Chaetostoma tank

[massimiliano 72]

Hi this it's the aquarium for two Chaetostoma, they only eat algae now. I tried to put wafer, zucchini, and blood worm but did not eat them.

[Shane]

Looks very nice. I had the best luck feeding Tetra Bits, earthworm sticks, and shrimp sticks when I was spawning this species. Mine also refused vegetables, algae wafers, and frozen foods.
-Shane

[massimiliano 72]

I will try,thanks

[pleco_breeder]

Looks very nice. I had the best luck feeding Tetra Bits, earthworm sticks, and shrimp sticks when I was spawning this species. Mine also refused vegetables, algae wafers, and frozen foods.
-Shane

I didn't realize anyone had succeeded in spawning this one. I managed with two different species, but never could get the ones resembling this to spawn for me. Was there a write-up done anywhere so I can compare notes?

Larry Vires

[Shane]

I don't think I ever did a specific write up. Of course now that I look closer he appears to possibly have two different species.
-Shane

[massimiliano 72]

My Chaetostoma its Thomsoni or Formosae?

[bekateen]

...now that I look closer he appears to possibly have two different species.

Shane, You see two types in massimiliano 72's photos? All I see are dorsale, which look just like my current and past fish. I've always thought the individuals with large diffuse pale saddles were simply showing "stress" (or whatever) coloration relative to those with a homogenous body color, because both have fundamentally the same spotting and striping patterns (small whitish spots on head with diagonal whitish lines along body sides down to causal peduncle). In my current tank, I also have both forms (with and without diffuse pale saddles).

Do you think these are different species? Or are you seeing something else?

Thank you, Eric

[bekateen]

My Chaetostoma its Thomsoni or Formosae?

I'd say neither - I think

Chaetostoma dorsale

, like mine shown above.

[massimiliano 72]

[Shane]

It may just be my eyes, but the second fish appears to have a clear/white border on the caudal (like your fish) while this appears to be missing in the fish in the 1st and 3rd photos.
-Shane

[massimiliano 72]

It may just be my eyes, but the second fish appears to have a clear/white border on the caudal (like your fish) while this appears to be missing in the fish in the 1st and 3rd photos.
-Shane
[/quote I have two different species in my tank?

[massimiliano 72]

There are pictures of Chaetostoma's natural habitat?

[Shane]

https://www.planetcatfish.com/shaneswor ... g+habitats

Scroll down to the photos of the Rio Sumapaz. Although I took the photos in Colombia they are very representative of habitats where I collected Chaetostoma not only in Colombia but Venezuela and Ecuador as well. There are also a number of habitat photos in the CateLog.
-Shane

[bekateen]

It may just be my eyes, but the second fish appears to have a clear/white border on the caudal (like your fish) while this appears to be missing in the fish in the 1st and 3rd photos.

I don't think it's your eyes, I suspect it's a combination of camera angle and body/fin posture in the photos - Like you, I can't see a clear/white border on the tail fin, but at the same time I can't see a dark border either. In my opinion, a new photo with clear display of the tail is needed. However, in the third photo, I can make out what I think is a pale stripe along the tail margin, so I think these are all the same species, C. dorsale.

I have two different species in my tank?

I believe you have one species,

Chaetostoma dorsale

.

Cheers, Eric

[bekateen]

I don't think I ever did a specific write up.

Shane, did your C. dorsale spawn under/between rocks or in caves (like so many other plecos)?

Thanks, Eric

[Shane]

Yes, every species has done the same thing. Males clear sand/gravel to make a shelter under a flat stone. They clear the substrate down to the glass bottom. Female lays eggs in a clump and male fans until they hatch. Normal type pleco caves are ignored. The male needs to dig out his spot and clean it to his liking. Ideally place several 1-2 inch rounded stones that will be the bases to hold up caves. Then add a thin substrate of course sand. Now lay the flat stones down over the rounded ones. The flat stones can be flat or angled. Does not matter.
-Shane

[bekateen]

Okay, thanks. That's what I've got now. Patience is a virtue.

Cheers, Eric

[Shane]

Below are some pics of my lucky Chaetostoma spawning rock. It is partially hollow and always claimed by the dominant male. Sadly I have one. Found it in a creek.
-Shane

[massimiliano 72]

Thanks Shane and Eric

[massimiliano 72]

Shane you have underwater pic of the natural habitat of Chaetostoma ?
Thanks

[Shane]

Sadly I do not.
-Shane

[N0body Of The Goat]

My small Chaetostoma collection (sadly down to four after losing my dorsale recently, bought as a ~4cm SL specimen ~4 years ago at Basingstoke Association Of Aquarists auction) learnt to recognise Tetra Prima, New Era Catfish Pellets and JBL Novo Rift as food. These days always in quarantine, after losing one that went straight into a community ~8 years ago, because these are one of several species that are infamous for taking a long time (sometimes never) to recognise man-made fish food.

The New Era foods are quite moist, so you can trying squashing a clump on to pebbles.

You can also try "painting" pebbles with crushed fish food and egg yolk, which is then left to dry for ~24 hours or so, before introducing to the tank. It might well be an article by Shane where I read this first... I tried it with a trio of new Chaetostoma ~5 years ago, but it nearly ended in catastrophe, as I introduced the (far too covered) pebble too early before the mixture had set and had to do two ~95% consecutive water changes due to very cloudy and frothy water!

They survived my error, but sadly one slowly starved to death over ~4 weeks or so, it never learnt to recognise food. The other two are still with me in my collection of now four (formosae, 2x aff. milesi(?) and one given to me by MartinS on here ~6 years ago that I always thought was a little unique and now believe it is the newly classified C. joropo).

I'm led to believe that in most cases, Chaetostoma don't specifically go searching for algae to eat in the wild, it is the tiny critters (aufwuchs) that are found on the algae that these catfish are looking for i.e. many are omnivores with a meaty preference.

[Shane]

I'm led to believe that in most cases, Chaetostoma don't specifically go searching for algae to eat in the wild, it is the tiny critters (aufwuchs) that are found on the algae that these catfish are looking for i.e. many are omnivores with a meaty preference.

I think it is actually that different species are each specialized niche feeders and this is why it is normal to encounter 2-4 distinct species in a single small Andean stream. That level of speciation in such a small environment just would not make sense for any other reason (to my mind). Some simple gut content analysis would answer this question, but no one has done that yet.
My other observation that supports this is that I have collected and maintained species that lived on fresh veggies and never touched dry or frozen foods while others only ever took dry food and still others only meaty items. Some species simply never ate at all probably because I never hit on the right type food or because they were unwilling to adapt to different foods. The egg on rock trick can help get the animals to recognize prepared foods, but no method is foolproof for this genus.
-Shane

[massimiliano 72]

Is there a system for growing many algae on the rocks?