Loaches Online Forum

Good suggestion. I'll ask some of the LFS's for their recommendations. This is all new to me - learning a lot. I imagine that there are a lot of options for cool fish in an outdoor pond in my climate. (Although winters in San Diego are probably colder than you think.... We're not Hawaii.)

Thanks. I'll ask the LFS if there are any local restrictions on weather loaches. (I'm also looking into cichlids.)

In response to Emma's question, I am near San Diego, California. After reviewing some of the species profiles, I suspected that the temperature difference between summer and winter might be too extreme for loaches - unless there is a really hardy species that will be happy in a temperature range ...

I have a backyard pond with a stream and waterfall. The pond is about 800 gallons (a rough ellipse 8' x 10' x 2.5' deep, with lots of rocks and boulders and some plants). The stream and waterfall (and plumbing between pond and waterfall) add another 100 gallons to the total.

Water temperature in ...