Snub-nose Hypancistrus

kkorotev · Post by **kkorotev** » 21 Aug 2004, 00:39

I recently noticed a friend's F1 L46 fry included a few with snub-noses...you know, like they had run into the side of the tank.
I remember this occurred with a couple of my own fry a few years ago and was surprised to see it again; thinking it was a one time problem with my fish.
Now I've seen the same thing in L260 (another Hypancistrus) fry from a 3rd aquarist...

Ideas?

Kevin Korotev
Milwaukee

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 22 Aug 2004, 15:29

Hi!

Do you know if water parameters were checked?
I wonder about nitrats could be the cause... I know it can affect pretty much the shape of the fish...this can be often seen with cichlids fry kept in a too small tank which usually also means too much nitrats...

Cheers
Yann

kkorotev · Post by **kkorotev** » 22 Aug 2004, 16:10

Yann,
I can not attest to the water quality in the tanks of my friends, but can not imagine nitrates to be the problem in my own...unless even a small amount can cause the problem.
BUT, if nitrates are the problem, does it make sense to you that only a small percentage of the total brood is affected?
Also, wouldn't a nitrate concentration have to be SUSTAINED to alter the natural shape of a growing fish? What I mean is; unless the nitrate concentration was so significant as to remain throughout the weeks and months of the fry development, wouldn't simple water change maintenance eliminate the problem? I ask this while assuming that any aquarist that can get Hypancistrus to spawn is going to maintain the fry tank adequatey.

If nitrates are the problem, I'm beginning to think they would have to be so at very low levels (and SHOULD effect a greater number of the fry) ...or have to cause/create the deformity selectively and immediately.

Fascinating idea.

Kevin Korotev

Post by **Janne** » 22 Aug 2004, 17:20

It's the amount of nitrates that causes this problem and even in small dozes from 10 ppm and uppwards, all fry dont get affected in the same time...it probebly depends on the level of oxygene in the blood and how much saturated the blood are of nitrate...not really sure about this but it never happend's if you change water frequently and keep the nitrate level very low.
When it comes to loricariid's so are Sturisoma fry and youngster very easy to study how nitrate affected them...the extensions in the lyretail are "crooked" if the level of nitrate is to high and if the level are even higher the nose will be more rounded, small newly hatched fry will die even of small dozes of nitrate.
So in some way even if it not is the nitrate in self that couses the problem so are there a conection with nitrate in one way or an other.

Janne

Post by **Barbie** » 22 Aug 2004, 18:44

One of the snub nosed fry was from my first batch of L260. The tank was under going daily 30% water changes, and back when I was testing it, the nitrates weren't noticable. I had one fry from that batch that survived after the male had tossed it out of the nest, or it had escaped. I was curious if that might have been due to it being deformed, but I didn't notice it for weeks after that, so I wasn't sure how he would. My breeders are all wilds, and I've not seen the problem since. I also had a couple instances of low DO in their flow through container with that first batch, and lost 3 fry total to lack of flow through the containers causing them to swell around their yolk sac and stop maturing.

I now have a larger amount of flow through their containers and I'm feeding heavier, and I can't find a single one that looks like he was chasing parked cars. They are also in a tank that gets large weekly water changes, but I'd be pretty confident the nitrates are 20 or above with the fish load. There are approximately 100 fry between the two boxes and the fry that are loose in the tank for growout.

Barbie

kgroenhoej · Post by **kgroenhoej** » 25 Aug 2004, 10:20

I'm not sure what causes this...
But it also happens in nature - There's a picture of a wild-caught fish with this "feature" in the new-L-numbers.
I think it's something to do with the water-quality - but I'm not convinced that nitrate is the culprint.

Klaus

Charly EON · Post by **Charly EON** » 27 Aug 2004, 02:25

Helllo

This happenned to me too with Loricaria simillima. Only a few fry were affected . No idea what the realreason is but for sure not nitrates. I would suspect a nutritionnal problem (as lack of some essential amino acids or fatty acids, or vitamin C or phosphocalcic disorders)

Charly