Breeding Akysis

[Adam]

Hi all,

Been a while since I've visited and posted on PC but have returned to ask the brains trust some information.

There are some Akysis species floating around in the eastern states of Australia. I'm mildly interested in them but am wondering about biology (habitat, water parameters (particularly minimum temp of the Sittang River drainage and reporduction).

I have seen some old posts about the keeping and spawning of A. vespa but no real details on PC (that I could find) or the web.

Anyone help me?

Adam

[kim m]

Have you had a look at http://www.hillstreamcatfish.com ?

[Adam]

I had read that site before I posted my questions. The information is fairly generic but one of the better places that I found for information.

Adam

[Silurus]

Unfortunately, the first person to breed Akysis in captivity I know (Achim Werckenthin) seems to have completely left the hobby. I quote from the original description of A. vespa:

An aquarium breeding of this species was triggered by a drastic change in water conditions following a large water change (during which the temperature decreased from 30˚C to 23˚C). This change is usually associated with the onset of the rainy season in the natural habitat and therefore suggests that A. vespa, like many other species of tropical freshwater fish, breed at the onset of the rainy season. During the actual act of spawning, several males were seen to be frenziedly chasing a gravid female, after which one successful male would wrap its body around the female while the eggs and milt were deposited (Fig. 4). The fry hatched 4 days after spawning, with the yolk being fully resorbed 10 days post-spawning (Fig. 5). The dorsal fin was full formed 10 days post-spawning, with the continuous fin fold fully disappearing 37 days post-spawning; adult coloration began appearing 16 days post-spawning and was fully evident 23 days post-spawning (Fig. 5).

[medaka]

Hi Adam

I have been trying to get both

Akysis prashadi

&

Akysis longifilis

to spawn now for the last two years, the closest I have come to achieving this, is with A prashadi, I managed to get them to spawn, twice, but the eggs proved to be infertile on both occasions. The main "trigger' so to speak was a water change using cooler water, similar to the report on spawning A vespa, the adults in both cases also swam up and down the glass for a good few hours, before they intertwined, and the eggs were released by the female, over a wool covered egg trap. I tend to think that these are seasonal spawner's, as on both occasions their spawning corresponded to the same period each year.

[Adam]

Thank you for the information. I've just had a knee reconstruction and have been unable to sit in front of a computer.

The more I look at the group the more interested I become. In terms of the temperature range in Myanmar will they tolerate water below 14oC with occasional drops to 12oC? I also take it that the water has a low conductivity and pH.

Silurus, do you have a copy of the paper that you refer to that you could provide me? I have been unable to find even that amount of information on the net.

Medaka, Thank you for the information. In terms of food are you finding yours taking prepared diets well after acclamation to the aquarium? I.e. can I feed pellets? Also do you maintain a bare tank or is it important to allow them to bury in fine sediments? Can you provide any further information on the captive environment you maintain both the A. prashadi and A. longifilis in.

Are there any other keepers out there of Akysis that can contribute to husbandry?

Adam

[medaka]

HI Adam

In terms of food are you finding yours taking prepared diets well after acclamation to the aquarium? I.e. can I feed pellets?

To be honest, I have never directly offered any of my Hillstream cats commercial foods such as pellets, tablets etc.
a good few years ago, my A prashadi shared their aquarium with some danio's; what I found was that any uneaten flake or granular food (such as prima) accumulated in between the pebbles and stones and because this had a direct effect on water quality, and the resulting low nitrate levels effected the Akysis more than the danio's; so I made it a rule only to feed live foods and frozen (they will take frozen blood worms).

Also do you maintain a bare tank or is it important to allow them to bury in fine sediments? Can you provide any further information on the captive environment you maintain both the A. prashadi and A. longifilis in.

To answer; earlier in this thread Kim wrote: -

Have you had a look at http://www.hillstreamcatfish.com ?

you answered: -

I had read that site before I posted my questions. The information is fairly generic but one of the better places that I found for information.

As hillstreamcatfish.com is my small site, I don't have anymore to add to what information you have already found there