Loaches Online Forum

I'll keep pictures coming for as long as we have them in stock . I need to point out that I've had numerous shipments of B. histrionica over the years and at the size they are now, I have always seen the typical 'Y' markings by now. So if these are the same, they are late developers.

Emma

Beautiful - I'm drooling on my keyboard up here in the frozen, loach-less north.

Another example of the need for genotyping, I guess. Nevertheless, these are beautiful fish.

I have one of those guys.
I don't even remember when or where I bought it...alittle under a year ago.
It, along with the group of histronica, were around 1.5 inch (maybe one inch). The one with markings like the one you posted Emma has grown at a rapid pace. Infact it is now just as large as my mature striata's.
The other "histies" are growing at around the same rate as the new kubs I purchased at around the same time.

oooooooooohhhhhhh.

my visit next weekend might involve bringing home more than the pug-faced histie and some kubs now.

I think we might have been on a wild goose chase here....looking at these loaches this evening, I can see the black bands broadening under the dorsal fin, indicating the early development of the Y mark. Looks like these may have just been late developers, although they do seem to be of a more intense colour than usual. The white seems more golden than usual in certain lights too.

You'll have to ignore any bits floating about in the tank, they were not happy to find themselves moved there and were kicking sand etc up with their fins, and I haven't got time to do lots of editing at the mo:

















Hopefully Andy is going to get Mick to take some pics of his batch sometime soon for comparison.

Emma

Hi Emma

The ones in your picture are a histrionica form (providing they are not hybrids as the colours seems strangley intensive). I'm sure they will form the central Y band. The issue piggy has is that the ones he bought under the same trade name have Y's AND i's, something that at smaller sizes isnt normally see in histrionica forms but is in almorhae complex species. IF piggy's are almorhae complex species and not a histrionica form then the name Burmese Orchid Botia is a bit strange because as far as my research has been able to find almorhae complex species are not present in Myanmar (and before anyone says histrionica and almorhae belong to the same complex, I don't agree!!!!!! ).

The Dark One

Just looking at the center band , i'd say it is starting to Y , i bet they are Histie's ! nice colour too !

Andy aka piggy4 asked me very nicely to post these pics for him - so here they are and the discussion will start with Andy again





















Cheers
Mick[/img]

Another 7 for you to look at






















Cheers
Mick

P.S. Fast little buggars

mickthefish,

How large are these guys?

I've seen a bunch of yoyo's yesterday that are similar and perhaps even more Histrionica-like, very tiny: 0.5"-0.75". Are these recently bought loaches at a slightly larger size?

Firstly thanks to Mick for posting these pics for me , Milev they are about about 3 or 4 cm/s standard length !

Well done Mick, superb pics! And great condition fish, Andy.

Now just to clarify, these arrived the same week as mine under the Burmese Orchid Botia nametag, yes? I think our Lincoln branch got some in the same week too, will have to check whether theirs are like mine or yours (presuming they still have them left in stock). Will also try and find out more info from my supplier.

They certainly do look rather different, like some sort of histrionica-almorhae cross.

Emma

Hi Emma , yeah i tend to agree , i just hope they arent crosses !

those are some cool little guys!

piggy4 wrote: Milev they are about about 3 or 4 cm/s standard length !

TY. They look a lot like the next development stage of the ones I saw (all under 2cm TL, I think)