Second generation hormone - induced clown loaches are being produced in Florida at the Tropical Aquaculture Lab. The breeders were about six inches long when I saw them producing the first generation. The farms don't seem to have gone into production despite available help from the U of FL. In my opinion this is due to the fact that fish is still cheap and available from the wild caught fishery in Indonesia. That fishery is long well established and fine tuned. I doubt, but don't know for sure, that the Indonesians are breeding any commercially. They may be doing so in Singapore. I sent an e mail to an Indonesian fish breeder about the status of the clown loach trade and will post his reply.
The fish also just may be too slow growing as well to produce economically at this time. There seems to be some grow-out of imports once in awhile but I don't think it's of any significant amount.
Florida is prone to unexpected and significant temperature drops and in the past weeks friends with clowns in outdoor ponds had losses. Indoor production of slow-growing long lived fishes is expensive.
The technology has been available to the Florida fish farming community for a long time, yet none of the farmers have taken to producing clown loaches it would appear. I assume for the reasons I stated above - I haven't asked. The technology was available elsewhere much longer. Thailand,Indonesia, China - (PRC and Taiwan), Canada, USA, Europe have all been producing hormonally induced fishes for longer than many people realize. Recently it has been embraced in the former Soviet Union which has been noted in other posts in this thread.
Unfortunately distribution of these drugs is strictly controlled in the USA and you need to know what you're doing even if you can qualify to get them. HCG is easier, but not easy to get and is also problematic - unreliable and one needs to be prepared to lose their broodstock.
I think carp pituitary can be freely traded here but is not dependable and can be damaging to non-cyprinids.
I have seen clown loaches, over the years, successfully bred in the US in indoor and outdoor vats, community aquariums etc. All cases were serendipitous. No, I don't have photos. I don't claim any credit for myself.
The fish also just may be too slow growing as well to produce economically at this time. There seems to be some grow-out of imports once in awhile but I don't think it's of any significant amount.
Florida is prone to unexpected and significant temperature drops and in the past weeks friends with clowns in outdoor ponds had losses. Indoor production of slow-growing long lived fishes is expensive.
The technology has been available to the Florida fish farming community for a long time, yet none of the farmers have taken to producing clown loaches it would appear. I assume for the reasons I stated above - I haven't asked. The technology was available elsewhere much longer. Thailand,Indonesia, China - (PRC and Taiwan), Canada, USA, Europe have all been producing hormonally induced fishes for longer than many people realize. Recently it has been embraced in the former Soviet Union which has been noted in other posts in this thread.
Unfortunately distribution of these drugs is strictly controlled in the USA and you need to know what you're doing even if you can qualify to get them. HCG is easier, but not easy to get and is also problematic - unreliable and one needs to be prepared to lose their broodstock.
I think carp pituitary can be freely traded here but is not dependable and can be damaging to non-cyprinids.
I have seen clown loaches, over the years, successfully bred in the US in indoor and outdoor vats, community aquariums etc. All cases were serendipitous. No, I don't have photos. I don't claim any credit for myself.
