Loaches Online Forum

Hi all!
Ive recently being considering a yoyo biotope with a 15+ shoal of them. What do you guys would be the minimum tank size?
Any answers appreciated

Yoyo's get up to 4 inches pretty quickly and can top out around 6 inches if they are lucky. I think
anything less than a 125 and you will have to upgrade at some point. Of course you could cut
the number down and go with a 75 if needed.

I've always tended to overstock my tanks but have finally learned that just because you can get away with it
doesn't make it a good idea. Understocking cuts down on maintenance and if the power goes out
for an extended period of time you are in better shape.

I love yoyos and they can have some really great patterns when they get bigger. Good luck
with your tank and be sure to post pictures when it's done.

yea its just an idea but if i were to set it up which wont be happening for over a year, i am leaning toward a 4x2x2 foot or 5x1.5x1.5. Also what plants would go well with them? Because i love dense planting.

I always recommend some kind of plant in every tank. The benifits can't be really ignored. I usually
put java moss, java ferns, various anubis or anacharis in most of my tanks because they are all super hardy and
require very little light to survive. I live in a pretty hot area so I really can't have tons of light in the summer
or my tank temperature will get out of control.

Beyond that you will need to do some research and maybe some others will chime in about it. Loaches can
uproot plants and nibble on new sprouting leaves but I guess it depends on the plants and the loaches.
Amazon swords can get pretty massive but the trick I've learned with plants is you need to pick the right
plant for the right spot. I usually place my java moss directly in the current because it feeds from
the water column. Now root feeders I tend to place in dead spots where there isnt as much circulation or a place
I know lots of waste will settle(either from watching the water flow patterns or even controlling it with filter/pump
placement). Of course I'm lazy so I plan it out pretty well ahead of time and then It cuts down on the work later. You can
always go all out with lights, C02, fertalizers ect but I do pretty well going cheap and low tech with minimal maintenace.

4x2x2 would be pretty nice. I'm a sucker for a low wide tank and that one looks great.

thanks kimura. I like your yoy on the species page

well i got three yoyos for my community tank and am pretty sure 2 of them are rostratas. One has the yoyo pattern but two have the juvi rostrata pattern. Im sure of this because these two look identical to the ones emma turner owns.

Mine


If these are Rostratas, im supa dupa happppy becuse you dont readily get rostratas in australia, let alone for $6.50!! Im getting more yoyos but for now im going on a week holiday soon so ill get a few more after that.

Just remembered but they were not $6.50 but actually $4 because the shop forgot i had bought 3.

Since this appears to be a TALL tank, as you say vertical... it doesnt have as much surface area, or a bottom foot print as a regular or long 47, so it must be stocked quite lighter....


Since cories and yoyo's are both bottom dwellers- you really dont have the room for 2 schoals. The peppered cories will reach 3 inches each, the yoyo's 4-5 inches each... The yoyos are semiaggressive and I believe the peace loving cories would have a hard time finding any food, and might even be harrassed by the yoyos...

Since you only have room for 1 decent sized group of bottom dwellers Id stick with just the cories, and add a couple or so to them....

I have a "tall" 45, and I cant imagine having both types of fish in there together in decent numbers for both to be happy.

hello, i have moved to a 4ft not tall standard 65 gallon and cories stay in another tank and new tank dedicated to shrimp, discus and yoyos. And one pearl grami and bristlenoses.

Yoyo's aren't easy to pin down ,I have 11 in a 96x18x23 and find they interact but not in a group way , they tent to chase each other a bit ,perhaps just laying claim to their own space ? having said this there are a lot of stones pebbles wood etc which could contribute to their behaviour ? perhaps in a sparcely decorated tank they might shoal more ? i dont really find them aggresive, more spirited if that makes any sense ?

The patterns on individual fish are very variable ,and for that matter so are the colours too !

Personally I'd set up for a mix of Yoyo's, Rostrata and Dario although I appreaciate that availability could be an issue ,espeasially concerning the Rostrata and Dario ? GOOD LUCK

Hi ClownLoachSharky, Sorry to say that these fish do not look like Rostrata to me at all. Yo-Yo's are very variable in their markings.
This is one of the Rostrata's that I had a few years ago.



I am in Australia and have had Rostrata - Kubotai - Histrionica - Striata. I have also seen Sewelia and some rarer Gastro's available.
Give Steve or Jodi-Lea at Fishchick's in Brisbane a call or e-mail as they import loaches regularly. They also ship around Aus.
They can be a bit expensive at times.

Some more fish I have had.







Cheers Graeme.

wow quite a collection. Since that photo, the 2 have changed colour to a golder colour than the 5 other yoyos and they are very different. Well, ill see in a few years time. But they do look exactly like emmas rostratas.

Hi Clownloachsharky and Graeme , I think you are both right ! CLS's are young fishes whilst G's have grown a bit and the pattern is changing !

yes at that photo they were about to less than an inch and they have been fattening up and growth spurt is soon to come so fingers crossed

4-5"? They get bigger!

I have a shoal of five yoyos in a 55g tank. They're about 13 years old, I think. The largest is definitely more towards the 7" range, but the smallest is still down at about 4". The others are in the 5-6" range.

Also, mine eat pretty much every piece of greenery I put in that tank, with the exception of Java fern and crazy fern. Nothing else stood a chance. Just so you know. You'd think I never feed them!

Edit: I also don't call mine "aggressive". They're assertive, for sure, but I've had tiger barbs that were more aggressive than the yoyos.

Wow Graeme those are some amazing pictures