Pterosturisoma microps

[ElTofi]

the 3 flat (little) stones, covered with algae that I found in the cold water tank, have been "cleaned" in a night... always the same question : who did it ?

I can't observe any change on the Ptero's belly... it's not round, it's not skinny, it's just a bit too thin, I guess...

I started a culture in the cold water tank, it should grow fast... not fast enough to sustain my Ptero's but better that than nothing...

I'll keep in touch !

[Yann]

Hi Chris!!

I think you are just used to big fat L-number and believe microps would be the same...
seriously they look good for me...not thin nor fat!!
Cheers
Yann

[ElTofi]

You're probably right

I'm used to genders that eat very well ! Maybe it's just a bad habit... anyway, I'll try to shoot pictures showing their belly

I'm not really afraid it's just that I haven't ever seen them eat yet... and I can't say they are wealthy... I suppose they are, as they have the "right" behaviour, as described : stucked on the ground, in the main current of the tank...

[Yann]

Hi!!

hehehehe!!

have you seen feces??
Cheers
Yann

[ElTofi]

not from them... and that's what disturbs me...

but, coming back from work, I just spent 30 minutes to observe closely to their belly... After a week, it seems to get better... not rebounded yet, but not so thin like 6 days ago... I don't know, let's wait and see.

first try to insert a youtube video of one of the fishes... (it works, thanks Mats )

comments in French sum up what I wrote in the last answers on this topic (for Aquagora)

[ElTofi]

second try to insert a youtube video of the tank :

hope it works...

[Mod edit: Fix up youtube tags - you only put the "id" of the video in, not the full URL. In the link it says "?v=12345abc", you put 12345abc in the youtube tags --Mats]

[ElTofi]

Mats, thanks to have resolved the second link... I have no idea what you're talking about... maybe it would be more efficient if you could do the same for the second... (mode Roger Rabbit ON : pleaaaaaaaaaaase !)

[MatsP]

Ok, done. I guess a little explanation is useful.

You wrote:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnRwTxhKNIg[/youtube]

What you should have is:
[youtube]BnRwTxhKNIg[/youtube]

[I have tricked with the settings on this post so it shows the BBCode as it looks when writing it, rather than what it looks like when viewing the post...]

--
Mats

[ElTofi]

this time it's ok, with 2 differents videos... thanks for explanations.

[racoll]

ElTofi, are you feeding them anything other than the algae covered stones?

I suspect that may not be enough on its own.

Mine fed upon algae wafers, sweet potato, broad beans and cucumber I remember rightly.

The agar mix seems like a good idea.

[ElTofi]

actually, no. As I wasn't sure that they feed, I added a few things to their diet :

- very small bites of shrimps (each 2 days)
- Hikari algae wafers (every day)
- Pleco Big Novo chips (every day)
- and my "green stones" (as soon as I can : more or less 2 stones of 10x7cm each 4-5 days)

they seem better than a week ago, even if I haven't seen them feed nor producing feeces.

[ElTofi]

They finally eat ! YES !

watch this very fast lips move ! incredible !
My problem is now to provide enough of "green stones"... maybe I could manage something with Nori leaves on stones, or something... any ideas ?

[AleGer]

Amazing video!

[ElTofi]

Flooding mode ON (erase it if unappropriate, sorry Jools) :

iPhone4 is my new best friend perfect together with iMac for the techno-nerd I am ! so easy to use that I'm even able to upload a video and to share it here

believe me, that wasn't so evident a few weeks ago

Flooding mode OFF

[macvsog23]

How are they doing?

[ElTofi]

I guess they are fine, even if always a bit difficult to feed... I can't improve the "green stones" production speed and they hardly touch the Hikari algae wafers and the "Nori leaves" I feed them with... always a bit skinny, but nothing really annoying.

In early February, I will remove the Ancistrus Paraguay from this tank and they will stand there alone. It will probably be more easy to see how they feed. For the moment, I'm unable to say who eats what... except on stolen moments like on the video shown here.

I discovered a very nice trick, showing me the "right time to change water"... when the water is not O2 rich enough, or begins to be a bit "charged", they fade to a light grey, with darker spots on the body... As long as they stay "deep black", it's ok. And as soon as I make a water change, they come back to this color...

stress after a noise or a disturbance has the same "fading color" effect

[macvsog23]

Hi

I am interested in keeping these fish so any tips are grabbed with relish I have 5 Lamontichthys llanero and they seem to be doing well so a try at this one is in order

[ElTofi]

hi you all,

good news

It seems the Ptero's finally understood what a nori leaf is for ! I caught them eating right before the light's shut down ! On the front glass, fighting among each other to have the best bite I thought it was a one shot dinner session, but no, they did it again on Sunday and yesterday.

soooooo glad ! it seems I finally solved the feeding problem

Nori Leaves (Dennerle or JBL, I can't remember. I'll check tonight) YES !

I'll try to get pictures or videos of it asap...

thanks for the support on this topic

[racoll]

It seems the Ptero's finally understood what a nori leaf is for ! I caught them eating right before the light's shut down !

Nice work.

Nori Leaves (Dennerle or JBL, I can't remember. I'll check tonight) YES !

Would it be cheaper to buy nori from a local Asian supermarket than buying branded aquarium products?

[ElTofi]

you may won't believe it but in my area, there is no asian supermarket ! I'm afraid I live in a place where there's nothing like that... if I want to find a chinese restaurant or even a sushi bar, I must take my car for around 40-50 km... And it's quite the same for finding a good LFS... so anyway, it's expensive...

I agree it can sound strange for people who live in metropoles or in big land... but Switzerland is a very small and "local" land if you're not born in the village, you're a stranger... sad but true...

[racoll]

I agree it can sound strange for people who live in metropoles or in big land... but Switzerland is a very small and "local" land

Ha ha. I guess it depends on who lives there. New Zealand is about as far from a metropolis or a big land as you can get, but there are many immigrants from Asia, so plenty of Asian supermarkets.

[Linus_Cello]

Do you have health food stores in Switzerland? In the USA, you can find nori/seaweed for sale there. But yes, with all the asians (like me) in other countries, you can start to find ethnic foods in regular grocery stores (at least in the USA).

[Richard B]

Is there anything against sending these to you through the post? I mean if someone here bought a few packs cheap in an asian supermarket & sent them to you, would it be significantly cheaper?

[ElTofi]

thanks to all of you, but I found an easy and cheap solution : a simple supermarket, section grocery, sub-section chinese food... and I found 10 leaves of Nori (22 gr) for around 4€

I guess I will go with it, it will be more than enough and easy to find... and that's fine because the 3 Pteros begin to eat well and the first stock comes already to an end.

I've just tried to catch decent quality pictures, but in a poor evening light, it's not worth it...

I'll give you news as soon as I have something worth to show.

thanks again.

[ElTofi]

hi there !

a little video from tonight, with the Ptero's eating Nori leaves on a flat stone...

the one eating is the biggest, he fought the 2nd (on the root behind) and the smallest to get the whole Nori stuff for his own... quite impressive indeed... unfortunately, as I quickly went upstairs to get the camera, they were done... and the biggest was eating, alone.

[ElTofi]

0630 am, right after the power up of the light...

[Richard B]

That is a terrific photo - well done

[MatsP]

Indeed a very nice photo. Any chance we could have it for the Cat-eLog? E-mail to mats@planetcatfish.com, and I'll add it.

--
Mats

[ElTofi]

Done ! you should receive 2 pictures in a while...

with great pleasure.

Tofi

[ElTofi]

Recent pictures of the belly of 2 of them... they look better after a few weeks eating Nori leaves...





I clearly have 2+1 specimen... but what sexes