Loaches Online Forum

As the thread title says, why do you like loaches?

I like them for their colorful patterns, variety between species, activity, social nature, unusual behaviors (eg: playing dead), inquisitiveness, relative ease of care, and compatibility with many species. No other type of fish that I am aware of has all of these attributes at once.

I wonder whether loaches are really easy to care for, but that aside.

I like their sillyness. I have heard fish from the catfish familly Trichomisteridia (most likely misspelled) from South America have a similar behaviour, but I never kept them. Never had the opportunity

Yes, I believe it is Trichomycteridae.

1000% agreed on the silliness, don't know why I didn't mention it. Kuhli loaches dancing up and down the height of the tank followed by curling up all together in a writhing mass, or Botia loaches toying with each other on an almost continuous basis, for example, are some of the best representations of it.

Would be intriguing to see catfish behave like such. I know of no catfish species that has similar behavior to that/\.

All fish have adaptations and "cool" aspects. Could be size, fins or color.
But when it comes to loaches and gobies, I feel someone spent a bit more time making them just a little more interesting in terms of physiology and behavior.
From social dynamics and hierarchies, to feeding in shoals and playing. They do seem to have heaps of character.
In addition to this is their unique adaptations that make them specialists in their niche environments such as thriving in rapids, climbing water falls etc.
Even the way botias click while feeding is fascinating.

Probably because they are fun to watch. I mean they are not my favorite fish, but they really have unique personalities.

Their antics and their cool looking stripes of course.

As a Yorkshireman brought up to appreciate value for money, I see long life as another valuable characteristic.

My current six Clown Loaches, which I purchased once I'd settled down to live in a permanent residence, are 28 years of age and they have given no trouble since arriving with Whitespot (Ich) of which they were cured.

Not many large tropical fish retain so much colour, even if they do not have the vibrancy of juveniles in their later life.

Their social nature means you can keep an interactive family of them which is great to watch due to their fascinating behaviour, yet there are no problems of breeding and overpopulation which can be a difficulty with other fish at times.

They are good feeders and eat everything so this presents no difficulty and they can have a varied high quality diet.

You don't need to have an expensive or technical setup to keep them. Tap water will usually be fine. I have quite a basic six foot setup with a single heater, undergravel filtration driven by powerheads and T8 lights but it works perfectly for me. My aquarium and equipment dates from the 1970s and I've been keeping Clown Loaches since that time.

If I were restricted to a smaller tank I would have no disappointment in keeping Dwarf Chain Loach which although lacking bright colours exhibit all the other owner satisfaction attributes, just in miniature in my experience. Doubtless many other species would make the grade though I haven't kept them.

Their mischief and, of course, their stylish stripes. basketball stars

Their cool-looking stripes and antics are just two of their many charms. geometry dash

Hard to explain, their faces are all very cute and I love their overall shape. I think the shape of an animal makes it incredibly cute to me. I'm not that interested in mammals for that reason.

Loaches have fascinating behavior. They exhibit a variety of interesting behaviors, such as burrowing, scavenging, and interacting with their environment. Some species are known for their playful antics, like the popular clown loach, which can be seen darting around and engaging in social interactions with other loaches.

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