WOOT Prego black kuhli!

[Dwarf Puffers]

Last night when I was looking at my tank, I watched the two kuhlis who've been snuggling in the roots of one of my more dense and "fluffy" plants. Now that her stomach looks like a submarine, I'm just wondering what to do :confused:

I know if I leave her in there, she'll undoubtedly lay her eggs and they'll be eaten. But if I move her, will she lay them at all?

And no, I haven't searched Loaches.com or anything similar yet, but I will be now. Couldn't keep you waiting ;)


Edit: Just read Richard Bias' article on Loaches.com... Wondering if I should move all of my black kuhlis to the 15 gallon and fill it with largish rocks, java moss, and fluffy plants (trying to get lots of little live animals for food).

As for feeding besides that, I only have a 5x3x1 packet of brine shrimp eggs, but it seems his grew to 1" on nothing more than gravel pickings...

(Note: sand under the gravel)

[Rbishop]

Congrats!

[Dwarf Puffers]

So, what should I do? Leave her in there? Or switch her and the others to a smaller tank where, if the young hatch, they have much better chances of surviving?

[Lupin]

Which tank was it? You can move them but I rather think they stay there and move your other fish instead.;)

[Dwarf Puffers]

Yes, Lup, I'm going to move my 40 or so other fish to my unnoccupied tanks :silly:


I think I'll put her in the 15g. Thin layer of sand on the bottom, very large gravel on top for the eggs to drop through and the fry to live under (read the Loaches.com article, although I have a feeling you already have, many, many times ;)), lots of java moss and my wierd fluffy plant that the female is so fond of hiding under, mainly for cover and to grow little critters to eat.

Sound good?

[fishorama]

Good luck DP! I think if you want a serious chance of babies you should move them along with a sponge filter or 2. My kuhlis are almost always egg filled but nothing like some of the tubbies I've seen pics of at LOL They don't seem to change much.

Are they p. oblonga?

[Dwarf Puffers]

Yep

[fishorama]

Cool! Did you see capledre's babies @
loaches.com?

[H3D]

Congrats! :dance:

[Kuhlifan]

Good luck catching them. Cornering a kuhli in any tank, much less one that has any sort of object in it, including water, is just about impossible.

[The Zigman]

Would love to see some pix of this!

[KarlTh]

If you move her, remember you've got to move the male as well. Like all fish, they don't fertilise the eggs until they are laid; they're not like birds which mate and later lay fertile eggs. She isn't really pregnant; just in breeding condition; the "snuggling" was not mating; for egglayers, mating and laying eggs are one and the same thing.

[Dwarf Puffers]

Good luck catching them. Cornering a kuhli in any tank, much less one that has any sort of object in it, including water, is just about impossible.


I have a big net and ambushing tactics, I'll try my best :D



If you move her, remember you've got to move the male as well. Like all fish, they don't fertilise the eggs until they are laid; they're not like birds which mate and later lay fertile eggs. She isn't really pregnant; just in breeding condition; the "snuggling" was not mating; for egglayers, mating and laying eggs are one and the same thing.


I'm moving them all over, so no worries :)

[DAVIDFBT]

I've seen my Kuhlis actually mate and lay eggs right in front of me, unfortunately, the Zebra danios ate all the eggs before I could catch them.

What happens is the female with the big green belly will be swimming all over the place, up and down the sides of the tank for a couple minutes. When the male fells in the mood too, they hook their mouths together, swim perfectly synchronized right next to each other at the top of the tank, and in a spray of white and green, the eggs will float down to the bottom. I suggest you get a lot of floating plants with fine leaves like hornwort to catch the eggs on their way down. Good luck!

[KarlTh]

They're hard to breed in a controlled manner because they do it spontaneously rather than in response to documented conditions. People do however suddenly find tiny khuli loaches.

[Dwarf Puffers]

Update... They're in the 15g, with heater, sponge filter, sand (with 300 4/6" to 1" rocks and some large filter medias on top). 3 of em, I think a prego female, another plump female, and a male? Unsure if I have another in the 75g. They were a serious PITA to catch, I had to ambush them a few thousand times:thud:

They love all the java moss, the clay pot but especially the large overhanging rock. Hopin to get some kuhlis outta this :)

[AquaGem]

Congrats! :)

[lovemybarbs]

Pics please. :thm:

[pinkertd]

This is exciting!!!!

[stezatois]

congrats

[sed03f]

good luck, remember lots of plants and clean water

[Dwarf Puffers]

Ugh, pics? If you must. I'll get some this afternoon. ;)