The Loricaria files

[catfishchaos]

Hello everyone!

With my past luck I decided to withhold the news of these fishes arrival until I felt confident that they where safe and established and after 5 days I feel awfully confident that they will proceed to do well. Anyway I got a group of 6

Loricaria sp`rio_atabapo`

and they are awesome, and massive! The smallest of the group is 6.2 and although I have not confirmed this I think the largest specimen is 8 1/2 (the max recorded is 7.1) but I need to measure again to confirm this. I'm waiting for my LFS to get a little LED light that I can control to cast red and blue colours to better observe nocturnal activities. So far from the light of the heater I can see them surfing the glass panels and gliding through the water column in a very shark like fashion. I am unsure of the sex ratio at current but I want to give them the month to settle in at least before I go fishing. I have 1/3 of the tank that has a large manzanita root and a heap of dragon stone where they all reside slouched over the rocks and power heads... the other 2/3 of the tank is just open sand but they never seem to be there during the day and I theorize it could be from a lack of cover so I might move some stone around. I always thought whiptails were called so because of the length of the caudal peduncle and that could still very well be the case, however I observed actual whipping using the filaments on their tails, it sounded like an actual whip slicing through the air!

Anyway enjoy the pictures!


Close up of the eye

hard to fit that much fish in the frame...

Closeup of dorsal fin

Closeup of lateral bony plates

Darker individual

Friends

Closeup of the "whip"

Below is a series of eye shots (I just love their eyes!)




Let me know what you think!

[bekateen]

Wow! Very nice photos. Good luck with these fish!

Cheers, Eric

[CharlieM9]

Those really are some top notch photos! Very cool species also, good luck with them.

[pleconut]

Awesome pics catfishchaos... And I'm wishing every sucess with these. I was thinking of getting some myself as I found an LFS that has some in stock. Now I've just seen these pics I think I probably will. About the area of the tank I know you mentioned about the lid on the tank, but aside from moving or adding decor, some floating plants would provide some cover.

[catfishchaos]

Thanks guys!

I have considered floating plants but if I leave enough room for floating plants under the lid it sounds like I'm sleeping beside white river rapids I think I'll just try and build a wall ( a very stable wall) of stone so they can escape my gaze if they so please and I think I will tie a south american looking (I know they are an african plant but if it looks south american I can let it slide...) Anubias to the branch tangle.

[pleconut]

I get you on having a tank in the room where you sleep that's needing a high rate of circulation, I did that recently and not much fun. But I wanted to make sure the fish settled in ok and they only came out at night... a few sleepless nights later I moved the tank.

[bekateen]

if I leave enough room for floating plants under the lid it sounds like I'm sleeping beside white river rapids

I get you on having a tank in the room where you sleep that's needing a high rate of circulation, I did that recently and not much fun... a few sleepless nights later I moved the tank.

Aw, come on kids! Straighten up and quit crying! Don't you realize that people pay good money for machines that make "sounds" of babbling brooks, just so they can fall asleep at night? You're getting it for free!


Sony Compact Digital AM/FM Dual Alarm Clock Radio with Built-In Nature Sounds

P.S., If you choose to buy this clock through Amazon.com, LOOK HERE for a link so that part of your purchase price kicks back to PlanetCatfish!

P.P.S., I sleep with two tanks each with two filters bubbling away and aerating powerheads inside. They aren't half the disturbance that my (feline) cat is. Try sleeping while some fur-shedding, drooling-while-she-purrs, nuisance decides she should out her litter-box-contaminated paws on your mouth while you snooze... That'll spring you to wakefulness really fast!

[catfishchaos]

Yah when you sit in your bed telling yourself that it doesn't help