Loaches Online Forum

Em, the condition Kamphol send his fish to Neils there's no real need to Q them, if Neil thought they were under par they would not be sold till he was happy with them himself.
but look at the people that have bought them already Mark, me, Ashleigh and a very good freind and showman up here Dave Speed, the fish are in tiptop condition at a very reasonable price.

mick

Mick, it was great to see you again today

My three have settled in with a mixed botia tank till we get some more up and running. So far two have been sticking together and one single zooming about on its own. All fed well within an hr of going in... Im very pleased

Mark how are you finding them interacting with a larger group???



Ashleigh

thats great Ash, and it was nice to see the pair of you and that great looking pooch, i told Anne my wife all about him he's nearly as good as the splendida.

mick

Ashleigh wrote: Mark how are you finding them interacting with a larger group???

So far very shy but they are in a tank on their own, I hope to add some dithers this week. They ate bloodworm on Saturday and last night and they had a go at the Mysis shrimp tonight.

They are doing a lot of clicking and the two with the extra black marking are definitely louder than the other 7.

I was sat watching them for a while earlier and when they are sat looking out of the caves their faces just cry out mischief

here's the best pics i've got so far of the little beauts.



and for comparison a caudipunctata.


mick

I was having a natter to MD on the phone last night and he said something about his shoal of splendida that i had'nt noticed with my 2 fish but it's a worthwhile observation, this species does better and comes out more in a low light environment.
well done for noticing mate, i have a 5 light system on the tank they're in so from the afternoon i turn three of the lights of and now i see alot more of them.

mick

how can you tell just by looking at them that they dont need Q???? you lot should know better

Experience Helen, if youv'e kept fish as long as me and Mark you'll understand.
the fish in Neils shop were in such a great condition imo there was no need to Q them.
admittedly i have made mistakes in the past but they are few and far between.
the fish i bought at Em's were'nt Q'd either because in my opinion there was no need, again they were in great condition and they're swimming about quite happily in their respective tanks.

mick
btw BAS have their first shipment of splendida today.

so you are telling me you can problems before they become visible?? i wish i had your eyes!

ain't saying that helen, if a fish is in good codition you can just tell, plus they are better at repelling diseases that a mediocre fish could not do.

mick

mickthefish wrote: the fish i bought at Em's were'nt Q'd either because in my opinion there was no need, again they were in great condition and they're swimming about quite happily in their respective tanks.

I just want to clarify here that all fish at my shop are quarantined prior to sale, and Mick must mean that he didn't quarantine at his end.

In the case of loaches, which can be quite sensitive to the shipping process, I personally would prefer to rest them for a decent period of time prior to sale as no matter how good the export company, they have spent long hours travelling in cramped conditions in water that becomes gradually more polluted as time goes by, and it will be stressful for them. I acclimatise my new arrivals over several hours (in the dark), then over the following weeks will observe them, treat for skinny disease and ensure they are feeding properly before putting them up for sale.
Emma

Thanks Em, i should have said that but you know i'm getting old now.
but after keeping/breeding and showing fish for the last 46 yrs if i don't know what i'm doing now then it would be time to give it up as a bad job.

mick

46 years of fishkeeping probably gives one a fairly good eye for healthy fish, but it's poor advice not to quarantine, IMO. To each their own, of course, but if we're to dispense advice on LOL, I'd err on the side of caution rather than compromise a tank of healthy fish.

Ok Mick, you beat me by one year mate. Habitually, I've seldom quarantined fish. I buy from good, reputable places in most cases and I can most often tell healthy fish from bad ones. Experience.

I don't get involved in fish health threads because I have 45 years of experience of mainly healthy fish......therefore I have little to advice to offer based on bad experience. I last had a mild outbreak of Ich in around 1972 for instance.

I haven't quarantined anything since moving here due to no space for Q-tanks. In actual fact I've bought few fish since November. But what I did get was CWS from somewhere. My Botiids are dying one by one. Fish I've owned since 1998 in some cases

I've tried all available cures except the one I know may work......reason? Levamisole is totally unobtainable here. An attempt at a group buy by locals via the 'States failed because the drug is on back-order. Another attempt at a covert import failed (customs). So I watch fish waste away because.........

Because after 45 years my luck ran out.......or rather my fishes luck did.
A case of the wrong bug at the wrong time.

Experience is not bullet-proof.

Martin.

Martin Thoene wrote: Habitually, I've seldom quarantined fish. I buy from good, reputable places in most cases and I can most often tell healthy fish from bad ones. Experience.

I have to admit that I can say the same, I would say in 30 years of fish keeping I have quarantined maybe 25% of my fish because I thought they needed it.

However I am not saying that people shouldn't quarantine, it is my personal choice. I only buy fish I think are very healthy and I know that the conditions in my tanks are better than that of a stock tank in 90% of shops.

Martin Thoene wrote:.
Experience is not bullet-proof.

I couldn't agree more.


Sorry to hear about your fish Martin, it must be heartbreaking to watch