I am awestruck by your tanks. Makes mine look like a bucket of water Many congratulations on the most inspired tank-scaping I have ever seen. That is truly beautiful.

I got mine from Maidenhead Aquatics here in Bristol actually. But haven't seen them since. Perhaps if the Guildford Branch has some, they could do an inter-store transfer or something? Hmmm... worth asking I suppose. Thanks for the info!

Well if both of mine turn out to be female, maybe you and I should set our fishes up on a blind date sometime :lol: I haven't seen these fish in the shops since I bought mine so the chance of getting a male is pretty slim at the moment! :? I like to keep things in pairs if I can.

One thing I have ...

Wonderful photos. :) It's great to be able to see them develop like that. As you say, it's normally something that occurs out of sight, at the back of the log! How amazing to be able to watch and observe up close.

Though you might be hoping for a bit too much if you're expecting them to learn to ...

You may remember when I bought my two L15's about a year and a half ago. They were maybe 2.5" - 3" at the time, and now must be around the 4" mark. I've never been sure about their sex and can only observe their behaviour to see if that gives any clues. They do tussle from time to time, and often ...

I've stumbled upon this post a little late, but in reading it, I was reminded of my own experience with my zebra plecs and bitten fins. Don't know if this will be helpful or not, but the more we hear about fish behaviour, the more we can hopefully get a clearer picture of all that goes on.

When I ...

No I don't. All my caves are in use in my Zebra Plec tank... Maybe I should get another and drop it in the tank with the Candy Stripes...

I was watching them this morning, swimming side by side around the tank. Hmmmmm...

Hi, I wrote a while back when I was considering getting my candy stripes, and again posted with pics of the two that I got, for possible sexing. Which, as is often the case with fish like these, was sort of established as it being a chance of being a male/female pair. Anyway, they are doing great ...

I never stick to one type. I like to give them a variety. They get Hikari sinking wafers, Nutrafin pellets, King British pellets, and of course, different frozen foods too. The only thing I look for in prepared foods is low levels of phosphorus so that it doesn't cause too much of a phosphate ...

Well, if I'm wrong, then I stand corrected. From the time I became aware of Zebras, the threat was from the Dam. The ban on import seemed puzzling to a lot of people in Zebra circles. Even those who've had them lots longer than I have. The ban happened after I started keeping Zebs, but it was ...

Can I just say that in the case of the zebra, it is not the fishkeeping hobby that has put this fish in danger. It's the plans of the Brazilian government to build a dam across the one river in the world where they come from that threatens their habitat that is causing the biggest problem.

I use garlic regularly... but I use it raw.

I breed Zebras not for the potential profit involved, but for the fish itself whose habitat and future are threatened by members of my own species :x . However, Zebras always been one of the more pricey plecs, though admittedly, not what they are now.

The post above touches on some good points ...

A friend of mine has a whole army of Pandas in his community tank. He says he spots at least ten new ones a month... and that is what survives after predation by the community, etc. They are good breeders, that's for sure!

They really are highly priced these days. Banned on import, they are harder to come buy these days. Though captive bred ones will make their way to the shops in time, but it takes a long time to grow them to any sort of saleable size. Which probably also contributes to the price. I wouldn't sell my ...

I'll take a few snaps when I get in from work. I believe Zebras are quite particular about their cave size. It has to be just big enough that the male can get in and wedge himself in with outstretched fins. This way he can hold himself in when there's a fast flowing current (as in their wild habitat ...

I have a colony of 6 x L46 in a 30" tank. This includes an alpha male, another male, three females and juvenile (don't know what sex yet). Plus I keep the babies in a floating trap in the same tank for a while. It's set up as a species tank, with no substrate so I can keep it really clean. The fish ...

I know someone whose paleatus cory lived for 18 years. I wonder how "old" yours is?

I have no real idea what might be causing this behaviour, by the way, so I really couldn't offer much help. Though perhaps at some point in her life, she was exposed to ammonia damage or something, which has left ...

Aw, sad news! :cry: Like you say... maybe they'll do it again. I don't have much experience in breeding catfish, with the exception of the L46 and paleatus corys, but with the young from the L46, although my original intention was to leave them with their dad, he abandoned them so I put them in a ...

I had both a Farlowella and a team of Otos in my tank, which includes a big A. Sword amongst the planting, and they didn't scrape it like that. The only time I'd seen that was when I had a big bristlenose and he completely skeletalised the plants.

A display tank at my LFS had a rogue Gold Nugget in ...

I believe they're from upper Rio Guaporé in Brazil. If you can find any info on that, then it might help to answer your question. I don't know, or I'd contribute more. I do know, however, that they are one of the corys who can tolerate warmer water, like say in Discus tanks, etc.

Well, they seem to have survived the transfer and change in pH OK. They hid last night but this morning they are both chewing on the same piece of mopani wood. Looks like they're settling in OK so far! :)

I guess time will tell if it's a pair or not, but for now, they're both beautiful and getting ...

Here are a few more pics. More from the side, if that helps anyone. I even managed to get a few from below for those that can recognise those signs... :oops:

Both from the side, the furthest one in focus
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/Lungfishuk/Twofromside220106.jpg

Same shot, but the ...

OK... they're in the bucket at the moment, but when it comes times to move them, I'll put them in something clear so I can photograph them from the side. I've got a little 5-gal tank that's sitting empty. I'll put them in there before adding them to their new tank. Will take a little while though. I ...

Hi guys... I succumbed and bought these two. There are three more in the tank, one is quite big, at least as big as the biggest of these two here. The other two aren't tiny but markedly smaller than these two. I would have taken pictures, but to be honest, there wasn't enough light in the tank and ...

My Paleatus corys are in spawning mode at the moment. The female is definitely bigger in body than the male, and you can just see the eggs in the lower part of her body before the colouration starts. I wasn't sure when I first noticed it, but she spawned soon after so I am almost entirely sure that ...

I might mosey out there today and see what they look like. I'll let you know what I find out. And if they let me take any pics, I will.

I'll get back to you...

I'm looking at those two pics and the most difference I can see is the colour... Maybe I'm just not very observant! What should I be looking for there?

If they're old enough to sex , there are a few things you can look for. Like everyone else, I'm having trouble seeing through the ripples...

Different people have their own specific thing that helps them identify sexes - here are a few of them. Viewed from the side, the males face often slopes ...

That's why I told you the size. I keep Zebra Plecs and though I successfully breed them, I still have trouble discerning sexes in juveniles. But what works for sexing Zebs might not be the same for Candy Stripes. So any hints for sexing would be helpful and I'll make an educated guess. If the shop ...