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I did have 12 Pandas in the Panda Fun Palace ... then a baby one turned up and made it 13 ... and now, we say hello to number 14. Just spotted him about 3 minutes ago. And, for once, he posed for pictures. Which will follow in due course.

I'm running out of names to give this lot. Bad enough when I had the original batch, but now ... you try giving ever increasing numbers of Panda Corys names ... now I know what it must have been like for the Waltons

It's getting to the stage where I'll have to start splitting them between two aquaria ... at which point they'll probably breed even more frantically than they do now ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

What are you doing to them or is it in the water?
One thing I can say with all the effort and care you give them it looks like they must be just heavy breeders.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

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Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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I just feed them with a good variety of food and given them frequent gravel vacs. They reward my efforts by producing lots of little baby Pandas. Wonderful isn't it!

Wish some people I know would show the same gratitiude for my efftors ...

* Looks askance at certain members of my local neighbourhood ... *

EDIT : first picture now available for your perusal!


Attached Image:


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Double post - next pic ...


Attached Image:


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Well Done & Congrats. for the little Panda.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

New pic - hosted on Webshots ...

Baby Panda Alongside Adult

NOTE : If Webshots throws a wobbly when you click on this link, just keep hitting "Refresh" or "Reload" until it gets its rear end into gear. At worst you'll have to do this about 5 times ... their server's feeling a little unwell


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Nice photo, Cali. Your expertise and getting your panda's to breed successfully is truly wonderful. Good luck with the new baby.

Jim

---

Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

That must of taken a bit of patience or alot of luck to get them in the same moment on film.
About this panda palace, are you sure you are not showing them spawning movies or dusting the tank with some sort of love potion? I am jealous and have finally ordered more panda's since mine don't seem inclined to fill up the tank with babies.
Congrats on the fine fish keeping there!
puddlecat

Puddlecat, your plans should include the following if you want to stand a chance of them breeding:

[1] Cleanliness maintained scrupulously. Mine receive water changes (50% minimum) and gravel vacs twice per week.

[2] Varity of foods. Mine receive six different flakes, the algae wafers I feed to the Otocinclus (the Pandas play push hockey with the pices ), plus live foods on a regular basis - Daphnia, Bloodworm and when I can get it, adult Brine Shrimp. If you want to see any Cory smile, feed it live Bloodworm - watch it develop a Cheshire Cat grin all over its face!

[3] Social grouping. Panda Corys are probably the most avowedly social of all the Corys, and need a decent sized group of their own species for psychological well being. I have 12 adults in my aquarium, and the mayhem that ensues because of this is hilarious to watch! Oh, throw in the two young 'uns and there's 14 Pandas in there now, which means they're a happy bunch. If you can, go with a minimum group of 8 individuals, and the aquarium should start looking like a screenshot from the computer game Lemmings as the Pandas indulge their penchant for perfect slapstick comedy timing

[4] Furnishings. Give your Pandas a stimulating environment consisting of intricate hollow bogwood pieces with lots of caves, drape some Java Moss and Java Ferns on them, create an underwater rainforest for them to explore, and they're happy. As a matter of fact, mine spawned again last night (no i didn't put Viagra in the water ...) and once again burrowed furiously into the Java Moss to plant the eggs. Not content with that, they're frolicking about right now as if they're gearing up for another session ...

[5] Water currents. Pandas live in rivers with a decent flow rate in the wild. If you replicate the kind of currents that they enjoy in the wild, and turn the powerhead up to a decent setting, again they'll start frolicking about like mad as mine do. Watch tehm surf the powerhead bubbles for additional comedy moments!

[6] Wisely chosen companions. Mine live alongside a shoal of Cardinal Tetras and some Otocinclus. Nice peaceful companions that don't cause them any problems. Choose their companions with some care - in my article (which should hopefully reappear soon when Adam resurrects the articles section) I mentioned something that happened to another Board member called RasboraMary - she had a large Plec in with hers, and it killed her Pandas off by bashing them with its tail for all the world like that big dinosaur with the club on its tail - she caught it in the act, so this behaviour is something to watch for with some Plecs!

Follow the above list of recommendations, and your Pandas should be following mine down the road to the patter of tiny fins once they're mature.

Oh, and when you buy Pandas, something that you should check for is the age of the fishes at the dealer's. Pandas, in my experience, are too delicate as babies to be shipped before 20 weeks of age. If they're shipped at 16 weeks, as happens with some outfits, then the losses can be horrendous. That extra four weeks makes a HUGE amount of difference to their robustness and ability to survive transportation, acclimatisation to a new home etc. Also, if you can manage it, put them in a quarantine tank on their own for a while, and beef them up with live Bloodworm feeds during the quarantine stage. At the end of the quarantine stage, when they're ready to move to their permanent home, they should be fit and happy. Remember, it's not the size that matters necessarily, but the age is VERY important. You could obtain some that are still small at 20 weeks, but they survive much better than larger specimens that happen to be only 16 weeks old. Check the AGE of the Pandas before buying - if they're already well on the way to adulthood, namely 6 months or more of age, then they should be a safe bet. Likewise, take careful note of the conditions the dealer keeps them in. Are they in a big group with a tank tothemselves, or shared with innocuous fishes like Neons? If so, they're likely to be fairly happy. If they're in a tank with excess gunk in the gravel, being chased around by Red Tailed Black Sharks and other boisterous fishes, they'll be stressed. Feel free to do the Florence Nightingale bit and rescue them if you wish, but be prepared for losses if you do, even if your TLC is state of the art, though if they're fed live foods and acclimatised carefully, you could well rescue some very nice fishes from a piscine Black Hole of Calcutta ...

There you go, Pandas 101.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thank you Cali for the info. I do one third water changes each week and vacs. I only have 5 pandas in a species 30 gal. breeder tank plus 12 olive nerite snails. I just ordered the snails with the new order for pandas last week. The snails are the best I have ever seen for going after algae. I have been having a problem keeping enough nitrates in the tank so don't clean more than once a week. Fedex over night took 3 days from Arizona Gardens so all I got was bags of dead fish. I don't know why the delay but after contacting AZ Gardens they now have to wait til they get more shipping size Pandas. I don't have good luck with Pandas I guess but I love them. I also can't get live food so that is against me as well. I do feed the frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp on occasion plus sinking wafers and flakes.
I also have the moss, ferns and driftwoods and water movement. I did have two babies last fall turn up but they didn't survive a heater failure.
I sure hope this next shipment is alive and healthy, when ever it arrives. Thanks again for the advice I will keep a copy of it handy for reference.
puddlecat