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I just did a 1/3 partial water change on my 55 which houses my petricola's, and noticed them suddenly becoming active, moving around the tank and rubbing their barbels on the sides of the tank and rocks. They returned to normal behavior after a few minutes. It was a reaction to the water change that I've never seen before. What are they trying to tell me? The cichlids and the red-tail botia didn't seem to mind, neither did the roughly 200 gracilis fry in the 38, or the parents and older siblings. If it was a scaleless fish issue, why wouldn't the botia react? Incidentally, do water changes encourage petricola's to spawn? My group seems to be growing nicely, most are about 3" long. How much bigger before they will reach sexual maturity?

toddnbecka wrote:If it was a scaleless fish issue, why wouldn't the botia react?

Botias do have scales, although they are strongly reduced.

Just curious if you have chlorinated water that you added to the tank? I have topped off tanks without removing the chlorine and none of my fish showed any response except the S. angelicus - and they really didn't like it! Needless to say, I dechlorinate even a small amount of water that goes in any tank for any reason now.
Jeri

I've never had a problem with my petricolas and water changes. I usually do @ 50%/week and I don't dechlorinate my water. In fact, I would say the petricola like the water changes because every time I have seen them spawn it has been a day or so after a water change

Jeff

I dechlorinate the water, and add baking soda, salt, and epsom salt to the fresh water to keep the chemistry consistent with the tank water.

I've noticed that some fish appear more sensitive to fresh tap water than others, even if it has been treated with a dechlorinator and left to aerate for a few hours. I find it needs to sit at least overnight for the fish not to show any ill-effects from it.

African red eye tetras (Arnoldichthys spilopterus) will almost immeadiately appear stunned and drift around the tank, breathing rapildy but making no effort to right themselves. They recover fully after about 10 minuites.

Kuhli loaches also become very agitated and swim up and down the corners of the tank for a short while too, much like what you've described your petricolas doing. It does give a good opportunity to catch them if need be!

My Petricola too spawn right after and sometimes during a large water change. It is not likely just the water change, but the change in PH esp since you are adding baking soda. Mine definetly hate sudden PH change. Why are you adding "salt and epsom salt"? Curious

The baking soda and epsom salt are to adjust the pH and hardness of the tap water. Untreated, it's around 7.4, but the petricola's are in a tanganykian community tank, so I maintain the pH at 8.2 epsom salt buffers pH, to keep biological activity from lowering it. The red-tail botia doesn't seem to mind the water, although it's nothing like a natural environment for it.

toddnbecka wrote:I just did a 1/3 partial water change on my 55 which houses my petricola's, and noticed them suddenly becoming active, moving around the tank and rubbing their barbels on the sides of the tank and rocks. They returned to normal behavior after a few minutes. It was a reaction to the water change that I've never seen before.

My S. decoruses, when I had them, would bawl me out if I changed more that 20-25 per cent of the water. No one complained at 20% changes. The S. euprterus got excited as well.

I think it was probably a ph change orextra oxygen from the hose. It sounds like you are using a bucket, so my idea might not fit your situation.