Loaches Online Forum

Nice kubs Milkev!

Can´t wait for my kubs!
I have ordered 5 a couple weeks ago. They were put on a QT at the fish shop I use to go but 2 of them didn´t make it. Other 3 one got ich. They are trying to heal them for me. If lucky I will have those 3 in a week or so.

Good luck Marcos !

Marcos Mataratzis wrote:Nice kubs Milkev!

Can´t wait for my kubs!
I have ordered 5 a couple weeks ago. They were put on a QT at the fish shop I use to go but 2 of them didn´t make it. Other 3 one got ich. They are trying to heal them for me. If lucky I will have those 3 in a week or so.

Hi Marcos,

Thanks...

If I were in your place, I'd consider taking them with Ich and deal with the disease yourself, you are more qualified than a store... Ich is fully curable once you have the feeling of the disease... the only time I lost to it was when I got loaches on which it was impossible to see the infection...

(In fact, I mentioned that I took the most recent four with heavy Ich).

If I were in your place, I'd consider taking them with Ich and deal with the disease yourself

I would, if I had a QT.
I don´t dare jeopardize my whole tank with them as I had an Ich isue here a few months ago and it was very hard to clean them all.
Anyway, I´m calling guys from the shop almost everyday and advising them how to deal with this kubs. They already know me for a long time...

I c.... Best of luck, you'll certainly like them.

A couple more pics....

Firstly, this is an illustration of 3 types of Kubs:



On the left: type3 (multidot), in the middle type2 (black), on the right type1 (white). Approximate sizes: 4", a bit under 4", about 2.5". (I was wrong about my Alpha, I assumed it were 3" since this was its size in Mar of 2006, and I never saw it growing...turned out it is almost the same size as the new ones). I really think that "multidot" is a variety, but the body shapes make me think that Alpha is a female, so is the fish on the right, but on the left it ought to be a male...

Alpha by herself:



Ought to be a female?

Incidentally, I'm getting almost no fighting at all...I've been waiting for something interesting to develop all this time and the only fight was a brief one between two of the smallest Kubs.... The large ones seemingly accepted each other.

One noticed behavioral difference between the new Kubs and the old: new ones also like the powerhead, they may swim into the current. The old ones are very careful not to...

This is a Kub without a horizontal line (sorry for the dirty glass...)



Not a baby, they all are >2".

I´m enjoying your neat documentation. Aren´t loaches exciting

"Poor" cat (above) reminds of my daughter´s Raphael-cat, who get´s vibrating (making noise like a cell-phone on the desk, with his fin-joints) when too many loaches squeze into HIS cave...

great stuff mike i've always been into kubs myself. i've had three little ones (chubby 2-3 inchers) and i recently picked up a large 3-4 incher. i believe my original three are type three while my new one is either a type one or two... ive been meaning to snap some pictures but don't have a great camera. ill borrow one of my roommates sometime this week, im anxious to share them with you.
keep the pictures comin

Thanks!

Sure, I'd love to see more Kub pics, this is the only way to try to figure out the patterns.

Meanwhile, I think I noticed the key difference: these new guys seem to also have much longer barbels. I'll need to look more carefully and try to photo them, but my Alpha seems to have barbels under 1.5mm (not damaged, just short), whereas the largest of new guys has them at perhaps 2.5-3mm....I wonder if relative barbel length signifies anything?

Hi Mike , every time i see this thread i get the urge to get a larger group , at present i have just one pair , really nice fish ! and just starting to lose their initial shyness .

An attempt of a Barbel/Face comparison:





(Sorry for the bad photo, it is hard to catch the 2nd guy with barbels fully extended,..I'm still trying after about 200 shots... He will only extend them if there is food around, and that means a stampede) All I wanted to show is that the barbels are larger in this other type.

Another try

alright i took some pictures tonight, and i took a lot. i hope no one minds, but i dont think anyone will who doesnt love loach pictures?

kub rock


peek-a-boo





above and below you can see the size difference between my original three and my newest kub who's much bigger

Beautiful tank Jamie. And I love the flying kub pic.

He he... the flying one is amazing

Hi milkev,

Is this one of any help?

thanks shari, im anxious for my plants to fill out and my moss to spread the sand in that tank is largely there because of your advice, as you may remember. thanks again!

thanks for the compliments marcos... i love that picture too - the catfish are looking up at him... "what's that up in the sky? a bird? a plane?" nope, just super kubotai begging for food

getting back on topic... here's another picture i took, you can see the differences in pattern between my two types of kubotai (the small ones vs. the large one)