Another group of Micracanthicus vandragti in the USA

[bekateen]

Hi All,

Today I received 12

Micracanthicus vandragti

from Freshwater Exotics. The fish were in QT at the seller's place for about a month, maybe more, before shipping. They are a little skinny, but otherwise healthy and I'm told they are already eating prepared foods. The largest fish is 43mm SL, already full grown.

I've put them in their own 10 gal tank for QT, and it may become their permanent home depending on how well they get along with each other.

I don't plan to keep all 12; I plan to divide them in half and share half with another local pleco keeper to establish two populations in town. Hopefully some spawns come out of this.

Here's a couple of quick pics. More pictures and video later.

Cheers, Eric

[stuby]

Very nice Eric! Good luck on the project.... hope to see little ones running around soon!

Chuck

[bekateen]

Thanks Chuck. I do too.

Cheers, Eric

[gehandylan]

Congrats Eric, they are looking good. My 25 have settled in well. In their 40G long.

[Kenneth Wong]

Nice looking group Eric. Good luck.

[bekateen]

Thanks, Gehan and Kenneth.

[HaakonH]

20 of them arrived in Norway this week too

[bekateen]

Very nice! Good luck with them, Haakon.

20 of them arrived in Norway this week too

Haakon, are these yours? I know Lars was expecting some.

Cheers, Eric

[HaakonH]

Hi, Eric!

I imported 20, which will be divided among 3 breeders. Lars is one of them Hopefully we can establish the species in the hobby! So cool to finally see them "live", funny how those small males are so full of odontodes!

Haakon

[bekateen]

Yes indeed. Thanks again, and good luck.

[bekateen]

Butts... all I see are butts. Gotta love the butts.

[Linus_Cello]

Butts... all I see are butts. Gotta love the butts.

I like fish butts and I cannot lie...

[bekateen]

Had a horrible experience yesterday. Knowing that the fish like hot temps, I have heater set on 89F/32C and I wanted to ensure adequate oxygenation by operating an overhead TOM trickle filter and also a powerhead with venturi.

Up to two days ago, the fish have been doing great and were fattening up. I was actually thinking I was seeing their bodies mature with more odontodes. On a whim I added a second really oversized powerhead, also with venturi, to overdo the aeration/oxygenation of the water.

Then the day before yesterday I gave them a new pellet food. I did this at end of day since they feed in darkness, then I left work (tank was at work). I came in the next workday to find the water fouled and the fish gasping for breathes, with 5 of the 12 fish dead. The food had fouled the water because the fish didn't eat it.

I did an emergency water change. Over the next 24 hours, 5 more fish succumbed to the stress of that day, and most sadly, the fish I lost were the largest of all my specimens. I don't know if they didn't like the pellet brand or if perhaps they just weren't hungry that night because I had fed them live black worms a couple of days earlier.

Now I am left with just two specimens, both very small. Fortunately, they seem to have recovered fully and the water is staying clean. Needless to say I am heartbroken about the fish I lost, but I hope I can raise these two and I will be dang sure to change the way I think about feeding them given their high water temperature housing. I can only hope that they are male and female, but they are too small to tell.

I share this so nobody else with these fish (or any other high temp fish) makes the same mistake.

Cheers, Eric

[stuby]

I am sorry to hear you lost most of them Eric.... RIP little plecs!

Chuck

[gehandylan]

Sorry for your loss Eric. Thanks for sharing your unfortunate experience so other L280 keepers can benefit from it.

[bekateen]

Finally had a chance to get more of these, to add to the two remaining fish from last year. Got 8 adults today from Freshwater Exotics. They look great! They are going into a 29gallon tall with an air-driven matten filter and an extra powerhead in the main tank. Sand and small rocks for decor, plus bamboo pipes and some caves. Will add more hiding places as the fish settle in. Temp will be 82F this time (not 90F as before) and the water is a 50-50 mix of tapwater and RO water, making TDS about 100-150ppm. pH just over 7.

[bekateen]

Here are the two from last year, which I'll put together with the others once the new fish clear quarantine.

[bekateen]

Here they are on YouTube:

Hypancistrus vandragti group 2 day of arrival

[stuby]

Awesome, I hope to get some in the future.

Take care,
Chuck

[bekateen]

Finally, these are trapping!

Cheers, Eric

[Baardman]

Congrats!!!!Looking good
Cheers Dan

[bekateen]

Thanks, Dan.

The fish are kept at work. I discovered them trapping in the morning, and they were still tapping when I left woek at 7pm today. I'm really hoping to find a male on eggs when I get back to work tomorrow.

Cheers, Eric

[Kenneth Wong]

That sounds very promising. Best of luck with them.

Ken

[bekateen]

I arrived at work this morning to find the male alone in his cave with no eggs, but the female moved over to another cave being trapped by a different male. But by end of day, that cave was empty also. Hopefully soon they get their groove on.

[Mexnotex]

Hello Eric,
Patience and luck. Mother nature always teasing us. We get all excited and then boom!
Keep your chin up.

Regards,
Martin

[bekateen]

Thank you Martin. My chin is up... impatient, but up.

Cheers, Eric

[Speedy1985]

So frustrating, but so much more rewarding when it happens!

[bekateen]

A horrible tragedy this morning. On arriving at work today, I discovered that someone (not me, but I won't say who did) doing routine tank cleaning Friday shut off power to two tanks but failed tho turn it back on. The tanks were without aeration or heat for three days. I lost all but one vandragti.

Not sure what I'll do with survivor, but not ready to buy more just yet.

Regards,
Eric

[bigshawn]

Man, sorry to hear this. Hopefully you'll get more soon....

[Jools]

A horrible tragedy this morning.

The more irreplaceable the fish, the more disaster strikes. Been there but I know it's no comfort. The feelings you have over this will subside over a few days, but, grrrrr!


Jools