Dojo Loaches!

[KeddyPie]

All day, the Dojos have been acting funny. Not "a storm is coming" funny, either (though one IS in fact coming). The female has been burrying herself in the sand a lot more then usual, the male was chasing her around, and then decided to stay a few inches away from her while she was buried and keep watch. Then for no reason, unburied her and scared her away. I think it might be some sort of strange mating thing.

Also, the male (when keeping watch) has been hoising himself high on his pectoral fins, as opposed to laying flat like he normally does. I'm not sure if it is so he can see predators better (because the inch long tetras as SUCH a predator!) or if it's an attempt to look big and strong...


Male on pecs



Female in sand


Male unburing female



Male investigating the area female was previously.


Any hints to what is going on with them?

Katy

 

[Adistar]

cool loaches...

my guess is they like sand and are having fun

i dunno tho but i like ur loaches

 

[Angel Lady]

How do these lay eggs could this be what is going on?? I like them they are cool fish..

 

[KeddyPie]

I have NO knowledge of their reproductive habits. If someone says they lay eggs on the walls of the tank, I'd say no, they are defenitly not breeding then... But it someone tells me they bury their eggs... Then I'd be tempted to remove my tetras for a month or so and see if I get babies! ^___^

They do like the sand, I've seen 'em play in it. But they're acting a little too strange I think for it to just be play

 

[pleaseworkpiece]

love dojo loaches. very hardy and interesting !

 

[Amber]

I don't think dojo's bury their eggs

 

[Bloo]

Lovely piccies !
I don't know that much about Dojo's, but taken from here,

Now how to keep and breed them: The following is a short summary of an article published in the largest aquarium newspaper in Germany. The citation is Hartl, A. (1991), Die Gattung Misgurnus, D. Aqu. u. Terr. Z. (DATZ) 44:760-762. Even though it is in German, I recommend getting the original article for all Dojo enthusiasts because of its good pictures of both Misgurnus species. The most important thing to know about keeping M. anguillicaudatus is that this is not a tropical but a cold water fish, even though they can stand high temperatures very well. The author got his pair from a garden pond where they lived over a German winter, even surviving frost. A cold period of several months might be essential if you want to breed them, because at constantly high temperatures they might not become fertile. In May, at water temperatures of 24 C they started to spawn. The pair glides side by side through the tank finally spawning close to the surface of the water. The whole process takes up to 4 hours. After that the parents should be removed. After three days the fry were fed by protozoa and after 10 days they started to take artemia. A month later the largest of the fry were 25 mm long.

The sexes can be distinguished by the pectoral fins. The pectoral fins of the male are much larger than the females'. Also, the first two spines of the male's pectoral fin are much stronger than the rest. It seems to be worth mentioning that the author bred a pair of golden Dojos but all of the young had the light brown color with dark spots of the wild form.

and also here:

Breeding:
Breeding is fairly difficult, primarily due to lack of knowledge about their spawning habits. They are a cold water fish, and require several months of cold temperatures to induce spawning. Spawning occurs in the spring to early summer, before water temperatures become too warm.

They may be sexed based on the pectoral fins, which are larger in males than in females. Spawning follows a courtship ritual that includes sinuous movements back and forth by the breeding pair, sometimes lasting for a period of several hours. The fertilized eggs hatch in approximately three days. For the first week the fry feed on infusoria, after which they may be fed freshly hatched brine shrimp.

 

[KeddyPie]

Thanks bloozoo ^^