mating habits of coolie loach

Hi was wondering if has any information on the mating habits of coolie loach

have searched the net and gone through a couple of books but cant find much on the behavior patterns
the two i am keeping my eye on at the moment are wrapping around each other and running up and down the stem of one particular plant, one is about twice the diameter of the other both are about 2.5 inches in length.

any thoughts or suggestions welcome

cheers

If they are on the breeding track the female should be carrying eggs and be plump. Very clean soft water suits best, PH around 7 and steady, very important.

From most sources I have ready it is best to get a group together and introduce htem together to the aquarium, maintain stable conditions, good water quality and leave them to it in peace and quiet. Substrate preferred to gravel and the female may pick a plant to lay the eggs on. I have also read its best to have some mulm in the tank as it benefits the fry somehow.


If they seem to behaving in a mating way, I would leave them to it matey and just maintain the filter and water regurlarly, adding slightly cooler matching PH water changes. Indirect sunlight was also mentioned as an important factor, but as I have said, I have read these tips in various places, not personal experience.



mark

Thanks for the info Mark

Introduce three at the beginning of stocking the tank and have just left them off only noticed the behavior recently.
At the moment could not move them or change anything even if i wanted as i have breeding Angels in the same tank.
but if i thought they were pairing up i would keep a close eye for the eggs.

Cheers again

now i'm not trying to burst your bubble but these can be highly interactive fish or you might not see them for months on end, "khuli loaches" i have mine a long time and i see this behavior every so often but i've yet to have any luck, i love these fish and if you do get the patter of tiny fins i'd love to arrange a deal to get some off you, are they striped or black/brown

edit: good luck trying to catch the little buggers as they are one of the worst fish to catch

dar wrote:

edit: good luck trying to catch the little buggers as they are one of the worst fish to catch

I have found the best way to catch a loach without trouble is to remove decor and put something in for it or them to hide in, and just lift it out of the water, it is how they are caught from their native waters. Otherwise I chase my fish into a breeding net (Tetras) and lift:) With Loaches make sure the trap is something you can actually get them out of once they are out of the water.

Adult Kuhli loaches are bad enough, imaging the small spaces fry could get themselves into:laugh:


Mark

dar wrote:

now i'm not trying to burst your bubble

Your not bursting my bubble if these breed its a complete accident but it has got me thinking about trying it in the future at the moment more interested in Angels,

ive added a picture sorry for poor quality i believe it to be a pangio kuhlii

Are they seasonal breeders like the Clown I wonder? Maybe cutting your water with RO in water changes to slightly lower ph and temp increase current and otherwise, lots of peace and quiet, regular meaty treats ect.


[size=+2]A few sources I have read in the past stress natural indirect sunlight with aquarium lights on about 8-9 hours[/size]




Mark

After hours of searching i finally found the below article thanks for all your help Guys
and Dar it they do spawn your more than welcome to them if it happens ill let you no

Cheers

Kuhli loaches don't reach sexual maturity until they are at least 12 to 18 months old. Some sources even say they have to be over 2 years old before they are ready to breed for the first time. They spawn as pairs, but it's best to get a group of adults, and let them pair off and select their own mate.

A simple setup will do well for both regular day-to-day maintenance and spawning. A 10-gallon to 20-gallon long tank is perfect for a group of six to 12 adult kuhlis. To make maintenance easy, I suggest leaving the bottom bare of gravel, and painting the outside flat black. This will make cleaning the tank much easier and also make it easier to catch the adults if you need to move them to another tank. A sponge filter will provide adequate filtration and will eventually be covered with the kind of microscopic aquatic life that will make an excellent first food for the fry. Add a couple of clay flowerpot saucers, each with a notch about a half-inch in diameter knocked into the side that will serve as perfect hideaways for them.

Also add a large clump of Java moss, preferably suspended an inch or so off the bottom. An easy way to do this would be to attach it to a piece of "egg crate" grid (sold for drop ceiling lighting fixtures at home centers) about 6 by 10 inches. Set it on top of the flower pot saucers to hold it off the bottom. You can also add a couple of pieces of Java fern. Attach them to the "egg crate," too. Finally, add some water sprite floating at the surface, but keep it thinned so that it doesn't get too large or cover much more than about a third of the surface. Set up the tank where it will get some indirect light but no direct sunlight. Run the light for 8 hours or so a day.

Water quality seems to be more important than maintaining exact water parameters. Do your water changes regularly, and rinse out the filter regularly, too. A pH of 6.8 to 7.2 should be fine. As long as the water isn't too hard, you should have no problems. If you have really hard water, consider filtering it over peat for a few days before using it in the breeding tank. Don't keep the tank perfectly clean. A small accumulation of mulm on the bottom is beneficial to the fry's first few days.

As time goes by, you'll notice that the females are starting to fill with eggs. When a couple of females are bulging, do a larger-than-normal water change the day before a large weather system moves through. You'll notice the fish are swimming nervously up and down the sides of the tank, as well as all over the tank. In the dim early light, pairs begin to swim up and down together. Eventually, they'll twine around each other and splash along the surface of the tank.

After a few false starts, bright green eggs will be released and fertilized while they are moving along the surface. The eggs will float for a bit, then slowly sink. They are slightly adhesive and will attach to the leaves and roots of the water sprite. Those that don't will fall into the Java moss and Java fern. Any eggs that reach the bottom will be eaten by the adults. At this time, either remove the plants to another tank to hatch out, or remove the adults and let the eggs hatch in the spawning tank

David wrote:

After hours of searching i finally found the below article thanks for all your help Guys
and Dar it they do spawn your more than welcome to them if it happens ill let you no

Cheers

Kuhli loaches don't reach sexual maturity until they are at least 12 to 18 months old. Some sources even say they have to be over 2 years old before they are ready to breed for the first time. They spawn as pairs, but it's best to get a group of adults, and let them pair off and select their own mate.

A simple setup will do well for both regular day-to-day maintenance and spawning. A 10-gallon to 20-gallon long tank is perfect for a group of six to 12 adult kuhlis. To make maintenance easy, I suggest leaving the bottom bare of gravel, and painting the outside flat black. This will make cleaning the tank much easier and also make it easier to catch the adults if you need to move them to another tank. A sponge filter will provide adequate filtration and will eventually be covered with the kind of microscopic aquatic life that will make an excellent first food for the fry. Add a couple of clay flowerpot saucers, each with a notch about a half-inch in diameter knocked into the side that will serve as perfect hideaways for them.

Also add a large clump of Java moss, preferably suspended an inch or so off the bottom. An easy way to do this would be to attach it to a piece of "egg crate" grid (sold for drop ceiling lighting fixtures at home centers) about 6 by 10 inches. Set it on top of the flower pot saucers to hold it off the bottom. You can also add a couple of pieces of Java fern. Attach them to the "egg crate," too. Finally, add some water sprite floating at the surface, but keep it thinned so that it doesn't get too large or cover much more than about a third of the surface. Set up the tank where it will get some indirect light but no direct sunlight. Run the light for 8 hours or so a day.

Water quality seems to be more important than maintaining exact water parameters. Do your water changes regularly, and rinse out the filter regularly, too. A pH of 6.8 to 7.2 should be fine. As long as the water isn't too hard, you should have no problems. If you have really hard water, consider filtering it over peat for a few days before using it in the breeding tank. Don't keep the tank perfectly clean. A small accumulation of mulm on the bottom is beneficial to the fry's first few days.

As time goes by, you'll notice that the females are starting to fill with eggs. When a couple of females are bulging, do a larger-than-normal water change the day before a large weather system moves through. You'll notice the fish are swimming nervously up and down the sides of the tank, as well as all over the tank. In the dim early light, pairs begin to swim up and down together. Eventually, they'll twine around each other and splash along the surface of the tank.

After a few false starts, bright green eggs will be released and fertilized while they are moving along the surface. The eggs will float for a bit, then slowly sink. They are slightly adhesive and will attach to the leaves and roots of the water sprite. Those that don't will fall into the Java moss and Java fern. Any eggs that reach the bottom will be eaten by the adults. At this time, either remove the plants to another tank to hatch out, or remove the adults and let the eggs hatch in the spawning tank

Good stuff David

It is a good idea to give the source of the article when you copy one.


Good luck with the Loaches. I have 20+ myself


Mark