I've been to is about 8.4 but long term they will be much better off at a lower ph 6-7

[chefkeith]

Adam- my guess is that 10g tank is for quarantine, then they'll be put in the main tank when they get bigger. Putting new fish in a small q-tank is not mandatory, but it is a very good practice even if you get the fish from a reputable source.

[adampetherick]

But putting 4 sid's and 12 polka dot in a Tanganyika community tank wouldn't be a good idea due to the big ph requirements

[Graeme Robson]

Good luck Loachaholic!! She is one big girl!!

One of our lfs worker has 'claimed' that his have spawned in the aquarium. He just kept Sid's with nothing else in the tank apart from keeping it heavily planted. The male and female where 'shadowing' each other and the female basically released the eggs into thick vegetation.

[Emma Turner]

One of our lfs worker has 'claimed' that his have spawned in the aquarium. He just kept Sid's with nothing else in the tank apart from keeping it heavily planted. The male and female where 'shadowing' each other and the female basically released the eggs into thick vegetation.

Graeme, did they get any pics of this?

[Graeme Robson]

I very much doubt it Emma, He doesn't own a computer. So i just took his words with a 'pinch of salt' and logged it into ones memory. This was over 2yrs ago.