Hypancistrus illness help

[Bunnie1978]

1. Water parameters
a) Temerature range. About 80
b) pH. 6.5
c) GH. Harndess is 50 ppm tds
d) KH
e)Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, levels. 0, 0, <10
f) Water change frequency 50% weekly usually
(Most LFS's will check your water and give a list of readings).

2. Tank set up
a) Size. 29g
b) Substrate. sand
c) Filtration. HOB Whisper 30-60 I think
d) Furnishings. Live plants, clay caves
e) Other tank mates. Pelvicachromis Taeniatus Kienke (kribs)
f) How long has it been set-up? Long time
g) When was the last new fish added? Months ago
h) Foods used and frequency? Staple flake/shrimp pellets/frozen bloodworms

3. Symptoms / Problem description
I don't know if the fish is eating normally or not. I have 4 adult hypancistrus, but I've never seen any breeding behaviour. I have four caves, but one of the female kribs has one.

4. Action taken (if any)

5. Medications used (if any)
I recently did a preventive system wide treatment. One week of antibiotic food followed by protozoan/parasite bath + food treatment. Then very thorought cleaning of the whole tank.

No other fish show any problems, but I can only get little glimpses of the other hypancistrus.

[MatsP]

To me, that looks like "battle damage". Unless it gets worse, I'd leave it to "nature".

--
Mats

[Bunnie1978]

Thanks, Mats.
By the way, is there a difinitive way to sex these cats? I have two types, L-199s and L-333s. All are full grown in comparable living conditions to OP, and I have never seen any breeding behavior. I understand that they and ancistrus breed in similar ways and condiitons and I have ancistrus coming out of my ears!!! The only thing I can think would be wrong is no females. All of them hang out in the caves, except that there is one that was kicked out, so it hides behind the heater. For that matter, I don't know for absolutely certain that I actually have all the same species. There are close up pictures of the genitals of the L-199s... I havent' tried to compare them.

[MatsP]

Thick and hairy pectoral fin rays are a good sign, as is "hairy body" indicating male. Females have little hair on the pectoral fins.

Interopercola odontodes (spines behind the gillcovers) are longer in males.

Females, when full of eggs, are more noticable girth.

And they are far harder to get to breed than Ancistrus. There are (at least) two things needed to breed them:
1. Plenty of good food to make the female conditioned to spawn.
2. Cool, soft water changes to trigger "rainy season" mood in the fish.

--
Mats