Mustard spot pleco (Panaqolus albomaculatus) project

[bekateen]

Thanks, Jac. I put towels over the tank today since it is located beside my house's front door. It has a lot of people walking back and forth near the tank. Hopefully the privacy is all they need to finish and lay eggs.

Cheers, Eric

[Fundulopanchax76]

So they have sexual foreplay ! lol I saw him bites her tenderly ! Thats good sign !

[Jobro]

Any news Eric? Did it happen?

[bekateen]

I don't know, but I suspect it did not. The female came out from from the cave yesterday. So I looked in the cave and dad is still inside. But he's not fanning, so I suspect he does not have eggs.

Cheers, Eric

[Jobro]

Too bad, no followup spawning behaviors going on?

[bekateen]

No, not yet. But I'll do a big (90%) water change today with cold water. Let's see if that helps.

[Jobro]

No, not yet. But I'll do a big (90%) water change today with cold water. Let's see if that helps.

90%? If I did that, my fish would be ice bricks right now

Let's hope for the best!!

[bekateen]

LOL, mine would too. I take about 3/4 of the water from the outside hose (that water is ~50F) and mix 1/4 of the water with hot water out of my bathtub. End result is about 72F. (that's still around 13F cooler than the tank at 85F)

[Jobro]

72 should be about fine. I let the temp go down to as low as 69F sometimes. But I can tell that some of them don't enjoy this freshness

[bekateen]

Mustard spots trapping again, for the first time this year. Maybe this time? Fingers and toes crossed!

[Jobro]

Good luck Eric!

[bekateen]

Thanks! So far no spawn. But for the last two days I've come home from work or awoke in the morning to find them trapping or the female trying to get in the cave. She seems to be jumping back and forth between two males in adjacent caves. I'd be in heaven if they can just decide and get the job done!

Cheers, Eric

[jac]

What you are describing is exactly how it went here with my P. albivermis. Everything from multiple trapping without success, to swapping males and it took mine more then a year, infact two, before they dropped eggs. Keep going, they will pop

[bekateen]

Thanks Jac. Yes this is their second year trapping. I'm hopeful.

Cheers, Eric

[naillij]

I’m following and hoping my 2 mate with that advice you sent me. ^_^

[Camo182]

any luck ????

[bekateen]

Two weeks ago I thought I had a male fanning eggs in a cave. Five days later he emerged and the cave was empty. No luck yet. Still trying.

Thanks for asking.
Eric

[Camo182]

you will get it!
they are just testing your patience lol

[bekateen]

LOL, are they ever! Thanks!

[Steelanger]

Hey guys,

I was reading on Mustard spot pleco. I dont know if Eric has succeeded to spawn his but I accidentally spawned them... Only 2-3 fry has survived though. Conditions are similar to what people have said about the species and subspcies spawning:

• Very soft water (our region has very very soft water). I regularly have to add minerals but since I was traveling a lot I was glad to get the water change done now and then. Soft water regime was winter-spring (@24C)
  Period of very soft water followed by higher temperature (pretty warm summer here i guess 26-27C) and infrequent water changes (1x month) ie harder water.

My tank (Rio 240l) has about 1.5 x time overfiltration though and quite a lot of plants and floating plants.

[bekateen]

Hi Steelanger,

Three years in a row, my mustard spots went through days of trapping and courtship, but I never got a spawn out of them. Then, sadly, I lost my group during COVID. I got a couple more after COVID and I have restarted the project since then. These new fish are very different in size than the original group - much smaller. I'm not even sure if I have a pair. Either they're slow to mature or they came from a population that just doesn't grow as big as my previous fish.

Congratulations on your spawn! That said, from your still photos and from your YouTube video, I'm not sure your fish are

Panaqolus albomaculatus

. This species has a rather dramatic lyretail and I don't see that on the adults in your video; also, your fish have eyes that are larger than I would expect in a Panaqolus species. Finally, in your video, when the parent comes out and turns sideways in the mouth of the cave, their body doesn't span the full width of the cave; then near the end of the video when an adult albino cory swims past the cave, the cory is almost as long as the cave - that means your adult is about the size of a big albino cory. My mustard spots were at least 2x the length of the the large

Corydoras(Ln8sc4) delphax

in my tank. In fairness though, the adults aren't well visible in your video, but I suspect your fish might be a

Hypancistrus

species. Can you please get better video or still-pictures of the adults? Full body, from the side, showing eyes and body shape?

Cheers, Eric

[Griparn]

I agree with Eric. Looks more like a Hypancistrus species, maybe L-136.

[Jools]

I'd say the fish are

Hypancistrus sp(l004)

, well done on the spawn!


Jools

[Steelanger]

Hi all, I was told when I got this tank and fish (2nd hand) that this was a wild caught mustard spot pleco pair, being a plant guy (I work in plant breeding) i know nothing about Loricariidae identification.
Here are some foto's they are about 2 to 2.5 times bigger than the female corydora's and have barely grown since in got them. Hopefully this will help to identify them. Those are rather large caves.
They are not really eating wood mostly gorging on high protein pellets however it took them awhile to start eating that. The spawn does clean the windows but I have never seen the older fish eat algae off the glass, they are also incredibely skittish and really do not like light.
However looking at the photo's you guys have posted it does look like they are a not a mustard spot

[Fallen_Leaves16]

Hi all, I was told when I got this tank and fish (2nd hand) that this was a wild caught mustard spot pleco pair, being a plant guy (I work in plant breeding) i know nothing about Loricariidae identification.
Here are some foto's they are about 2 to 2.5 times bigger than the female corydora's and have barely grown since in got them. Hopefully this will help to identify them. Those are rather large caves.
They are not really eating wood mostly gorging on high protein pellets however it took them awhile to start eating that. The spawn does clean the windows but I have never seen the older fish eat algae off the glass, they are also incredibely skittish and really do not like light.
However looking at the photo's you guys have posted it does look like they are a not a mustard spot

Does look rather like Hypancistrus lunaorum to me. Still a lovely fish- and an impressive achievement to spawn them!