L134 Leopard frogs

All posts regarding the care and breeding of these catfishes from South America.
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discman
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L134 Leopard frogs

Post by discman »

I have had my group of 19 L134's for a year and a half. Noticed a few unfertilized eggs in the tank a couple times. My question is do all males get furry or hairy. I haven't noticed any that are like that. Is there a chance I do not have any males? This seems highly unlikely with 19 in the group. Thoughts please. Thanks
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Barbie
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Re: L134 Leopard frogs

Post by Barbie »

How large is the tank? How large are the fish? Yes, males should be getting hairy, but females will also get some odontodal growth. Just nothing like a mature male. The chances of having 19 females is probably pretty slim. Odds are better they just aren't mature or conditioned enough. How warm are you keeping them? This fish really likes the spa treatment and tends to condition much faster when kept warm.

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Re: L134 Leopard frogs

Post by 2wheelsx2 »

What Barbie said. Lots of flow in front of the caves and 82 - 84 degrees F will get them spawning. You didn't say what size tank you have. If the tank is too small they might be too busy fighting to breed.
discman
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Re: L134 Leopard frogs

Post by discman »

They are in a 75 gal tank.
Temp: 83 f
Lots of flow in tank.
Size is 3.5 inch.
Food: nls pellets, earthworm, veggi, spirulina and plankton pellets. Also frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp and a frozen shrimp mix I make.
No aggression. Seem to have plenty of room. Thanks for the help. How long does it take for males to get furry. As I said about 1.5 years old
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2wheelsx2
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Re: L134 Leopard frogs

Post by 2wheelsx2 »

The flow has to go directly in front of the caves in my experience. I found that out when I bumped my powerhead while cleaning and my P. compta stopped breeding. It looks to me that your fish are the right age and size. Might just take a bit more time for them to work things out as they learn to breed.
discman
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Re: L134 Leopard frogs

Post by discman »

So at 1.5+ years old they males are not mature enough to be hairy?
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Re: L134 Leopard frogs

Post by 2wheelsx2 »

Mine were at 1.5 years, but fish are like people in that each fish is different. The easiest way is to catch the fish and put them in a white bucket filled with water and if they have odontoides you will easily see them. That's how a friend and I sexed over 30 fish he was selling once.
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Re: L134 Leopard frogs

Post by Nabobmob1 »

Were these adults when you got them?

If these were juvies I would say they likely have some maturing to do. 24-36 months seems to reach maturity with average care is what I've been seeing. though lots of good clean fresh water and heavy feedings can accelerate this considerably.
discman
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Re: L134 Leopard frogs

Post by discman »

Bought them wild at about 2 inch
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Re: L134 Leopard frogs

Post by WouterW »

If I remember correctly only the alpha male gets fully hairy and suppresses the hairgrowth of the other males, as in panaqolus species? Maybe the experts can give a conclusive answer?
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Re: L134 Leopard frogs

Post by YSR50 »

At 3.5" I would guess they are older than 1.5 years. Being wild caught you'll never know for sure. Sounds like you're conditioning then fine. Be sure you have plenty of air in the water, especially at that temp.

I recently did some "cataloging" of my 2 dozen L134s from 2 separate tanks. All my males, not just the alpha, are hairy. Some I would even say are furry. But, it's not always the largest, hairiest males that gets the job done. This is my latest to be sitting on eggs and even though it's not a great picture, you can see he's not the hairiest.

Image

In comparison, this guy is working on a cashmere turtleneck.

Image

Mine have bred in a wide range of temps. Also, caves of all different shapes, some in the direct path of flow and others in areas with no flow.

19 L134s in a 6' footprint sounds crowded to me, but as you can tell by my info, different things work for different people. With these guys sometimes patience is the best breeding tip.
discman
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Re: L134 Leopard frogs

Post by discman »

Thank you very much for the information. I have seen a few. Infertile eggs in the tank. I think I will just be patient and see how it goes. Thanks again for all the advice everyone
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