Loaches Online Forum

Got some great loach deals on Black Friday that I thought I'd share photos of. More pictures will be added once they get more settled and are easier to photograph.

Taken from: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/foru ... 424/page-5

Dwarf chain loaches (with neon tetra photobombers):


Black kuhli loach (with pictus catfish photobomber):

Bumping this thread because the pet store got zebra loaches in for Black Friday this year! And I have been looking for them since July!
Got to put photos here when I get them.

I loved my zebras (b. striatas). They were a bit shy but I only was able to get 6 (they were called yoyos, lol). Go for many more, you won't be sorry! Mine werevery slow growers. They were between 1-1.5 inches when I got them & never got more than 3.5in or so after 7 or 8 years. Then I had to move...I would love to keep them again, so pretty & mellow! I kept them with 10 or 12 sidthimunkis...the sid females were dominant. They divided into half sid & half striata groups at each end of the tank. Different than I expected...you never know...

Thanks again for telling me about yours, mine hiding has been a fear for me before I considered what factors I had in my favor. I'm hoping the high flow+oxygen and cool temperature in my tank will bring them out like it did the kuhlis.

Personally I suspect the reason they are reported to hide as much as they do is too high temperatures and likely not enough flow or oxygen, which ought to all make them feel like staying in their hides (it's like what you or I would do on a very hot day, sit in the shade instead of jog). A lot of keepers forget that they come from waters in the 20-21 Celsius range, as opposed to the 25-28+ Celsius temperatures they keep their tanks at.

I'm not sure I agree with your theory. I had fairly high flow & oxygenation but did have seasonal higher temps in their tank when the sun came in a small window at the west end of their tank in fall. I shaded it but it was still warmer than at other times of year.

So many variables...it's hard to say which are the "magic numbers" for any species. If you read the species descriptions of many, many loaches they are, well, very similar, like cut & paste. But different from actual science people reporting from the field sites where the fish were collected over time...I tend to prefer the actual in situ data rather than the general "they survive" at given parameters of hobbyists & importers (Martin & Emma respectively) et al. But I also respect their generalizations up to a point.

But ya know if you want to find a given data point set you certainly can. There are people who have kept any fish, not just loaches. in less than what you or I would call "ideal tanks" & have for many years. Are their experiences less valuable because they don't fit with ours? Think about it...

Yes, it is very hard to say for sure (hence it's a theory). Every tank being different with all its variables also has to be considered of course.

Perhaps if I can speak with the Ad Konings of Asian fish (whoever that is?), I can obtain some better data. All in the name of less hiding zebra loaches!

After 7 or 8 years of trying, I finally got a few inches out of them. And then I was uprooted...They are so lovely and easygoing that I would love to have them back. Too high of temperatures, and probably not enough flow or oxygen, ought to make them feel like hiding in their hides, which is what I assume is happening based on reportsgeometry dash lite.