I've got baby sewellia!!!!

[Jim Powers]

Thanks everyone!!
I am a bit worried though. I have not seen the little guy since I first spotted him and have not seen anymore fry.
Another odd thing, I was checking out another tank that has a cheni pair and found a couple of baby chenis slightly larger than the sewellia. I have seen spawning in this tank too, but not fry. So apparently, love has been in the air...or water around here.

[clownloachfan]

What else do you have in the loach tank? Could it have been eaten? It could be in the filter.

[Jim Powers]

This tank contains a pair of sewellia lineolata, a pair of Homaloptera smithi (the largest I have ever seen), one Beaufortia, and one Sinogastromyzon wui, plus numerous shrimp and a mixed school of white clouds, danios and chela.
If this sewellia fry got eaten, it would most likely be the H. smithi due to its size (about 8mm).
I have kept H. smithi with other spawning hillstreams, however, and never saw them dine on the fry, but they would certainly be capable of it.
The fry could still be in the tank, however, as there are numerous dense clumps of java fern and lots of cobbles to hide between. I'll keep looking... and hoping.

[clownloachfan]

Yes, it is quite possible that it is still alive. I have enuoph trouble finding all of my adult khuli loaches in my planted 29 gallon.

[Jim Powers]

Good News!!!
I just saw the sewellia fry again!!!
Since I first saw the sewellia fry a few days ago I have been looking for it primarily in the java ferns where I first saw it.
I remembered that Emma's fry often were seen on the gravel and cobbles. I had also noticed that this little fry seemed to have less "sticky" abilities in comparison to P. cheni fry of the same size.
I thought I should start checking out the substrate and cobbles.
Just a few minutes ago I was looking at a large rock in the center of the tank making sure the shrimp on the rock, was, in fact, a shrimp. All of a sudden a little fish scittered accross the rock. It was the sewellia!!!
So, I guess I should consider myself lucky if I see the little guy ever few days. Of course there is also the possibility that this is yet another fry and not the original one at all.

[clownloachfan]

Hey, maybee you have 2 fry!!? Wouldnt that be great? It makes sense that they would cling to the small gravel. The adults probably cannot fully clean it. The babies on the other hand have much smaller mouths and can get down into the crevices. Congrats again!

[clownloachfan]

hey, forgot to ask. Did you get that camera yet. It would really be nice to see your setup/fish/fry.

[Jim Powers]

No, I have not picked up a camera yet. I'm a bit cash strapped right now.

[grizzlyone]

jeez, I leave for a while and all heck breaks loose

Congrats Jim...should I break out the candy cigars?



Kevin

[Martin Thoene]

Errrrr...how the heck did I miss this thread? Not actually been here much lately but I thought this would have caught my eye

Congrats Jim! This is absolutely great news.

Martin.

[Jim Powers]

Martin wrote:

Errrrr...how the heck did I miss this thread?

I've done that a few times, myself.

I would certainly keep checking your tank, I imagine your fish have been
going at it too, particularly now that you have those large males. The fry can certainly go unnoticed for some time since they are so small when they hatch.

grizzlyone: no candy cigars yet. I am only seeing one fry and I'm not seeing it very often. I'm being a bit cautious I guess.

[bullisbm]

How many out there have had baby Sewellia's? I have 3 little guys that are now about 4 months old. I really don't have a 'river' tank set up but they definatly bread at one time.

Does anyone know how often they breed? What they do when they are in the mood? How many eggs to the produce?

[bullisbm]

Here is a recent pic of one of the fry by an adult.

[Jim Powers]

Mine generally spawn about every two weeks. The male will start chasing the female around and "topping" her. He will chase her up onto the glass and try to get underneath so as to interlock their fins. They will then swim up, intertwinned into the current, looking like butterflies, and release the eggs and sperm. The eggs are very tiny so its hard to tell how many are released. They seem to release eggs more than once during this "dance".
I can usually tell when mine are going to spawn because the danios and white clouds start hanging out low in the current flow just waiting to feed on the eggs as they are released.

[wasserscheu]

Congratulations Jim, well done Thanks for the good description.

I´am also all excited, just was sitting, - minutes ago – in front of the dark tank, only a 20W readinglamp shining into the tanks. I´m enjoying the colourful reflections, of the few fish, that did not prepare to sleep yet and was “telling Raphael good night ” as I was seeing some white stomach up, close to the surface. I was worried loosing a Sewellia, but than I noticed that its not a death-dance – but both of them. I only saw it for a moment, then they disappeared in the shadow again. That happened all the way up, at the surface and in the current. Exactly like Jim described.
I went looking for eggs, but did not want to disturb them by switching on the light. I only found very fine dust, white but only 0.25mm (as fine as my sand, and that’s very fine sand). So I guess it was stirred up sand.
However, I saw the butterflydance . I took a few videos later on, they were still playing for half an hour, but no chasing at all, just real playing. I´ve never seen Sewellia like that – it looked great, to see them against the light, partially through the leaves, that was really romantic.
That came at the right time, as you may have read about my recent losses. The Botine loaches are eating again, they showed good appetite just today, I hope I´m through the worst…

Want to add my surprise, as I got the boy recently and it´s still small 4,3cm (less than 2"). It took me a while (and lots of pictures) to define him as a male, the fences are very small. I got him for his coloration and good shape he was in , did not care about gender... I wonder whether he is ready yet at all...