Lima Shovelnose

[boosteshemi]

Yours are very nice looking. Love the specaling on the bottom one. How long have you had yours for? And what are you feeding them?

[pcpolo111]

Thanks for the compliment, I have had the smaller ones for about a year, and the larger one for about a year and a half. They eat everything! Massivore , cut up smelts , tilapia, shrimp, worms, and of course their own skin shed


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[boosteshemi]

Your welcome. Mine eats worms and has ate a small piece of shrimp. I havent tried any kind of fish yet. And is there a reason that they eat there skin shed?

[necrocanis]

Your welcome. Mine eats worms and has ate a small piece of shrimp. I havent tried any kind of fish yet. And is there a reason that they eat there skin shed?

My thought on this is like when a crustacean molts it will eat the shell to get some nourishment back. A theory that someone told me on why they think sorubim genus sheds their slime so quickly could also be to confuse a predator. So you leave a decoy in your place for it to attack and eat while you flee. Not sure that there is any kind of validity, but it sounds nice lol.

[pcpolo111]

The only reason I can think of is to not lose out on the nutrients, I have had leopard geckos do the same thing, but them living in the desert it's probably more important for them not to pass on the meal


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[boosteshemi]

I was thinking the nutrient thing as well but I like the predator concept as well

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[boosteshemi]

I recently got a second Lima and put it in with my other one and they active funny. They like chase eachothers tails in a circle like a dog and lay literally on top of each other. Has Anyone else had there's do anything like this?

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[thebiggerthebetter]

Unless I am missing something, this seems normal - just another piece of support that they like each other's company when young. Perhaps what you describe may be some particular affection but it is within the norm, I'd say.

If you think mating, I'd not think so - not only yours are probably too young, PCF Cat-eLog http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog...?species_id=98 says "The Lima shovel nose has not been bred in captivity. There is one report that a pair laid eggs in a nest they constructed in the aquarium, but no fry hatched."

[boosteshemi]

I wasn't thinking breeding at all. I just thought it was funny and entertaining to watch. They stick with eachother. If one goes to one aide of the tank so does the other. I will say they are definitely more active with a pair or group rather than alone.

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[boosteshemi]

But breeding would b awesome. Is there even a way to sex them?

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