Loaches Online Forum

Hi Guys,

I have a chance to get my hands on some Yasuhikotakia splendida. I've never kept this loach before and upon looking it up in the species index there was no difinitive info on their temperment. Just that they might be similar in behavior to modestas (it's been a while since the profile was updated so we may want to consider doing that).

So, Can anybody tell me how these fish behave? They'd be sharing a tank with a big shoal of clowns, and several other species of loach (like kuhlis, a few striata, some horsefaces, kubotais etc.) about a dozen Corydoras adolfoi, and several other dither fish like tetras.

I don't want to drop the big $$ on these fish if they are eventually going to require that I set up a bastard tank.

Robin

Robin! Great to hear from you again! Hope you're well.

I wouldn't trust Y. splendida with anything that is very placid, like your kuhli loaches, horsies, cories, or B. striata. I think they would even upset your clowns. Although maybe not quite as nasty as some species, Y. splendida can be very feisty, particularly when kept properly in good sized shoals. Personally I think you'd be better off keeping them in a semi-aggressive tank, with fish that can hold their own.

Hope this helps,

Emma

Hi Emma!

Thanks for the quick reply. It was very helpful. My 120g loach tank has always been a relatively calm one. The fiestiest loaches I've had in there are probably kubotais, but they would only go after each other periodically. So, based on your advice, despite the fact they are gorgeous fish, I'm going to forgo the spendidas.

Thanks again!
Robin

P.S. I continue to keep an eye out for the mooseface, but haven't come across any since Mr. Moose died. Great fish.

Emma Turner wrote:Robin! Great to hear from you again! Hope you're well.

I wouldn't trust Y. splendida with anything that is very placid, like your kuhli loaches, horsies, cories, or B. striata. I think they would even upset your clowns. Although maybe not quite as nasty as some species, Y. splendida can be very feisty, particularly when kept properly in good sized shoals. Personally I think you'd be better off keeping them in a semi-aggressive tank, with fish that can hold their own.

Hope this helps,

Emma

I have recently found a Mooseface. Too bad you do not live closer -- I have a local vendor who can bring in all sorts of amazing fish. I read all the info on LOL about the Mooseface. Could you give me your personal experiences and housing setup for your moose? I have mine in quarantine. He was very thin when I brought him home. He is in a sand bottom tank with gammarus and planaria as well as regular feedings. He seems to be doing well. He spends his time with an equal-sized thin Horseface who is in quarantine. Both are doing well. Went through Levamisole treatment, and will get a second dose in the near future.

Would he be willing to ship them via overnight to NYC after a stop over and rest in Tampa?

Mooseface tend to have a poor survival rate. I think it's primarily due to rough handling before they even make it to the retail shops. Many are also collected out of the Ganges and its tributaries which are notoriously polluted. The farther up river they live the better the water quality, but the longer the trip. If they make it past quarantine and continue to be fed well with very good water quality, they'll be in your tank for years.

BTW I've never seen a fat Moose - at least not until he's been in my tank a while. They universally come in skinny and levimisole treatment is a good idea (though I think it will kill planaria etc.). A healthy Moose will have a body that tapers gradually a little toward the tail and will be sifting sand pretty much anytime he's awake. If he stops sifting and you don't see his little tracks in the sand, you'll know something is wrong.

A sandy substrate - as you know - is essential when keeping this loach. They use it for cover and are constantly sifting through it for food. I would also suggest using a pH stabilizer like Seachem's Neutral Regulator in the tank's water. You want to use a product that will not just raise or lower pH, but hold it steady. Loaches in general aren't very good with pH swings and I think that's what killed my Mr. Moose and most recently a shoal of Kubotais. Anything that alters pH should be added gradually. Doing it via partial, weekly water changes works well as long as you aren't changing more than like 15-20% of the water. Use it consistently and gradually it will eventually bring the tank's pH to 7.0 and hold it there.

Mr. Moose took to flake food pretty quickly but also really enjoyed frozen food like bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp etc. as long as it wasn't too large (I think those special jumbo sized bloodworms might be too big). They are very passive eaters and don't compete well for food. Whatever you feed, make sure that enough makes it down to the substrate where he'll be able to find it as he leisurely sifts for food.

The hardest part is getting them through quarantine. Once you get past that point they, don't tend to have any real health problems as long as they live in a clean and stable environment.

Robin

starsplitter7 wrote:I have recently found a Mooseface. Too bad you do not live closer -- I have a local vendor who can bring in all sorts of amazing fish. I read all the info on LOL about the Mooseface. Could you give me your personal experiences and housing setup for your moose? I have mine in quarantine. He was very thin when I brought him home. He is in a sand bottom tank with gammarus and planaria as well as regular feedings. He seems to be doing well. He spends his time with an equal-sized thin Horseface who is in quarantine. Both are doing well. Went through Levamisole treatment, and will get a second dose in the near future.

If you want to know about keeping Moosefaces Tanja, you're totally talking to the right person.

Hi Robin! Great to see you back

Martin.

Hi Martin!

I trust you and the loaches are well? Do you still keep that awsome Hillstream tank?

Robin

Martin Thoene wrote:If you want to know about keeping Moosefaces Tanja, you're totally talking to the right person.

Hi Robin! Great to see you back

Martin.

Good to see you back, Robin!!