Keeping and Breeding Peckoltia sp. (L076)
Written by Thursday, 22 April 2010 00:00
Our fishkeeping rules are quite simple: arrange the tank in such a way that allows for minimum interference, make sure there are appropriate spawning locations, keep the water clean, ensure the fish have got a good diet, do not overstock and be patient. So far this regime has worked to perfection for us and our fish.
We have often questioned the idea of conditioning and triggering a colony to spawn when by these terms we refer to specific actions which an aquarist has to take in order to make a colony spawn every time. Though we cannot rule out the possibility that such triggers may exist we cannot say what they are. With respect to the Loricariids we have successfully bred a variety of fish, across different genera, in identical, or almost identical, circumstances.
Having said that we also believe that it is worth noting, for the record, these circumstances plus any changes which took place prior to a colony spawning. While it is difficult for an aquarist to establish causal relationships between a specific action and spawning activity this may well be an achievable goal if a number of hobbyists co-operate. Hence in theis presentation we will record the events prior to our colony of L76s spawning.
We got 4 of these fish back in 2004. It was an acquisition on impulse, mainly due to the 'wow' factor. Those who love the colours of the L47 (Baryancistrus sp.) will understand precisely what we mean. The colours of the L76 are a shade deeper than those of the L47; a velvety dark green body with a golden trim on the caudal and dorsal fins.
At the time we did not even attempt to sex the fish. We got all there was; four individuals each measuring roughly about 7cm TL. The plan was that we would eventually manage to build a colony of 8 -10 fish and at this stage we would move them to a dedicated tank to try and spawn them. The fish went in our 1200 lit tank which was housing a variety of other loricariids (anything from L046s to L25s) all growing up. The water parameters of this tank were pH 7.6, dGH 3, KH 3 (with the addition of bicarbonate of soda) and temperature 26o C - 28o C. The lighting was subdued and the water turnover 3 times per hour. We changed 60% of the water once weekly. The fish in the tank were fed daily a variety of staple foods for carnivores and herbivores and twice weekly frozen foods (bloodworm, cockle, mussel etc). Fresh fruit and vegetables were offered every other day.
The fish were growing well and keeping out of trouble. Three years later we decided to move them to a smaller tank on their own, mainly due to re-arranging our fishroom. This would be the first time since we acquired this colony that the particular fish would be netted. While they were in buckets ready to go to their new home we sexed them; to our complete and utter surprise there were two males and two females. How is this for luck!
At the time the fish were around 14cm TL so we put the four of them in an 100 lit tank. The tank was not ideal for catfish in that it was rather tall and had a rather small floor (bottom) surface. The water conditions were identical to those of the big tank in which the fish were previously with two exceptions: the water flow was now much faster (nominally 18 times/hour) and the temperature was constantly at 28o C. In the tank there was a small clay cave for the males to use in case they felt so inclined.
Well, they did not. The fish stayed in this tank for over 3 years and we have never seen them even approaching the cave to check it out. Both males and females were living under a big piece of mopani wood which was in the tank. Males preferred locations near the bottom while the females were at the top part of the wood or behind the pumps on the glass.
While in the smaller tank the diet of the fish also changed slightly: frozen food was not on the menu any longer and fresh vegetables were very few and far between. The reason was obvious: the tank was serviced by two Blue Modular internal filters which we did not feel would cope with the food indicated. So the feeding regime included just the standard staple diet which in our case is a combination of Blue Line Grade 122 Basic, Blue Line Bottom Spiru, Ocean Nutrition 1 and 2 (medium) and Dr Basleer Tropic (Large).
The fish were about two years in this tank when we noticed the males developing odontes at the back half of their body and the first ray of the caudal and dorsal fins. This is a sign that the fish are in good condition and entering the spawning season. However the males kept themselves to themselves and continued not to approach the clay cave. In the meantime we were desperately trying to find some more females for this colony. Needless to say our efforts came to nothing.
We were suspecting that the reason the males were not interested in the cave was space. The tank they were in was way too narrow for them. Hence when the opportunity arose we moved the fish to one of our 250 lit tanks. This tank is lower (55cm height) but longer (4 foot) and wider (just over one foot) than the tank the fish were in previously. In the tank we placed two slate caves the internal dimensions of which are 18cm x 5cm x 4cm (l x w x h). In our usual fashion the caves were placed relatively near to the front glass, with the entrance facing the current and the top covered by wood. The tank is furnished with big pieces of bogwood and has aquarium sand substrate. It is serviced by two Blue Modular pumps (turnover 1200 lit/hour) and has a couple of airstones. The colony shared their new home with a medium sized female L200 which remained in the tank after the previous occupants were re-homed in a nearby tank.
In addition to the 'floor' space available - which was, to us, the determining factor for spawning activity to begin - the main changes for the fish were the following:
- Temperature: this tank is located at the top of a rack and is therefore very close to the metal halide lamps fitted on the ceiling. As a result the temperature remains at quite high levels (30oC to 32oC). Other than that the water conditions were the same as these in the previous tank.
- Water flow: Though the nominal waterflow for the pumps in use is quite high the pumps do not operate at this level. In addition the flow was lower for the fish as it was now (nominally) half of what was in the previous tank (9 times/ hour).
- Lighting period: The lighting period for this room is 4 hours daily (7 pm - 11 pm) as the room has plenty of ambient natural sunlight. This was a decrease of 2 hours from the previous lighting period.
- Caves: the new caves were made of slate, were longer and narrower than the clay one they previously had.
As we were expecting the males entered the caves almost immediately (within the first 10 minutes they were in the new tank). One of the females located herself under a piece of wood quite close to the entrance of the cave further away from the pumps while the second female took possession of a spot in the middle of the tank.
We were concerned that, due to the location of the tank, the entrances of the caves were way too well lit for the fish. We were therefore particularly careful to arrange the angle of lighting in such a way that the light did not enter the caves.
The fish stayed in the tank for about two weeks prior to us leaving for a week's holiday. This meant that for a period of two weeks there were no water changes. To allow for this the fish were fed once every two days. On our return we found the filters slightly blocked so the flow was further diminished. The tank temperature was 32oC.
As it happened we had to delay the scheduled water change for almost five days. When we got round to it we emptied 80% of the water and it was only then that we noticed the fry on the front glass of the tank. At the time the fry had still yolk sacs so they should not normally be outside the cave. It is likely that the father had accidentally thrown some of them out as he was frantically moving his tail to warn us off (he does not like us being too close to the front glass of the tank).
The fry were transparent with black stripes on their body. In the days that followed their colouration developed to a dark greyish colour. The dorsal and caudal fins remained transparent.
In the days that followed we noticed around 30-40 fry in the tank. It is difficult to say how many eggs were in the clutch that the male was guarding as we have not seen it. Our calculation is based on the number of fry we saw around at any one time plus the casualties we noticed. We took as many photos as we could however, as our Macro lenses were at the time not available, we used the Nikkor 50mm lens. The result is considerably less detail (allowing for the magnification) than we would have liked, particularly when the fry were towards the back of the tank or under the wood.
With regards to the casualties it is worth noting that they could have been avoided had we been expecting a spawn. In such cases we keep the water changes to an absolute minimum and we do not clean the tank glass to allow the youngsters to graze on the left overs and the biofilm on the glass. In this instance it was too late for that. It is possible that either of - or a combination of - the following was responsible for the losses:
- The water change was possibly too big for the young fish
- After the routine maintenance we do during water changes the water flow was faster. This has a twofold effect. Firstly it makes it more difficult for the young fish to swim / move around and in this respect it weakens them (they need more energy to do it) and stresses them. Secondly, bits of uneaten food etc are sucked in the filter so the young fish cannot find food - or as much of it as they need.
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Cleaning the front glass deprived the young fish of another potential source of food (biofilm)
- The tank did not have any appropriate pieces of wood for the youngsters to use. We usually use small pieces of bogwood with lots of cracks and crevices; the fry reside in them and eat the biofilm which collects there. In addition these pieces of wood act as flow breakers ensuring that the current does not stress the young fish. Regrettably we were carried away when we noticed the spawn and forgot the basics...
Thankfully we noticed quite early what was happening and we made the necessary changes. Appropriate pieces of wood were added to the tank, the flow of both pumps was lowered to the absolute minimum and we overfed for a couple of days to ensure there was plenty of food in the bottom under the new pieces of wood for the fry to feed on. We added extra spirulina in the feed for the youngsters, which they appear to enjoy. We have not noticed any casualties since and that is always a good sign. The downside is that with the addition of the wood in the tank we can no longer see the young fish as often - wiggling tails is all we can eventually catch a glimpse of.
Hugo, the father of the young has spawned a second time approximately three weeks after the first spawn and is currently guarding the newly hatched fry. Our second male, Coconut, who is occupying the cave further away from the pumps keeps, for some reason, warning off both females from his cave. This is quite strange because he was the first 'spoken for' male by a particular female. We will monitor the situation and update our report with regards to this pair as well as with photos of the young fish growing up.
Photos by the authors.
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