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Help identifying a very big gold loach

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:29 pm
by Gryphoemia
I was at a fish store today browsing for potential tankmates for my oscar, when I saw a large fish that I'm almost certain was a loach- it had that distinctive loach shape and face, and was busily cleaning a peice of driftwood. It was around 4"-6" long, and pretty thick. It had a very warm golden color and kind of a mottled or leopard-like pattern, but no stripes. Any idea what this was?

The tank had a sign that said dojo loach, but it was nowhere near snakey enough for that.

Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:45 pm
by Dave Rinaldo

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 4:23 am
by Gryphoemia
I thought yoyos wre more silvery than that. Do they range in color that much? And get that big?

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 8:12 am
by shari
By 'cleaning' do you mean like an algae eater or catfish might? Or just brushing it with barbels? Did it have any protrusions on the face?

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:50 pm
by Gryphoemia
It had a little cluster of very short barbels.
It wasn't sticking to any one spot fo very long, just sort of buzzing quickly around the wood, nipping at spots here and there. Kind of a frantic, sniffling motion. Didn't look like a catfish or algea eater behaviour.

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:57 pm
by Jim Powers
Have you checked out the species index on this site.?

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 1:07 pm
by Gryphoemia
I have looked through the species index, but there's no way to search it by characteristic, and too many entries to jut read them all.
I flipped through some of the common species I've heard of, but found no mention of a gold mottled loach that gets bigger than 4".

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 2:28 pm
by Emma Turner
Did it look anything like this :?:
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/species ... =aymonieri
Just wondering as there are gold variants of this species out there, and they are quite commonly sold as 'sucking loaches' or 'algae loaches' even though they are not a true loach.

Emma

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 3:06 pm
by Gryphoemia
No, it didn't look like chinese algea eater- it wasn't elongated enough, and lacked the stripe.
It was proportioned more like a skunk or clown loach, just bigger.

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 3:42 pm
by sophie
Gryphoemia wrote:No, it didn't look like chinese algea eater- it wasn't elongated enough, and lacked the stripe.
It was proportioned more like a skunk or clown loach, just bigger.
clowns get huuuuge!

there is/was a thread on here which mentioned that b. rostrata lose the stripes and get very "blotchy" as they get older - the page for them on the species index is here: http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/bo ... trata.html

most if not all of the photos are of young loaches; but if you imagine a bigger, solider, blotchy-instead-of-striped version (c'mon, work with me!) would that be a possibility?

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 5:42 pm
by Martin Thoene
How about?

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/bo ... serim.html

You have to remember that Botia almorhae can get to 6" or so, but they're not really golden based in colouration.

Martin.

Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 9:37 pm
by Gryphoemia
Hmm. I suppose it could be an older rostrata or tenasserim- they look about the right color and shape, I could see it if they lost the clear stripes as they age.

Either way, he's a pretty cool little fish- I put him on hold and I think I'll go back to pick him up tomorrow. He seemed pretty active and brave, despite being the only loach in the tank, so hopefully he'll work out with my new [messy!] baby oscar.

Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 7:07 pm
by Gryphoemia
Got him home today and tried to get a picture or two. This is the best I could do without torturing him too much- my digital camera leaves much to be desired.
Now that I've gotten a better look at him (holding still), I think he's a little more elongated than I described him, and also a bit smaller- just over 4" from nose to base of tail. Certainly not silvery.
He seems pretty active, but I did notice that one of his eyes looks a little strange- in the middle of the pupil there's a spot of goldish color like the outside rim of the eye. Odd- it doesn't look milk-cloudy like sick fish eyes I've seen before.

Image

Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 7:44 pm
by Jim Powers
Looks like botia almorhae to me.

Nice Gryph!

Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 7:45 pm
by shari
Definitely a yo yo. Most likely a mature or almost mature one by the reticulated pattern. My female yo yo was much more of a golden base than the younger males which were decidedly silver.

and yes, botia=loach :wink: at least in your case.

Family=Cobitidae

Genus=Botia

Species=formerly lohachata, now almorhae