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About a week ago, i returned home from a short vacation. I was looking at my trio of Neomacheilous triangularis(batik loaches) and the 2 i assume to be the females (because of their smaller size and lighter coloring than my assumed male) have really large stomachs. They are not sick and are acting normal. Is there anybody here that also keeps these fish? I was wondering, if i would perform a water change with cool water, would i have the chance of them breeding? I am guessing this would stimulate their rainy season.
A note to add, no fish are missing in the tank which could give another fish a large snack.

Hmm ... it's possible, but then the whys and wherefores of loach spawning are still somewhat shrouded in mystery. As well as a water change resulting in a 2 degree celsius temperature drop, you could try increasing the current generated by your filtration system (some loaches in the past have spawned near filter outlets) and as an additional incentive, try feeding live Bloodworm.

Whatever you do, take careful and detailed notes. Monitor everything that you can possibly monitor, and take note of the result. There is still a LOT to be learned about what triggers spawning behaviour in loaches, and even more about the raising of fry successfully. You're well and truly into an experimental arena here, which is why taking notes and monitoring assorted parameters is vital, because only with the data saved permanently somewhere will you be able to devise a means of stimulating spawning intentionally ... and only then if you spend a fair amount of time subjecting the data to a good deal of thought and analysis. Do this, and eventually, you could hit upon the secret of persuading your loaches to spawn, if not exactly to order, then spawn in a predictable fashion, and if you do, I suspect you'll be the first person to do so anywhere on earth, because I haven't heard of anyone spawning a Nemacheilus species before today!

Some loaches apparently spawn in the wild after a prolonged period at lower temperatures, followed by a transition to warmer temperatures - their waters are subject to seasonal variation. Mimicking this could also yield results.

Remember, whatever approach you adopt, TAKE NOTES. LOTS OF THEM. Because you might - just might - be in the position to put yourself in the 'Hall of Fame' alongside the likes of Herb Axelrod if you succeed in persuading your loaches to spawn predictably ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Wow, i would of thought they would have been spawned by now for some reason. The two females are still fat. My filter is turned up as high as it goes(emperor 280). I suppose i should go out and buy a powerhead for extra circulation. I cant really do any thing about the temp. since the house is set to 79.
I do have frozen bloodworms which i do feed at least 2-3 times a week. The closest store to me that sells them live is 90 minutes away from me.
I have been doing water changes at least twice a week this whole summer.
By the way, i was doing some research and came across several websites that said you should only keep one Batik loach per tank. I have 3 and they havent killed or harmed each other and i have had them for 2 years now. They do fight amongst themselves, but not any worse than pushing them out of "their" spot .
Sorry for the late reply

Your house temperature is set to 79 degrees F?

That sounds odd to me ... at 79 degrees and above I'm leaving doors and windows open to let a cool draught blow through!

Do you live in some hot arid area where 79 feels cool because the outside air temp is hovering around 100 degrees F? That would make some sense to me if so, but if you're living somewhere where the air temp doesn't rise to such dizzy levels, I'd consider adjusting the regulatory equipment if that won't impact upon fuel bills harshly. Here where I live in the UK, 68 degrees F is considered a reasonable setting, but then we usually don't have to fire up air conditioning units to stay sane because our Summers are usually mild ... this year has been a notable exception though, with July temperatures hitting a high of 99 ...

Even so, some cool water changes might have an impact on your loaches. Do cool water changes that drop the temperature by 2 degrees C, and feed your loaches some live Bloodworm immediately following the water changes. That might persuade them to spawn, but I emphasise, only 'might' ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

You could try throwing some ice cubes in the water to cool it off too. I guess that was my bosses trick to spawn corries.

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68, a reasonable setting? Not where i live. I live in Pennsylvania, USA. Even though its not Arizona or Texas, the temp. ranges anywhere from the 80's tho 100. About a week ago though, we had some nice weather that was in the 60's. I will have to wait till October for some nice cool weather though.