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One of my 4 adult kuhli loaches (Huey, Dewey, Louey and Streak) is about 2x its normal size, and is totally full of eggs!

The entire bottom section of the fish has ballooned out and is so stretched the colour has started to look quite faded. She is swimming fine, but is breathing rather heavily. I'm a little concerned that she doesn't have her own hollow/nest yet.

Her partner (a strapping young lad) has been following her around and fending off the clownies and the fusca, who are determined to sit on her and generally make life difficult.

It really is quite bizzare. The tank has only been set up for a week and already the kuhlies are having fun and the fusca are displaying and today i caught two falx jousting and a couple of the wrapping in what has been christened 'the love cave'. I don't know what happened! I think maybe the extra space has sent them all into overdrive.

Anyway, kuhli-girl. She sped out from under a log at one point and a few tiny lime-green tinted white eggs fell out of her packed belly. They are about the size of a betta egg, but a little less spherical, and almost impossible to see on beachsand.


I am not expecting little wigglers as I can't really move her and her loveloach, nor can i remove the boisterous and carnivorous rankmates, but I'd like for them to have a shot anyway. I am hoping next time I can be more prepared (she has been thi size before, but I never spotted actual eggs!)

Does anyone know how this works?? Anyone bred these before?

All the fish are about 4 years old and as fat as a pencil. This roed up female has a cross-section that would look somewhat like a pearshape, only the lower half of her body has expanded.

I am so excited! Completely stupid as i know the babies probably won't occur, but i'm still bouncing off walls! I have eggs!! and green ones at that!

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

How fan-mazing. Lime green to boot. What does one do if the parents haven't built a little hollow? I guess they will get the hang of things for next time. And now you know bubbas could be on the agenda you could remove tankmates for next time.

I wonder if anyone has bred these successfully? Any takers?

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~