weather loaches?

Question

i have two weather loaches 1 female 1 male and and both are 6 and a half cm long how long until they start breeding and do they spawing mops like gold fish?

Answer 1

My weather loach (Misgurnus fossilis) came to us from a club auction where we picked him up for the princely sum of $5.

The most interesting thing about these long, brownish, eel-like loaches is their response to pressure changes brought about by weather systems. With pressure changes these fish become very agitated and swim energetically around their tanks.

Despite their size, up to 30 cm, these loaches are peaceful sedentary fish that are more active at night. The barbels of this fish look like a frill around the mouth, giving it a rather comical appearance. They like to dig in the gravel so fine gravel is preferred. However, ours rarely disturbs any plants.

Like other loaches, weather loaches prefer well-planted tanks with lots of rocks and caves for hiding spots. This is one species that has been successfully spawned in captivity. In between sinuous movements the eggs are usually deposited on plant leaves.

The spawning season runs from April to July, coinciding with spring rains in the cooler waters of European rivers. While not the most attractive of the loaches, the weather loach seems to have been left over from a more prehistoric time making it an interesting specimen for any community tank.

The following link will give you a lot of info on breeding:
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_dojo.php

Answer 2

dojos are diggers, you will desire to have tender gravel or sand or ultimately, they'll scrape there barbel up on the pointy edges. no longer in 6 hours in spite of the indisputable fact that did you heavily acclimate it earlier including it? you will desire to pass with the flow it contained in the bag for 40 minutes, then upload tank water to the bag, so its seventy 5 % bag water and 25% tank water, then glide 30-40 greater minutes. then upload greater tank water to the bag so its like 50 50, previous and new water, glide 20-40 greater minutes, then permit him bypass heavily so it dosnt unintentional get caught contained in the bag. they are hardy fish, even whilst small, even the golden dojos are hardy yet heavily acclimation is rather important. FYI loaches are social education fish that want the organization of their very own species to experience secure and shield, they might die of rigidity in the event that they dont have a sturdy sized college of loaches to shoal with.

Answer 3

6.5cm sounds pretty small as the adult size of loaches is 30cm-34cm. They also have a ten year +/- lifespan, so their sexual maturity might not happen until they are at least 15cm.

As for breeding, this is an excerpt from an Aquarticle:

BREEDING
This is rare in captivity. They may be sexed via the pectoral fins. Males have larger pectoral fins than the females.

Aquatic consultant Bernice Brewster believes that weather loaches should be kept at a cool temperature for several months in order to encourage spawning, which takes place in early spring to early summer, before the water becomes too warm. They wrap around each other, sometimes for hours, and then lay eggs, usually amongst plants. The eggs normally hatch in 3 days, and during the first week the fry feed upon infusoria, and then on brine shrimp before moving on to crumbled flake foods. For the first few days of their lives the fry have external gills.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I would also say they're too small.

See the secion on weather loaches just before the end of this page: http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/Rude_Loaches.html

Dojos need cooler temperatures to spawn, and this is rare in home aquaria. Males mature around two years of age, females between 1-2 years: http://nis.gsmfc.org/nis_factsheet.php?toc_id=192

Eggs are typically deposited on plants, so a spawning mop might be used in their absence. No guarantees, though!