Loaches Online Forum

Hey Guys,

I currently have a 6x2x2 setup with the following:

pH = 7.6

Filtration
2X FX5
2X Koralina powerheads

Stock:
4x Geo. 'Rio Branco' - 12cm each.
12x Geo. 'Brachybranchus' - 4cm each.
8x Rainbowfish - Varied size 6-10cm each.
1x Bristlenose - 5cm

Decor
Sand Substrate
Driftwood and a few large river stones.

I would like to add a few loaches to the mix.
Living in Australia the only loaches I have access to are Pakistani's and Clown's.
I would like to add 10-11 of one of them. (Bulk order at LFS = cheaper)
Are Pakistani's are suceptable to Ich as clown loaches?

Which would you experienced loach keepers recommend for a first time loach keeper in my set-up??

Thanks Tom.

PS Sorry for such a long first post.

Tomas wrote:Living in Australia the only loaches I have access to are Pakistani's and Clown's.
I would like to add 10-11 of one of them. (Bulk order at LFS = cheaper)
Are Pakistani's are susceptible to Ich as clown loaches?

Which would you experienced loach keepers recommend for a first time loach keeper in my set-up??

Thanks Tom.

PS Sorry for such a long first post.

Hi Tom,

Never apologize for a long post. We are all "finatics" here and will read the entire post

Regarding Pakistani (yoyo) and Clown Loaches, the Clowns will grow larger than the yoyos, but the yoyos are much more active and faster swimmers than the clowns. I am sure both would appreciate the large tank
In my experience, I have never seen ich on a yoyo loach.
For both species, I would recommend at least 5 to keep them happy, and 10 would be awesome

Let us know what you end up with and we would love to see a photo

Thanks

Agreed. Write as much as you need. Welcome to the forum. Hope you post a lot. We have a few people from Australia.

I agree Yoyos stay smaller, less hefty and are very active. And they should be in a group of five or more.

I think both are very susceptible to ick, because of the small scales. Make sure you quarantine the new charges. And post pictures please.

In a tank that big I would have Clown loaches.

I would love to have clown loaches but I am leaning towards getting yoyo's as I don't want to have to deal with the Ich that is going to happen if I get the clowns.

Or is their a way I can get the clowns from my LFS without having to deal with Ich?
Also how fast do yoyo's grow compared to clowns?

Hi Tomas,

Fist of all, YoYos get Ich as easy as clowns, ok? So, if they have to get it, they will.

The important thing to do before purchasing the fishes is wait and observe. Ask the attendant when the fish came to LFS. Also ask him what are they eating (if so). Don´t buy the fishes that time. Come back in a couple days and observe overal healt of the fish before buying OR you may buy the fishes but ask the guy to have them separate to another tank for you to come and get them in a couple days. Even doing that you are not Ich safe but fortunately, there easy and safe ways to deal with Ich.

About grow rate, an YoYo can be adult (5 to 6") in 6 to 12 months. Clown loaches spend at least a decade to become a teenager. My elder Clown loach is now 15 years old and keeps growing. He is about 9" now but can reach 12" or even 14" full grow.

Having clowns and yoyos is no guarantee of ick. I have gotten both and got no ick. But quarantine is really the key. Could you LFS quarantine the fish for you a month if you buy 10? If they are small, could you quarantine them for a month? They might need to be treated for parasites. I find that more of a problem than ick. If you can guarantine them they have a chance to settle in, their stress is reduced and you have less of chance of developing problems for the fish and infecting your main tank.

Clowns for sure! I finally got my school up to 9 and they are incredible.
As for ich, It's kind of a rookie move. If you properly observe the fish you buy, chances are you won't end up with it. But you must observe all the fish in the tank and ALL the fish in the store. The problem is, I've bought EVERY HEALTHY clown I've seen since this site helped me fall in love with them.
Soon it's move into a house and build a massive acrylic tank for my growing gang.

Observe Observe and Observe some more.
Find out how ich works, it's life cycle, and it's not so scary anymore.

You have so many fish already, I would suggest Yoyos. Especially since you are interested in getting a good sized school. There simply is not enough room in that tank for a dozen clown Loaches.

I agree with everything above, observe very carefully for as long as possible. Then before you get them home be prepared for an ICH breakout. Ie Stock up on your Rid Ich, have a strategy of what you would do if you get a breakout. Preparation is half the breakout. If it breaks out and you are unprepared then chances are against you. Hopefully you won't see ICH, but no harm in being prepared. Of course put newcomers in a Q tank, preferably with a UV filter!

UPDATE:

I decided to go with the YoYo's. I am picking 10 of them up tommorow from my LFS.

I currently have a 10 gallon with Boesemani Rainbows that I have been growing out, which I'll move.
Is a 10 gallon enough for 10x 1 inch YoYo's as a quarintine before I move them to the 6x2x2? Is bare bottome OK?
As I live in Australia I don't have access to Rid Ich, so I would like to know what else I could do to ensure I don't lose any YoYo's to Ich?
What else should I feed other than NLS and bloodworms?

Thanks Tom.

EDIT:
I have a half bottle each of Pimafix and Melafix, will these be of any use to me with the YoYo's?

Anyone got any idea's?

Hey Tomas,

Either Melafix or Pimafix won´t do any good on Ich. They both are good stuff but not against Ich.

Here you go for Rid Ick:

http://shop.ebay.com.au/?_from=R40&_trk ... Categories