Plus, L-260/66 are usually found at pretty large sizes. Of all the hypancistrus that we import, they generally arrive much more mature than the rest. They are also among the easiest to find at retailers, and need less of a dramatic change to trigger.

Larry hit on the head...watching the eggs develop is the best part of sturisoma husbandry...and don't be shy about putting a big collard leaf in the tank, the big green billboard that says "FOOD" draws our fry from one side of a 40 breeder tank to the other. If anything else, its a neat way to ...

My pair, Sturisoma barbatum, has been spawning continually for five years now.

I've had best results with fry in a 20g tank, plenty of driftwood with java fern and anubias, sponge filters and plenty of algae. No current, and frozen collard greens for feed. Based on numbers of surviving fry, it is ...

The acrylic article is one of the best out there.

Since the tank can be made from a single sheet of 4' X 8' acrylic, you may want to step up to 3/8". Paul is spot on that 1/4" is sufficient, but keep in mind that the additional thickness is a bit easier to work with. After working in 3/8" (80-90mm ...

...well, in the NW Branch, at least.

Collecting with Andrew and Nick from ScalesTFW, and Brian from the MNCPPC.

http://grissom.vosg.com/~jebay/ab001.jpg

Amongst the catch...

http://grissom.vosg.com/~jebay/MadTom003.jpg

Bob Bock, from NANFA, tells us that they may be the first reported in ...

With the competition and roughousing that the males can get into, I avoid as many sharp edges as possible. It is bad enough treating peduncle damage from tails whipping against cave openings.

I have converted to a light colored sand substrate using a non-carbonaceous product from Carib-Sea. It is a ...

Last year was great, judging from the plans that I have seen, this time around looks even bigger and better. Andrew, thanks in advance!

(Is this an obvious bump?)

They may get exhausted trying to stay in one place, which may be a defense strategy, staying small and inconspicuous in an environment where food is plentiful and always nearby. I have observed that adding some powdered spirulina directly to the tank seems to lure the fry to the bottom. They ...

A few tips on raising the young...

1. Reduce the current. I eliminated my small powerhead, and the remaining current from the power filter alone is enough to encourage the adults to spawn.

2. Let the tank get dirty. I reduced water changes to 25%, once every two weeks.

3. Feed frozen collard ...

I have experienced spawns with pairs between 4-6 inches (10-15cm) I also had difficulty with one male who killed three smaller males, leaving a female alive. This was five L-264 in a 55gal tank, admittedly a bit crowded. The footprint of the tank was 12"X48" (30cm X 120cm) Even with only the two ...

Slow, slow, slow topping out around 6". 84-86F really perks up their appetites, and although it may not be obvious, might help the growth rate. Mine are over five years old and in that time have grown from two inches to six, where they have been for about a year.

Oct. 21-23 in Laurel, check http://www.pvas.com for info.

I'm working a group right now, which will be hitting their stride in the Spring. Could spare an individual if you are interested.

Also, PVAS is having a show next weekend in Laurel. We should be putting a variety of stuff into the auction on Sunday. Check http://www.pvas.com for info.

I'll PM you ...

Hey now, don't be so rough...our store is opening soon and we will recommend quarantine even from our "incomparably pristine, germ and parasite-free holding systems".

You can never know what effect moving the fish will have. All sorts of goo and rot are present everywhere in some quantity, the fish ...

Depends on the store. I just received a batch of L-177, well three live ones along with two now dead ones, who had been starving in the seller's "two-week quarantine". If you don't see them too often, you may wish to snatch up the healthiest now. Quarantine from the wild is much more than just ...

Jools, don't change anything, the tone is perfect, the moderators are top notch, and the discussions, with a few exceptions, are brilliant. No other forum that I have visited, on any topic, has the clarity and the depth that this site offers.

As for "newbies" or "beginners" who may feel put off ...

I've been working with them like L-134, temp and conductivity drops, no joy. Males are hanging out in the caves, but the ladies aren't showing much interest, or much gravidity for that matter. I believe that Janne had mentioned that he had a few. Anyone else?

Thanks.

I have similar success with either route, counting eggs/fry when artificially rearing, or counting fry yield when naturally hatching. The important issue is to get the fry into a rearing setup quickly. Once the yolk sac is gone, the fry will only last a day or two without appropriate feed.

A neat ...

My engineering students would crucify me with that one! Thanks.

30"X12"X12" (760mmX300mmX300mm)

However, a working tank the size of a matchbox would definitely please my wife...

...a few comments on prices and costs.

Just taking floor space in consideration for costs. The room required to produce, optimistically, 30 zebras per year, could be used to house at least four pairs of ancistrus. A nice pair of common ancistrus can be counted on to spawn at least eight times per ...

Back to the topic...

The earliest that I have experienced L-046 reproduction is at 30 months. My F1's have spawned at an average of 36 months from birth. Is 30 months the minimum age? I don't know, since I haven't run enough formal experimentation for confirmation. Its nature, and far too many ...

No, the pictures have not been moved, the server that hosts them is down for maintenance, they will be available shortly.

Hear, hear...I've watched L-034's excavate for a nest between two pieces of slate, substrate was coarse sand. Would love to figure that one out reliably. This is also the next trial in the ongoing L-177 work, moving them into sand and letting them figure out the nesting site.

BTW, Paul, your L-264 ...

If you like nuggets, try a L-177. I think they show better with better margins, plus they stay smaller. As for aggression, I do have a feisty little guy who spent about a month coming to terms with a grapefruit-sized Panaque nigrolineatus. However, they eventually established their "turf" and live ...

How warm is the tank? I wouldn't keep them much below 80F (27C) Even near 80F, L-034 don't feed very well. Mine do well at 82-86F, even spawning occasionally (alas, no fry...) on frozen bloodworm, cyclopeeze and the odd wafer. They don't eat Hikari, but recently have shown interest in the OmegaC ...

BTW, I found the Datz article as well, after reading several posts by Janne. Anyone interested could start with Janne's work on the site here. My practices with both L-264 and L-134 have become very similar to his, and my experiences are proving out to match his in many respects.

Well Jools, let's not count fry before they are really viable, I lost the two that hatched. Their yolk sacs looked odd, slightly distended, not quite nice and ovoid, as I've seen in healthy cases in other species. I will try to find some time to do the topic some justice. I've also finished pics for ...

...and then there were two, but they both hatched. Yes, that is a fry protruding at 2 o'clock from what looks like an egg on the left.



...apologize for the photo, a point and shoot is all I've got here today, I'll get my D-100 back tomorrow.

Yes, there are a lot of opinions on cave sizes, and a lot of latitude on what is accepted by the fish. However, I believe that the suitablity of the spawning site is among the most important parameters in the equation. This thread is getting a bit of traffic so maybe a review is useful.

So, here ...

I know that you are joking about time spent boiling vegetables, however, freezing them works just as well. Just keep a big ziploc of chunks in the freezer. I find that most types will hold up longer in the water as well, less mess.