Loaches Online Forum

Anybody have ideas on where I might look for mature loaches?
Last week I bought a 4" yoyo from my lfs (only one they had)- and I think she'd probably be happier if she had some buddies.

Actually, she's in a 10 gallon quarantine tank right now (after another week or so will move to a 75), and keeps trying to jump out. She has hiding places, and the water's clean (it's a new tank, but I'm doing 25% changes every other day until she's moved out)- so, I'm guessing she's stressed out by either the small tank or the fact that she's alone.

Is it a new setup or does it have a mature bio filter? If it's new, she could be reacting to the cycling of the tank. Even doing water changes every day a loach in a cyling tank will suffer. If new, take some of the filter media from your 75 to add to the filter on the 10g.

Could also be because she's alone...

You might try keeping the lighting dim, and adding some floating oak leaves, the dried out kind, they'll sink and she'll love them. Drop a few in some boiling water for about 30 seconds, cool and add to the tank. Keep the tank tightly covered and watch her every day to check for any signs of illness/parasites before you take her out of there. You may want to keep her there till you find a couple of friends so they can all join the 75 together.

When you add your new loach to the established tank, do a good cleaning first, check the water parameters of both tanks to see that they are similar, and move around some decorations. That will help the pecking order to re-establish itself and all the inhabitants will be busy adapting to the new scene rather than checking out the new guys.

The 10gal is brand new- my assumption was that one 4" fish (and a tiny butterfly loach) in 10 gallons wouldn't produce enough ammonia in a day or two to be harmful, so that if I did constant water changes during the two weeks, they'd be alright. Maybe I underestimated her digestive system a bit, though. I think I'll step up to 25% every day for the remaining week. Also I'm adding seachem 'stability' and some plants from an established tank which should help a bit.
I have been keeping the lights off as much as possible (room & tank lights). So far she looks good physically, and is eating well, but she is VERY shy.
Where would I find dried oak leaves? Do aquarium shops have them?

Hmm... actually, I do have an established 20 gallon that has danios, two otocinclus, and a snail in it. Maybe I could relocate the snail and move the yoyo to that tank. I hate to put a new fish right into a tank like that, but then the loach is much harder to replace than a handful of danios and otos.

you can always just get another smaller loach. I'm sure the lil1 would love to bother a more mature one LOL.

Well, what I didn't mention in this thread is that the big loach is going into a 75 *with a baby oscar.* So, any loaches headed for that tank need to have a big head start on lil' oscar size wise, because he'll grow really fast.

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One of the LFS that I usually go has recieved ten 8" Clown loaches for sale but unfortunatelly it´s in Brazil and I don´t think they would send fish for another country.