New additions

Dano · Post by **Dano** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:25 pm

I recently rescued two loaches from some less than desirable conditions. (1) botia hymenophysa (banded loach) (1) botia striata (zebra loach)

They are a little over 2 in. long but very skinny (undernourished). They have colored up and are actively eating. I have kept clown loaches successfully for many years, but I haven't any experiance with any other type loach. I want to keep these and perhaps some of the other types. Will the zebra and banded loach get along singly with singles of other types or am I going to have to keep groups of each? Any comments on this would be appreciated.

kmaemac · Post by **kmaemac** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:33 pm

ive been reading up on all sorts of loaches and they are a community type of fish and enjoy the company of others of it type but you dont have to put the same type of loach. i have 2 dojos and one is sick and the other is freaking out now that shes not there any more. you dont have to have more than 2 depending on how big your tank is ive got a 20 gal. and a dojo gets to be at least 10 inches long. so probably no more than one for every 10 gals and they like to have some sand to bury themselves under.

starsplitter7 · Post by **starsplitter7** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:12 pm

Old Dan wrote:I recently rescued two loaches from some less than desirable conditions. (1) botia hymenophysa (banded loach) (1) botia striata (zebra loach)

They are a little over 2 in. long but very skinny (undernourished). They have colored up and are actively eating. I have kept clown loaches successfully for many years, but I haven't any experiance with any other type loach. I want to keep these and perhaps some of the other types. Will the zebra and banded loach get along singly with singles of other types or am I going to have to keep groups of each? Any comments on this would be appreciated.

With the Zebra loach you must have a group of at least 5, more would be better. http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-striata

Be prepared with your tiger loach for an aggressive fish. I have two and they are well behaved, but I watch them closely. Once again they should be in a school. I don't have enough, but don't find them for sale.
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/sy ... ymenophysa

People with more experience will chime in. I am pretty sure you can't keep easy going Zebras with aggressive Tigers.

What you keep and how many will depend on your tank size and other parameters.

Tell us more about your tank.

Emma Turner · Post by **Emma Turner** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:14 pm

Hi Old Dan, welcome to Loaches Online.

If you manage to save those two skinny loaches, unfortunately there will be compatibility issues further down the line. The Syncrossus (formerly Botia) hymenophysa is a member of the tiger loach group, which are all very aggressive and most definitely not suitable for a peaceful community tank. This may not be so noticeable at the moment with the specimen being small and underweight, but if it pulls round ok it will need rehoming in a more feisty community. Botia striata on the other hand is a shy peaceful species which needs to be kept with tankmates of a similar disposition.

Long-term, all botiine loaches MUST be kept in groups for their continued wellbeing. All form very complex hierarchies and a group of at least 5 of each species is required (more if space permits). Species that are kept singly will not thrive as well as they could and will not actively form part of a social hierarchy. You may see single specimens following a group of another species around, but that is usually because it hasn't got much choice and it won't be truly shoaling.

If you do wish to keep both these species, you are going to require two separate tanks - one peaceful community and another set up as a more aggressive community. As mentioned above, you'd need to find more of each kind to keep with them.

Here is some detailed information on the two species:

Botia striata: http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-striata
Syncrossus hymenophysa: http://www.loaches.com/species-index/sy ... ymenophysa

These might also be of interest:

An intro to keeping some species: http://www.loaches.com/articles/an-intr ... ping-botia
Tiger loach article: http://www.loaches.com/articles/tigers- ... s-in-crime

It may also be worth you using the search button at the top of the page to look for past threads on 'skinny disease' or 'chronic wasting syndrome' (CWS). If the fish are eating well but not gaining weight, they may have this and will require treatment with Levamisole or Flubendazole. This article may also be of help: http://www.loaches.com/Members/shari2/l ... chloride-1

Emma

Emma Turner · Post by **Emma Turner** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:18 pm

kmaemac wrote:ive been reading up on all sorts of loaches and they are a community type of fish and enjoy the company of others of it type but you dont have to put the same type of loach. i have 2 dojos and one is sick and the other is freaking out now that shes not there any more. you dont have to have more than 2 depending on how big your tank is ive got a 20 gal. and a dojo gets to be at least 10 inches long. so probably no more than one for every 10 gals and they like to have some sand to bury themselves under.

Hi kmaemac,
Although you obviously mean well, most of this information is not really accurate. There are hundreds of species of loach and not all have the same requirements or temperaments. Have a browse through our in-depth species index to get an idea: http://www.loaches.com/species-index. I do not wish to hijack Old Dan's thread here, but you may also want to have a look at this article on Dojo (Weather) loaches: http://www.loaches.com/articles/weather-report. I hope your sick loach pulls through but please bear in mind a 20 gallon tank is not large enough for them.
Emma

Dano · Post by **Dano** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 11:45 pm

Thank you for the replies. I have 11 clowns ranging from 2 to 8 inches. I have had good success with them and enjoy their antics. I had not studied on any of the other loaches, but I figured that they would have similar characteristics. There aren't many varieties on the market, so getting mates will probably be difficult. I often see chain and yoyo loaches and I hoped that my two might bond with them. This is a great forum with a lot of nice people.....again thanks

Dan

starsplitter7 · Post by **starsplitter7** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:56 am

Where are you from?

Dano · Post by **Dano** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 1:42 pm

South Carolina

starsplitter7 · Post by **starsplitter7** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 3:07 pm

Since we have members from all over sometimes people will suggest fish stores in your area.

My local fish club also lists stores on their website.

I know what you mean about selection. I live in a relatively large city, and my fish options are still extremely limited. Sometimes a LFS will special order for you and sometimes you can buy them online. I am sure the fish are better off in your care.

Dano · Post by **Dano** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 1:21 am

I won't discuss LFSs on an open forum. Too many people want to play the "my LFS is better than your LFS" game. I belonged to a local forum that spent too much time advertising the attributes of a store and it alienated people and ruined the site.

starsplitter7 · Post by **starsplitter7** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:16 am

Don't worry about that here.

Read back through the old posts. That doesn't really happen here. At least not in the 7 months I have been here. I wish someone lived in the Tampa Bay area. I have only found two nice stores. Good luck.

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