Kuhlii loach eggs

Heady

Heady

Cardinal Rule
Feb 22, 2003
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Pacific Northwest
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The other day I was scooping out some of the excess duckweed in my tank and found hundreds of these very tiny green floating balls, some of which were sticking to the duckweed. It seems they must be eggs from my Kuhlii loaches. Any ideas how long it might take them to hatch (assuming they are eggs)? I'm not sure how long they were there before I found them, and I can't seem to find much info through my usual references or through Google.
 
Kuhli's seldom reproduce in the aquarium. Mine have, several times, but they build a nest and have the eggs in the substrate--I've never seen them floating.

For most fish, egg incubation is dependent on temperature. I would expect them to hatch within 4-10 days at 78F--hard to say, since you don't when they were laid.

Prett cool though--I've never seen the eggs, just discover tons of babies during cleaning.
 
I had no idea they were spawning - could be the eggs were stirred up when I was cleaning/replanting the tank.

Aquaria Central says the eggs are bright green and float:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0546&view_records=1

They also say breeding is rarely accomplished in an aquarium. Don't fish read instructions?? :)

I've segregated quite a few of the eggs into a floating breeding box. Not sure Kuhlii babies would survive with the balas around.
 
Mine lay eggs regularly, so I don't think they pay much attention to what they are 'supposed' to do. I seldom disturb the substrate in my tank, so that may be why I've never seen them. Most fish will eat eggs, so it's good to remove them. Make sure there's a good amount of current, to prevent fungus from forming, and have some tiny bits of food available for them when they hatch. I've never made an effort--have too many of them as is--and feed a variety of sizes anyway. Keep us posted!
 
Just an update.

The eggs I segregated into the breeding box never hatched. I'm giving up on them now. If there are babies somewhere near the substrate, I haven't seen them and don't think they'd survive with the balas around even if they were there. They'll eat just about anything that fits in their mouth.
 
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