Brand-new loach lover

[Zeph]

When I set my ten gallon tank up a few months ago a small, pink. serpentine little guy swam into the net when the fish keeper was catching head-tail light tetras for me. I told him that it looked interesting and that I would take him as well. Immediately I decided he was my favorite fish out of everyone in the tank. Mostly I only saw him during feeding time. I went back to the store and located his label, turns out he was a "loach".

My twenty gallon was cycled and fish ready as of yesterday. I went back to the same store and spied some creature called a yo-yo loach. These things were gorgeous! I had no idea there was such a variety. After I introduced my new fish to the tank, I got online and searched for loaches. Of course, this was the first site to come up! I would be interested in maybe setting up a loach tank some day. What are some other commonly found loaches I could look for?

[bslindgren]

Welcome to the crack of aquarium fish. You've come to the right place. You will have to pgrade the size - yo-yos get quite large and a 20 gal won't suffice for them. I suggest you start reading about the most common ones under the species descriptions. Clowns loach (everyone's favourite, but also one of the largest, and therefore most space-demanding loaches), kubotai, yo-yo, striata, histrionica, dario, dwarf chain, kuhli and weather loaches are some that frequently show up in LFSs. All have their own special requirements, so read before buying. And quarantine!!! Many come in with parasites and diseases. And of course, ask questions on this forum!!

[Zeph]

Yeah I just read that the yo-yos get to be six inches and are best kept with others. I am moving in 4-5 months at which time I am going to set up a much larger tank, so hopefully he doesn't outgrow the 20 gallon by then.

There wasn't much information on my other loach, I am pretty sure he is a Pangio oblonga. Do all loaches do better in groups?

Feel free to set me straight on anything I might say on this forum. I am fairly new to fish keeping. I have a five, ten, and twenty gallon aquarium for now and keeping all the fish happy and healthy is stressful but I want to make sure I'm doing everything right!

Also, my ballon bellied molly is pecking at my yo-yo during feeding time. He hasn't been injured, I have no idea if this is normal. What kinds of fish pose threats to loaches? Should I set up a loach-only tank one day?

[starsplitter7]

Welcome.

What country do you live in?

Why not post a couple pictures of your loaches, so the experts can give a positive ID? Never assume the LFS have the fish labeled correctly or know anything about the fish.

I have about 15 pangios (commonly called Kuhlies) including Kuhlies, Oblanga and Eel pangios. They all hang out together. They are certainly happier in a group. The yoyos need friends too. And I can't believe a Yoyo wouldn't back a molly off. Mollies can be nippy, but yoyos don't usually take any guff from anyone.

[oilhands]

Mollies can be nippy, but yoyos don't usually take any guff from anyone.

I agree. Mine will allow other fish to invade their space and hang out with them, but when they have had enough they are pretty good about letting the offending fish know it is time to move on.

I absolutely love yo-yo loaches. They consistently are the most entertaining fish in my tank. I started out with two in a 20 gallon(high) tank and they seemed to do OK for about a year or so. I then located this site and found that I was doing them a grave disservice by housing them (a) in a too small tank and (b) without enough friends.

I then started the quest for a larger tank and setup a 50 gallon tank and bought them a few friends. They surely enjoyed the additional space, but adding three additional friends (making a total of five) brought about immediate and striking changes in behavior. Once enough yo-yo loaches were in the tank and the alpha loach found out it had some followers the real fun began. While only two lived in the tank it didn't matter who was in charge, but the appearance of followers made the alpha loach begin to exercise and display its dominance. I found myself looking forward to feeding time like never before. Adding more loaches and moving to an even larger tank just enhanced the twice daily loach society dominance show.

Good luck!

[karl71]

I'm also quite new to loach keeping. Is a 125 litre (uk) too small for yo yo loaches?-

[starsplitter7]

I think 125 Liters is 33 gallons, and I wouldn't keep Yoyos in a 30. They can get quite large and they move alot.

It says in the species description that max size is 6 inches, and I am pretty sure members here have Yoyos bigger than 6".

But wait until the experts weigh in. I am still learning.

[soul-hugger]

Hello...,

And Welcome to the fascinating world of Loaches!

Yes, loaches are indeed addictive. I also just began not so long ago, and ended up buying two loaches among my first fish. As with you, they were instant favourites, and I launched into research about them and ended up here. I am at the point now where I consider fish and loaches an entirely different animal. The loaches are intelligent, curious, endearing, and entertaining. They can also form a bond with humans unlike many other fish species.

You can never learn enough, and this is the place to do it. Everyone here has some sort of personal experience, and that is the best when it comes to learning. You will also find out how easy it is to end up with Multiple Tank Syndrome, otherwise known as MTS, which is an incurable disease where you never have enough tank space to house them all.

Many loaches need a lot of space to thrive, but there are also those who are happy in smaller setups, such as your Oblonga Kuhli. Most do prefer to be in groups, and will display their charm more and more in numbers. Of course it is always best to research before you buy, but we all know it can sometimes be irresisteble to buy on impulse, or to buy a fish unidentified by the seller. (I did this just yesterday, and now I'm trying to find out about them.) In those cases, just make sure you do your best to find out about your new fish, and if you make a mistake, be willing to do what it takes to make it better. We all had to learn somehow, and personal experience, including trial and error, is how we do it. If you Quarantine, there are so many benefits, other than just watching and treating for disease. One of them is giving you time to research your new fish before you add them to an existing set-up, where they may not be compatible with your established fish and loaches, either in temperament, or preference of temperature, water parameters, etc.... This is also how MTS happens...

Have Fun, and Take Care,
soul-hugger