Singapore's First Documented Breeding: Pseudacanthicus Spinosus
 

First in Singapore, perhaps even Asia Pacific ... by chilicrabz

Discussion Source: http://www.plecoclub.org/forum/showthread.php?t=950

After two years of keeping solely spinosus (L160/L96), my spinosus managed to spawn. I would say it was just by chance and it would be a wonderful gift I ever received.

It all happens when I send my fishes to Aquarama for a week, and the cave that was occupied by one of them became vacant. This gave a chance for my Alpha Male to grab his opportunity to trap one of the females inside. The trapping was not consistent as how hypancistrus trap their mate for a few days. At most they were both inside the cave for 1-2 days before the female would escape. This Alpha Male had been sexually active with his ex-girlfriend but no success. Possibly due to the large number of occupants in the same 5ft tank.

The DAD:
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...hiliz/3191.jpg

The Mum: Now
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/317.jpg

The Mum: Before with previous owner
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...ha-before1.jpg

His Ex-girlfriend: so called L375
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...SNC00475-1.jpg

Alpha previous adventure with his ex-girlfriend:
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...z/SNC00077.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e.../SNC000780.jpg

The cave that they managed to spawn: thanks to akoh
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...hiliz/3041.jpg
* Note that the white stuffs are his sperm, they are not white shit.


31st May 2009:
Today is the day when I brought my 2 fishes back from Aquarama. Once I introduce them back to the tank, they seems so lost and others seems to have forgotten who they are.
The Alpha Dad who is trapping in the cave, came out to welcome them with a fight. They seems to be fighting for their territory again. It’s not just a one on one, but a gang fight of 4 adults males.
Fearing that my Alpha will get hurt and that might affect his trapping activities, I transferred him with his current mate and his ex-girlfriend into a 3ft IOS tank, using back the same cave that he occupies in my 5ft, making it a trio, 1M2F.
As I felt that the temperature is slightly higher in my 3ft tank, I placed a bag of ice cubes inside my tank to bring the temperature down.


1st June 2009:
In the morning, I have no time to check them out before I rushed for work. I assume that they will be fine and continue their daily activities. However at night, I received a call to rush home. I found a huge bunch of eggs in my tank, just right outside the cave.
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...hiliz/2941.jpg

Indeed, they have spawned. But why they are not in the cave??
Questions like:
Why didn’t the DAD take care of the eggs?
Why did the DAD suffered bite marks on its back?
Will the eggs get fertilized since they were not in the cave?
Such questions keep me scratching my head. I immediately transferred them into a floating hatchery, with just an air stone to keep them well-ventilated.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...hiliz/2961.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...hiliz/2971.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...hiliz/2981.jpg

2nd June 2009: Day 01
Some casualties found in the hatchery. Bad ones are turning from clear-transparent to mustard-colour. I had to use a pipette to remove those bad ones.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/302.jpg
*Note that the numbers of the eggs are getting lesser and lesser.

4th June 2009: Day 03
Due to some issues, the air stone fail to provide enough aeration to the hatchery. I estimated that more than half of eggs turn opaque. I decided to salvage the good ones into a small container instead of clearing away those bad ones. Those with their yolk burst, makes the hatchery so disgusting in sight.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...hiliz/3051.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...hiliz/3081.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...hiliz/3111.jpg

This is what is left, after I transferred those possible healthy ones. 34 eggs left. They have had their veins or tails formed inside the egg shells.

5th June 2009: Day 04
More casualties, 28 were left in the morning at 0900hrs. Most of them have hatched from their shells. However, at 2300hrs, 7 left the group. Now, I left with 21 of them. Head and tails are formed.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/312.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/314.jpg

Examples of the fries that turned bad.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/321.jpg
* I had to use a pipette to remove them. This is how it looks like, with the yolk and the spine forming (in red).
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/322.jpg

6th June 2009: Day 05
More casualties again, left with 17 wrigglers now. However, 3 of them are developing slower than the rest. I’m hoping to have a balance of 14 left.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/326.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/328.jpg
* Note that the mouth has formed and they attached themselves against strong current.
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/330.jpg

8th June 2009: Day 07
No casualty so far, still remains at 17 wrigglers. Not only their eyes and mouth are developed, I can notice their pectoral, dorsal and ventral fins are forming up.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/337.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/339.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/340.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/e...chiliz/341.jpg

Some of their head are turning grayish and they were sticking onto the walls furiously.
Will update accordingly as they grow. To be Continued.....

Seeing this kind of post ... really stressed me to produce pics within the same nite ...

Pics taken couple of hours ago ..

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2376.jpg

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2377.jpg

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2378.jpg

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2379.jpg

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2381.jpg

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2382.jpg

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2386.jpg

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2389.jpg

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2392.jpg

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2424.jpg

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2433.jpg

Please try to keep this thread clean and refrain from putting single sentence "congrats"

SO when is the next updates? :D

http://www.watchsg.com/content/aquat...n/DSC_2433.jpg


Mama Left and Papa Right? If so the female seem a horny fellow wanting more......... :D

congrats bro! :D
just some questions..
1-why din use some other hatching devices?since the eggs are so sensitive to water flow,maybe next time can try egg tumblers that tangan keepers use?
2-maybe next time if there are such cases whereby you are waiting for something to happen,just leave a video cam by the tank to record when you are not around?(provided you have one,even dun have,surely one of the bros here have i geuss)
just my thoughts (:
cheers!

those that produce stripes/coloration will develop in good health...

whereby few that have bloat-like symptom or dont develop like the rest, most probably won't make it....

nice!

Dear Sotong,

Good to see the eggs and the fries.
Very well documented indeed.

Cheers!!

Congrats. I must say... AF members' photography skill really improved tremendously over the years. Great stuff. :D

BRAVO!!! bro chilicrabz!!!

u mentioned 'too many occupants' in the first post....so am i right to say that the number of pcs in breeding tank does play a vital part inthe success of breeding?

should we limit to say one alpha male to 2-3 females per breeding tank?

Wow. Congrats. Must have had your heart beating so strongly when you saw the eggs =)

Excellent JOB bro Sotong!!! Quick go breed some QSHW!!! :)

Very good job!! MX, when can go ur house see see har?:p

WOAHHH That is just amazing!
Thanks for sharing, that has to be the first large pleco breeding pair in a tank.

I always thought that this task was impossible, you sure proved me wrong.

nice....bro chillicrab.

u make us feel so proud in pleco keeping now.

may i ask.....so all this started when u first intro that cave into the tank??....previously no such cave in the tank right??or all the while this setup by yours already plan into some breeding project?

and last your post on this - The cave that they managed to spawn: thanks to akoh

so is the old man cave that they manage to do it :D

nw old man can start selling cave liao :o

YOur patience paid off big time, bro chilicrabz!!

Now you are making Singapore proud with your little new spikes!!;)

yes....exactly on my thought too.

while keeping plecos for so long.....i nv tot that large pleco like this could breed in a big comm tank too....esp we are talking abt pseudas family type :eek:

Wow.. congrats.. an unexpected gift from Aquarama... just the little change you needed.

Wow, great stuff this mating in caves and surrogate parenting drama. Brings a tear to my eyes.
Congratulations to Bro chilicrabz and great photography by sotongman!

Steady la bro, congrats!! After all that laughing and disturbing , you have finally done it!!:D

There is around 3 with the bloat-like symptoms but then i expect them to be gone by now, but they are still wriggling leh...can bear myself to pipette them live.

Possible, for my case, i transfer a trio down to a 3ft tank, when i have confirm a pair. Actually the parents are already trapping in the 5ft, but based on his previous activities with the "375" and no success, i guess the number of occupants plays a part.

In fact, straight after the pair has spawn, the "375" wanted the Male to pair with her too, keep biting on his back. Think, that makes him so stress that the whole bunch of eggs were kicked out of the cave.
So having a trio may not be a good option too. If tanks size allows, i would go for 2M3F.


When they grow bigger and become free swimming lor....

I took the caves from akoh, think 1 year plus ago or 2. Cant remember the actual date. Think its a few weeks after the AGM.
His cave is the one that is shown in the pic, is where the pair spawn in. I think the measurement is so nice that most of the other fishes like to park there. Had no choice, gotta put them to good home before i can go solely on spinosus.

Maybe he can start lelong liao, for fishes that is no more than 11inch length and 3.5inch width.:D:D

Hello ! Hello ! what old man ! still very young at heart leh !

MX, reckon it is less than a year leh, lai ! lai ! lelong ! lelong ! only available in PlecoHut ! ! ! whilst stock last ! :D

AND that is not all ! caves ( and information ) for panaque and xanto are also available ! all DIY by this "old man" ! :D

when can i bring 1 mini spike home ah...??:D

let them be first, dont pipette them live la...:eek:

Help me find a female? :D

can i order 2 from u again? haha.

grats bro.

hope to see more waves of breeding come along :D

will u be isolating the pair in a tank solely fr themselves?

For mass production ? :D :D

Very hard to find le... maybe in TW got chance? hehehe.... Pls must have $$$ power wor...

congrats to bro chillicrab
finally ur hard work has paid off:)

congrats bro

Now this pair is already all by themselves in a 3ft. Me now going to have a shortage of tanks when the fries grows up. another spawn frm them, me cfm headache.

Why worry when there is a short of demand for pseudas now:D

Thought u still have some at home?
Mass production, we discuss again over pm.

congratulation bro chilicrabz and thanks to sotong the man for the great photos...

keep the f1 once f2 onwards mayb u can do selective keeping :p

love to see how they look like once they are bigger