Mango/Rosy loach breeding setup or generic egg scatterer with no parental care

[Beastije]

So, I have had my mango loaches since beginning of February, so 5 months

Given their size I can assume they are adult, hard to say, didn't find the info on their maturity.
However their color dimorphism is very clear, the males are super orange almost bronze, the females are beige/yellowish with spot patterns. They are absolutely Impossible for me to photograph well given how active they are.

I only have seven and as everyone in the hobby, have more males than females. I think I have two females.

I managed to catch four in the morning, the lovelies just swam into my glass beaker, they are so curious. Two males, two females. But for how long should I leave them there so they can attempt to breed, but so they dont eat all the eggs? 24 hours? More? I dont want to stress them by moving there and back and there and back.


The box is an IKEA 10l box, full of hornwort and java moss, a sponge filter. It has some ramshorns, one shrimp and was setup months ago as a plant leftover. No substrate and I vacuumed all gunk out when I cleaned it out over weekend. Is this a suitable test?


Pictures of the main tank

the box

Maybe overall tips o how to breed egg scattering fish with no parental care, maybe I should try to get some mesh? but I heard their eggs are sticky and in plants, so not sure...

 

[Magnum Man]

I'm not familiar. are they similar to Kuhli Loaches a ( Pangio sp. ), do you know the scientific name??? I struggle with my Hillstream's to even get defined names... my Kuhli loaches absolutely love a really big peace lily rootball that is in their tank, unfortunately I only have females, so no attempted breeding

 

[Magnum Man]

are these what you have???

Rosy Loach-Physoschistura mango

Expert facts, care advice, feeding tips and breeding information about the Rosy Loach (Physoschistura mango) for freshwater aquarium enthusiasts.

www.fishkeeper.co.uk

 

[GaryE]

I think from past reading that loach eggs are as diverse as the adults that come from them. Some are reported as semi adhesive.

The advice above in @Magnum Man 's post is what I was about to type next. I would add that my trick with scatterers is to study the females closely before they go into the spawning tank. Be able to identify when the eggs seem to have been laid by the shrinking of their bellies, so you can get the adults out fast. They would be efficient egg eaters in a box that small.

Have super fine foods ready. Put about as much will fit on the point of a sharp knife (not much) and put it into a pill vial type container with water in it. Shake it and dump the mix in, several times a day. Do a lot of partial water changes. Don't overfeed.

You may lose early spawns to egg eating. Getting the adults out in time is crucial if you are using such a small box. In a one metre tank, eggs would be overlooked, but not in there.

 

[Beastije]

are these what you have???

Rosy Loach-Physoschistura mango

Expert facts, care advice, feeding tips and breeding information about the Rosy Loach (Physoschistura mango) for freshwater aquarium enthusiasts.

www.fishkeeper.co.uk

Yes those are the ones I have. The scientific name keeps changing and is referenced variously. Hard to keep track

 

[MaloK]

Accepted Scientific Name:

Physoschistura mango (Conway & Kottelat, 2023)

Rosy Loach. Mango Loach.

Previous names used:
Petruichthys sp. 'Rosy' or Petruichthys sp.

Yunnanilus sp. or Yunnanilus sp. 'Rosy' or Yunnanilus sp. 'orange'

Tuberoschistura arakanensis or Tuberoschistura arakensis - cited as a fictitious scientific name

Burmese Pink Loach - Another trade name sometimes used.

 

[GaryE]

Accepted Scientific Name:

Physoschistura mango (Conway & Kottelat, 2023)

When you see Kottelat's name on a description, it is generally solid. No one is perfect, but Ichthyologists build reputations as with any domain, and Kottelat has done some very interesting work.