Mixing loaches

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CheeseSticklover99
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2022 10:17 pm

Mixing loaches

Post by CheeseSticklover99 » Wed Sep 14, 2022 1:51 am

Hi everyone! Hope you're all doing well! To really ask my question, I feel like I need to give you all a brief recap of my loach keeping history.
2 years ago I was a super newb at fishkeeping in general and purchased one yoyo loach from a chain petstore. Long story short, I figured out they are schooling fish so I kept going back to the store looking for more and was able to get 2 more. They all seemed okay but then I finally started going exclusively to a real tropical fish store. Everything I read online said a group of six would be good so I bought 3 more. The three new ones were just a half inch bigger than the original three. I know now that they were in too small of a tank :'( (40 gallon) and the three bigger ones started killing the smaller ones. When I got up in the morning 2 were already dead and they were actively biting the third. I returned the three bigger loaches to the store and put the last of the original three in quarantine. That was 1.5 years ago. Today that little loach from quarantine is 3 inches long, healthy, BUT only has one eye.
A year ago I read somewhere that golden zebra loaches (botia histrionica) were really friendly so I got two of them. The three loaches all hang out and school together in a 100 gallon tank for the last 9 months. I didn't get more yoyo's because I'm terrified and my heart still hurts over the mistakes I've made in the past.
I read everyone's Q&As on this forum for a long time and I appreciate you all so much! This is my first post.
So, my question is, since I have such a larger tank now, would it be okay to add 2 or 3 more loaches? And what breed? They seem happy now and I don't want to disrupt that.
100 gallon tank
Temp 72 F
PH 7
KH 80
GH 180
Nitrate 20
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
I have hard water so the GH reading is high.
1 yoyo
2 golden zebra
6 harlequin rasboras
9 panda corydoras
8 glass catfish

Any advice is so appreciated. I read that burmese border loaches (botia kubotai) will hang out with other loach species if they're the same size? Or should I just stick with the golden zebras?
Thank you!

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: Mixing loaches

Post by NancyD » Thu Sep 15, 2022 11:49 pm

I have never kept yoyos but loved my histrionicas (your golden zebras). I would add more histys, say 3-5. But I don't know how well the glass cats will work, another species I haven't kept.

Have several hidding "caves" for the loaches. I "think" the glass cats will hang out near the surface but may be too wimpy, keep an eye on their safety. & watch out for the corys too. Loaches are pretty territorial, corys don't understand that & may blunder into loachy areas. I did not keep histrionicas with corys, I don't know how that might work out.

Fingers crossed for your tank. I don't really know the dimensions a 100g, too many options. I hope it has a big footprint (bottom size), better for loaches & corys than a "high" tank".
Image

NancyD
Posts: 1608
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:17 pm
Location: SF bay area,US

Re: Mixing loaches

Post by NancyD » Thu Sep 15, 2022 11:51 pm

I forgot to say you can add several more rasboras, 6 is a minimum. They'll be happier in a larger group & I don't think the loaches will bother them.
Image

CheeseSticklover99
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2022 10:17 pm

Re: Mixing loaches

Post by CheeseSticklover99 » Fri Sep 16, 2022 5:22 pm

Thank you NancyD! I will talk to the people at the fish store about what you said. Thank you so much!

ChanelLeuschke
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2022 9:26 pm

Re: Mixing loaches

Post by ChanelLeuschke » Thu Jan 05, 2023 4:47 am

Many thanks, NancyD! I'll bring up what you stated with the staff at the fish market. I greatly appreciate it. drift boss

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