Fish Id

[greyedoutman]

Yeah, well that was the idea, I've always known to keep guppies 2F:1M but it seems the LFS guy has sold me up the garden path!

 

[Animal Lover 2000]

Yes that yellow and orange tiger guppys are male and the plain orange is female also im pretty sure that is an amano shrimp

 

[greyedoutman]

Is that any better? There is only one in the photo although I do have two - the second there is a reflection!

 

[fluttermoth]

That does look like a bristlenose but there are, literally, hundreds of 'plec' species, so we can't be 100% sure without a really clear picture.

I will say it looks very, very skinny. Make sure you have food available for them, nearly all the time, for the next few weeks, until they'v got some weight on them. Blanched fruit or vegetables ('blanched' means lightly cooked so they're softer, but not falling apart) like peas, courgette, sweet potato, split broccoli stalks or apple should tempt them.

 

[greyedoutman]

OK - is that all I should feed them or should they be getting plec wafers, too?

 

[fluttermoth]

OK - is that all I should feed them or should they be getting plec wafers, too?

Yes, algae wafers are good (as are a good quality catfish pellet), but they tend to break up and disappear quite quickly, whereas the veg (as long as you don't overcook it!) should stay in one piece and be available for them to 'snack' on at any time, which they need at the moment, being so thin.

 

[Byron]

On the loach, this is a very social fish, and must be in a group.  Five or six would be best, though four can sometimes work.  Never 2 or 3 as their natural hierarchy is almost certain to create trouble for one of them.  But before you run out and buy more, I would recommend confirming the species; I cannot tell from the photos here.  Some of the Botia loaches get huge, and some can be nasty no matter what.  The Zebra, if this is Botia striata, is relatively peaceful and remains smaller, usually just under four inches maximum.  They (all loaches) need lots of hiding spots, and each loach likes to find its own "space" and will defend it vigorously.  I use chunks of Malaysian Driftwood which is full of crevices and tunnels; to see these loaches playing tag through the tunnels is indeed entertaining.
 
Left alone, this loach is going to become very stressed, and that means health problems and likely increased aggression to other fish.  If taking photos is difficult, you might want to browse the photos over at Loaches Online, and see if you can ascertain the species.  They also have excellent data there.
Here's the page for the list of species; scroll down to Botia, then click on each name; there are several photos for most of them on their respective page.
http/www.loaches.com/species-index/species-index
 
Byron.

 

[greyedoutman]

Came home to a dead fish today very sad. It's one of the unidentified ones. No visible signs of why....photo attached mainly to confirm ID. The loaches are (definitely) botia strata. I did my research on that and it was clear that, whilst 4-5 is ideal, 2-3 is fine - and my tank can't cope with 4-5 of them, they are too big. 

 

[sawickib]

From your earlier photo, which i believe is this poor guy right here, it looks to be a baby bristle nose, i say this because of the small amount of white on the tips of the tail. It died most likely from starving to death. See how sunken in its tummy is? That is my guess for cause of death sorry for your loss.

 

[Byron]

The loaches are (definitely) botia strata. I did my research on that and it was clear that, whilst 4-5 is ideal, 2-3 is fine - and my tank can't cope with 4-5 of them, they are too big.
 

I apologize for pursuing this issue, but it must be followed up.  I would like to know where you were told that 2-3 is OK.  It is not, I can assure you.  All species in Botia need a group, 5+ as the Loach site I previously linked said as well.
 
If this is B. striata, they are smaller so 5 is what you should acquire; if you cannot accomodate this, then try to return/re-home the one or two you have.  Maintaining fish in situations that are foreign to them will result in stressed fish and this leads to health issues or increased aggression.  I seem to be citing Dr. Loiselle's comment a lot lately, but it is bang on:
 
It is inhumane to deprive any animal of an element it regards as critical to its well-being, and totally naive to expect normal behavior in its absence.

 

[greyedoutman]

Will look into it. I'm pretty sure my tank won't hold any more of them. They're easily the biggest fish I've ever had. My tank is 45L - could I get 4 or 5 of them in there, do you think?
 
It does seem that fish might have died of starvation. It makes me wonder about the LFS I've been using, as they have been fed regularly since I got them a couple of days ago. And yes, I'm sure it's a bristlenose now I think of it - I was told in the LFS.

 

[Byron]

Will look into it. I'm pretty sure my tank won't hold any more of them. They're easily the biggest fish I've ever had. My tank is 45L - could I get 4 or 5 of them in there, do you think?
 
It does seem that fish might have died of starvation. It makes me wonder about the LFS I've been using, as they have been fed regularly since I got them a couple of days ago. And yes, I'm sure it's a bristlenose now I think of it - I was told in the LFS.

Thank you.
 
On the bristlenose, I may be able to explain this, as there are a couple of issues. First, I suspect these fish were wild caught, though I will stand to be corrected on that. When fish like bristlenose, farlowella, otos, etc are wild caught they go through unimaginable stress getting to our tanks, and they are nearly starved.  These fish need "natural" food and this is not provided in transit in most cases.  Then they get to the store and are dumped into anything but a reasonable or natural environment which adds yet more stress.  If there is no natural algae or aufwuchs in the store tank, they are still not eating.  The sunken belly is something to always look for in loricariids.  If the fish still has sufficient strength when we take it home and we can place it in a tank with natural foods, it may survive.  Many do not.
 
Second issue is wood, that is essential for its well being.  While this fish, the Ancistrus species, does not digest wood as nutrition, wood is an essential part of their diet and the fish's digestive process needs it.  If there was no wood in the store tank, and there certainly would not have been wood en route to the store, this is another negative that weakens the fish and hampers eating.
 
Byron.

 

[greyedoutman]

I have one other bristlenose - are they ok to be kept solo?

 

[fluttermoth]

Bristlenose can be kept singly, yes, but a 45l tank isn't big enough, and it's not big enough for the zebra loach either, I'm afraid

 

[Byron]

I seem to have missed the tank size completely, my apology as I should have mentioned this earlier.  Thanks fluttermoth for waking us up.  A 45L is a 10-12 gallon, and I agree that this is not sufficient for the loach at all, nor the bristlenose.  Please see if the store will take these back; they should never have misled you like this to begin with.  B.