Pseudolaguvia shawi

[nvcichlids]

Hello again!
I have an option to add some

Pseudolaguvia shawi

to my newly aquired taste of dwarf asian catfish collection. I was wondering if anyone had some insight on these as I am not able to find too much info on them. Are they active during the day like the

Hyalobagrus flavus

are? Would these two species be good together?

[Silurus]

Unfortunately, these aren't particularly active in the day.

They require fairly cool, well-oxygenated water. A current would be a plus. Provide a sand substrate as they enjoy burrowing into it.

They will take frozen and live food with ease. I have found that Pseudolaguvia as a whole do not seem to enjoy prepared food.

[nvcichlids]

I was planning on having quite a few cryps in there, would they enjoy it?

[Silurus]

They would hide in it, but bear in mind that there is very little aquatic vegetation in their natural habitat. What little aquatic vegetation I have seen tends to be fine-leaved.

[nvcichlids]

As far as tankmates go, would dario dario be ok or would a boraras maculata be ok? Would they mix with Hara sp?

Few plants, got that, are they more of a river, stream or rapids type of fish?

[Silurus]

They are more of a low-elevation hillstream type fish.



Hara and/or Dario would be more suitable tankmates, as Boraras typically do best in water that is too acidic for Pseudolaguvia.

[nvcichlids]

This tank is exciting me more and more! I have my friend holding me a group of 6-10 of the p. shawi's. Is there anything to look out for in sexing them, or recommendations on how to "possibly breed" them? I love badis sp, so I will go with dario dario or one of the newly imported species of dario/badis.

I will trade my loads of cryps for some thin leaved plants(really don't know if that was stated correctly) and add one piece of wood with some stones to hide amongst. ...

,....


Hmm might need to make some "caves" for possible spawning.

Oh, java moss, good plant for with them? (have almost a 55 gallon full of it from the

Hyalobagrus flavus

tank that had a javamoss explosion.

[Silurus]

Java moss should work fine.

They are not easy to sex externally, though. Their small size precludes easy sexing via their genital region. I would expect females to be bigger and plumper, and (only sometimes) males to be a little more contrasting in color.

Try dropping the temperature and a massive water change to induce breeding. The South Asian monsoon seasons can be quite marked.

[nvcichlids]

Are they large enough to eat endler fry? or het. formosa fry? I would consider adding groups of those to add the "live food" aspect without constantly pumping brine shrimp and blood worms.

[Silurus]

I think livebearer fry might be too big, plus the fry don't spend enough time near the bottom where the Pseudolaguvia might get at them.

[nvcichlids]

I am sorry if I am annoying, just trying to get my facts together prior to them entering a tank.

Would a cherry shrimp colony be good with them ? (shrimplets seem like they would make good food.)

Also, how swift of watermovement would you recommend (8 gallon tank, so 120 gph seem like enough movement?)

[Silurus]

Cherry shrimp should be OK. Not sure if the catfish will eat the shrimplets, but the adults are definitely too big for them.

Flow rate sounds about OK.

[medaka]

I had some of these a while back, and managed to keep them alive for quite a few years.

Although they kept to the substrate and could be found during the daylight hours in either the sand substrate or in small caves that I had provided.
I did at one time introduced some Pamphorichthys scalpridens, and quite a bit of floating plant to the tank containing the P shawi although the females became gravid etc, etc, and I had the surface of the tank covered in plants; I never found any fry.
However, I did notice that on occasion there would be a P shawi resting amongst the plants when I turned the lights on my fish house in the mornings. When I later moved the P shawi to another tank, replacing them with some cory's, I started to find fry of Pamphorichthys scalpridens within the month.

[nvcichlids]

You guys are really a large help.

[nvcichlids]

Now I know this may be a long shot, but do think that the Gobius sp Sulawesi (Sulawesi Black Goby) would live well with the shawi's? I cannot find info on it anywhere, and from what I have found, its a relatively newly found species. Here is a link to the exact fish:
http://www.invertzfactory.com/images_or ... _goby2.jpg

[Silurus]

I think Mugilogobius flavipinnis requires harder water than the Pseudolagvia might be comfortable with.

[nvcichlids]

Last bit of info before the order goes in, would Pangio loaches be a good match or are they too boisterous?

[Silurus]

Pangio are best kept with a thick layer of leaf litter, which is not the kind of tank decor you would use with these catfish.

That said, there is no compelling reason why you can't keep the loaches with the catfish.

[nvcichlids]

Ok , the order has been set, 6 hara jerdoni, and 9 p. shawi. If everything works out, the 20 gal L I have been working on with a DIY background may become home to them as they grow.

I never asked, what temp (in F) should the tank be kept at?

[Silurus]

what temp (in F) should the tank be kept at?

High 60s to low 70s.

[nvcichlids]

Score, its currently at 69 and holding steady (sits infront of my window so it does stay cool.) I have 4 Long finned zebra danios in there making sure everything is set up and in good condition. I did lose one of my danios due to forgetting I was moving them from 80 degrees to 69 degrees.. and didn't properly introduce them to the new conditions.