Striata !!

[rev]

I picked up a Botia Striata (zebra loach) today & was wondering if anyone was keeping these beautiful loaches ?

[William]

I kept a few about 6 years ago.

[rev]

Thanks William. These guys are very hard to find in Oz. My lfs has had one in a display tank for many years. Every time i go there i ask if i can buy him & to my surprise he gave in & said yes. Only catch is i have to wait for tank maintenance to be done so he can be caught. Now i have to go to the shop to admire MY fish...lol.

[William]

Lol.

They are very nice fish and I am sure that it will bring you a lot of you. Zebra loaches are my second favorite loach after pakistan loaches (B. lohachata) which I absolutly adore.

[rev]

Lol.

They are very nice fish and I am sure that it will bring you a lot of you. Zebra loaches are my second favorite loach after pakistan loaches (B. lohachata) which I absolutly adore.

I'm with you there William. These guys are being commercially bred now by injecting them with hormones. What was once rare & expensive in this country is now five dollars & as common as the clown loach. I have a group of 35 yoyo's & a freind in the UK who's attempting to breed them by replicating the dry season. I have quite a lot of info. on attempts at spawning these but no actual accounts of yet.

[William]

That group must be .... wow!

What kind of tank is he using? a round tank or a normal one.

I have a friend in sweden that have breed clown loaches but I don't know if the same methods would work with lohachata.

[rev]

My UK friend is using a four footer standard tank. As there is no accounts except for injection, i suppose this will be trial & error.
Who will be first !?
Yes, my group is very pleasing to watch & these are very lively fish when kept in groups.
Thankyou for the input William !

[William]

Ok. If hes able he could try a donut shaped tank which I know my friend found very beneficial with clowns. That way he could create a stream vhere the fish could swim round and round in a tank where the current only flows one way.

My friend used mostly rocks for the decoration and kept the tank heavily circulated.

[rev]

Possible success !!! My UK freind has found a clutch of 6 eggs attached to a leaf very close to the cave inhabited by the largest female. Only other tankmates are egg scatterers.
Fingers crossed !!!

[William]

Lets hope !!!
And make sure he is documenting all info.

Does the eggs look fertalized. I know of a few spawnings between two females in the past.