Did you know fantastic help is an anagram of Planet Catfish? This forum is for those of you with pictures of your catfish who are looking for help identifying them. There are many here to help and a firm ID is the first step towards keeping your catfish in the best conditions.
Collected today under the name Aspidoras depinnai, no collection location as they came from Singapore. Only reason for asking is that while discussing them in the shop it was mentioned that they thought the ID was possibly incorrect??
The genus ID is correct imo (and you probably knew that already), yet the species level is difficult - too difficult for me despite having looked into it seriously. Hang on for the specialists to chime in; they'll know.
I would say that you have A. spilotus, I base this on the central body pattern, which can be several large blotches or a broad band along the center and the caudal barring.
Coryman wrote:I would say that you have A. spilotus, I base this on the central body pattern, which can be several large blotches or a broad band along the center and the caudal barring.
similiss wrote:I believe those are Aspidoras spilotus. I have this fish as well. Very active & swims lightning fast.
Perfect description of them, certainly a very active species. I have them in with some juvenile Apistograma barlowi just now, certainly is a lively tank
I hope you plan to and succeed in getting them to breed. Your Aspidoras are a pretty species.
I have become fond of Aspidoras. They are a nice change from more familiar Corydoras spp.
apistomaster wrote:I hope you plan to and succeed in getting them to breed. Your Aspidoras are a pretty species.
I have become fond of Aspidoras. They are a nice change from more familiar Corydoras spp.
Larry,
It took time but I finally moved a pair into their own tank on Friday, this evening I find a load of eggs attached to the rear corner of the tank about 15 cm above the substrate. They even managed to lay the eggs in the air flow from an air stone in that part of the tank!.
Congratulations on your Aspidoras spawn. I have had my Aspidoras pauciradiatus spawn several times, also choosing locations near power head outlets or near air stones but despite keeping them in very soft slightly acid water, all their eggs fungused. I haven't tried using black water yet. Maybe I'll try adding some of my Alder Cones. I have had mixed results with Alder Cones.
I am getting some 2 dozen Black Darter Tetras soon, Pociliocharax weitzmani, which I plan to keep with my Aspidoras and Parotocinclus cf epplyei or sp Peru 1, I don't know for sure. They all like very soft acid water.
apistomaster wrote:...........Let us know how your eggs do.
Evening Larry,
I had the pleasure of watching the eggs hatch on Tuesday morning and seeing the tiny fry sink to the substrate and then scuttle away (I think about 30 or 40). Looking in the tank over the past few days I see the occasional fry on the substrate, I'm sure there are plenty of fry but I'm not willing to dismantle the tank to find out how many, give it a week or so and I'm sure they will appear more frequently as they get bigger.
Water parameters, no detectable hardness, pH in the region of 5 to 5.5 (the result of passing my tap water through peat for 24 hours) and temperature at 26 degrees C.
I think your low pH is where I went wrong. My pH was about 6.5 although the water was about as soft, 40 ppm TDS.
Feed decapsulated brine shrimp eggs and chilled newly hatched brine shrimp and I believe the fry will survive if left in with the adults. That is how I raise Corydoras hastatus and C. habrosus in the hundreds.
I have my Aspidoras pauciradiatus set up in a the same sft water at a lower pH with about 16 Parotocinclus cf. epplyei and 24 Black Darter tetras, Pociliocharax weitzmani. They are all black water types or similarly soft acid water.
Photo of an adult male Black Darter Tetra. http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/img/Po ... mani_1.jpg
Greetings. I have been spawning these in droves, from the week I received them. All you have to do is look at them, to get them to spawn. I have been listing them as juveniles for auction on AB, recently. I am overrun with them.
They truly are an active and attractive species. - Frank
I used to be schizophrenic, but we're OK now. At least that's what my dog is always telling me!
Hear podcasts of "Sounds Fishy to Me," here: http://www.aquaradio.net
Aside from using a lower pH, I think I would have better success with my Aspidoras if I had a larger group set up in the same permanent breeding colony method I use with my C. hastatus and C. habrosus.
It is a big help when one specializes in a group of fish as you have with Corydoras. One becomes intimately familiar with their behaviors and triggers.
I am that way with Discus and I only became very interested in breeding Plecos and a few Corydoras about 5 years ago but mainly plecos have been my focus. Only so much I can do with 15 tanks. But I do want to master breeding Aspidoras pauciradiatus but I need to buy about 20. I only have 6 now. I did have 10 when they spawned in a 20 L but I lost some after I mixed them with my C. habrosus and recently noticed the heater was unplugged. They seem to like warmer water.
