Are Sumo Loaches "Rare"?

[aquariumjunkie]

I bought one a while back and i was just wondering if they were "Rare"? I have him in a 40 Gal. with 1 white cloud (more white clouds will be added soon). In the tank i've got sand, live plants, and some drift wood. Oh, and i made him a little rock ledge about 8 inches from the powerhead, he seems to like it . Im new to Loachs, and i'd like to do a "Loach" tank. So what other loaches could go with him? I've read they can be aggresive, so i didnt want to just throw some fish in there with him and hope for the best. any info would be great, thanks...

[Mark in Vancouver]

Last year, they were "rare" in that very few appeared in shops. Recently, they seem to be appearing all over the place, and this is not necessarily to do with their occurrence in the wild, but rather how exporters see potential in sales.

Three years ago, any Schistura could be considered rare in the North American aquarium market.

[aquariumjunkie]

Thanks for the info... I had never seen them before, and i've had my hands on some pretty rare fish.