ONCE AGAIN GONNA EDIT AND POINT THIS OUT... as I don't even have a tank with me right now... this is just for general knowledge...
Hypothetical situation BTW...
Hypothetical situation BTW...
Hypothetical situation BTW...
Hypothetical situation BTW...
Hypothetical situation BTW...
Lets say for example, you have a 125gallon tank. You love loaches and you think they are awesome, colorful bottom feeders. So you go online read up about some loaches, realize most need to be in schools of 5 or more, you pick out your favorites, and go to the local LFS.
But, when you get there... they don't have 5 of the loach you wanted. All they have is one of one species, 2 of another, 3 of another, ect. So now your confused but you really want a loach.
Then a bright idea pops in your head... "Hmmm, these loaches all look similar to each other. I will just by one or two of each to make a school!" So you go and buy one yoyo loach, 2 stripped loaches, 1 skunk loach, and one orange finned loach.
So... what would happen (ignore the fact the stripped loaches are more docile... couldn't think of any of other loach off the top of my head)
1. They are all lonely, only hanging out with there own species and will bicker with each other over territory.
2. They form a school of 5, one loach becomes the alpha loach like always and they live happily ever after.
3. Somewhere in between.
Will Different Loach Species School With Each Other
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Will Different Loach Species School With Each Other
Last edited by dbcb314 on Sun Jun 03, 2007 11:13 pm, edited 3 times in total.
skunks and orange finned (modestas) are agressive and will fight with each other and everybody else.
one yoyo? depending on the personality which varies from fish to fish, could hang with the striatas or not. would get into it with the two above, and will likely be either reclusive, or neurotic, or aggressive.
the striatas will run...a lot.
option 2 is not an option...
one yoyo? depending on the personality which varies from fish to fish, could hang with the striatas or not. would get into it with the two above, and will likely be either reclusive, or neurotic, or aggressive.
the striatas will run...a lot.
option 2 is not an option...
books. gotta love em!
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My Clowns rarely hang out with my Yoyos.
I generally limit each tank to one Loach species.
As Shari points out, each species has its own aggression level, and within that species each fish has its own personality. There are also some habitat differences among the various species, though many do overlap enough to keep several species happy in one tank, from a water chemistry, temperature and decor angle. Most Loaches (not all!) seem to like hiding under logs or in caves. A large tank might have plenty of such places, so a couple of Loach species could find enough homes in a tank with plenty of floor space.
If at all possible, get the few that are available of the one species that you like, then get more when they are available, or ask the store to special order the fish in the quantity that you would like.
I generally limit each tank to one Loach species.
As Shari points out, each species has its own aggression level, and within that species each fish has its own personality. There are also some habitat differences among the various species, though many do overlap enough to keep several species happy in one tank, from a water chemistry, temperature and decor angle. Most Loaches (not all!) seem to like hiding under logs or in caves. A large tank might have plenty of such places, so a couple of Loach species could find enough homes in a tank with plenty of floor space.
If at all possible, get the few that are available of the one species that you like, then get more when they are available, or ask the store to special order the fish in the quantity that you would like.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
Re: Will Different Loach Species School With Each Other
IMHO it's #3. I have 5 clown loaches and 5 zebra loaches in my tank and they do shoal together. Not as strongly as with their own species, though. Their behaviour is remarkably similar, too.dbcb314 wrote:So... what would happen (ignore the fact the stripped loaches are more docile... couldn't think of any of other loach off the top of my head)
[cut]
3. Somewhere in between.
For sure they do recognize the "other" species as being of their kind - they touch each other and knibble at them quite the same.
-Connor
'I ought never to act except in such a way that I can also will that my maxim should become a universal law.'
I have found that Corys with similar patterns shoal together better than different colored ones. Various spotted species will play with other spotted species, for example, but not so much with the solid or striped species.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
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Emma Turner
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The more you can keep together of one species the better. It's more natural and you will get to observe their complex social structures.
Not all species of Botiine loach are compatible either, so be sure to research any before purchasing. I've never really observed one type of Botia actively shoaling with another kind, even those with quite similar markings.
Emma
Not all species of Botiine loach are compatible either, so be sure to research any before purchasing. I've never really observed one type of Botia actively shoaling with another kind, even those with quite similar markings.
Emma
East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
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Mark in Vancouver
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I agree with Emma. Don't feel limited by what the fish shop might have in on any given visit. Make it known what you're looking for and talk to them about it. The worst thing you can do as you set up a fresh tank is hurry.
Maybe we can convince MadDuff to post some more photos of his dedicated Y. sidthimunki tank. A big shoal of one species looks and behaves completely differently than a mix and match tank. I gave into temptation to collect small numbers of as many Botiine loaches as I could find when my big tank was up and running, and regretted it over and over. Give me a dozen of one species any day!
They will interact, of course. But they will not shoal or display the social behaviours that make them so attractive.
Don't feel compelled to design your tank based on what the fish shop has in stock. I think that's the best lesson you can get prior to setting up a tank.
Maybe we can convince MadDuff to post some more photos of his dedicated Y. sidthimunki tank. A big shoal of one species looks and behaves completely differently than a mix and match tank. I gave into temptation to collect small numbers of as many Botiine loaches as I could find when my big tank was up and running, and regretted it over and over. Give me a dozen of one species any day!
They will interact, of course. But they will not shoal or display the social behaviours that make them so attractive.
Don't feel compelled to design your tank based on what the fish shop has in stock. I think that's the best lesson you can get prior to setting up a tank.
Your vantage point determines what you can see.
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crazy loaches
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Yoyo's and Kubs: No. They would not shoal together.
I have two scenarios realized right now:
In one tank, they simply ignore each other.
In another tank, an unusually assertive Kub terrorizes the only yoyo there.
The happiest Kubs are the ones in a 10g quarantine tank with no yoyo's.
(within two months all the Kubs will be in their own tank...)
Now, Yoyo's and Zippers actually do move together at times....cannot call this shoal, but 2-3 Zippers following a larger Yoyo looks nice.
Now, Kubs + Histrionica? Could this work?
I have two scenarios realized right now:
In one tank, they simply ignore each other.
In another tank, an unusually assertive Kub terrorizes the only yoyo there.
The happiest Kubs are the ones in a 10g quarantine tank with no yoyo's.
(within two months all the Kubs will be in their own tank...)
Now, Yoyo's and Zippers actually do move together at times....cannot call this shoal, but 2-3 Zippers following a larger Yoyo looks nice.
Now, Kubs + Histrionica? Could this work?
in response to mike, ive wondered the same about histrionicas and kubs. i've also wondered about striatas and kubs.
-Jamie
--Various images
--Various images
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Emma Turner
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Every scenario is different, but we've had sizeable groups of the following in our 8ft display tank at the shop for some years now, and all only shoal with their own kind:
Clown loaches, Botia striata, Botia dario (although these have never been that tightly shoaling), Botia kubotai and Botia histrionica.
We've never observed any shoaling between the B. kubotai and B. histrionica whatsoever. There may be a little interaction between the two species, but definitely no shoaling.
Emma
Clown loaches, Botia striata, Botia dario (although these have never been that tightly shoaling), Botia kubotai and Botia histrionica.
We've never observed any shoaling between the B. kubotai and B. histrionica whatsoever. There may be a little interaction between the two species, but definitely no shoaling.
Emma
East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
When my clowns and yo yos were smaller, they did tend to pal around together as well as sleep together. However, now they have grown some and there is no or very little interaction. The clowns live together in one cave and each yo yo has it's own individual cave. This particular tank has about 5 black loaches that live in one cave complex way in the back of the tank.
In another tank I have some kub, clowns and straita loaches. Again everyone stays with their own group. The clowns have their own cave, the straita each have their own caves and the kub share their spot with the 6 inch gold nugget and have since the nugget arrived 18 months ago. They moved right in with it and have been a group ever since.
I might add that each tank has a cave complex of at least 10 caves. The one tank has each cave connected so that the kub's love to weave their way thru in chases. At times, the 4 clowns will do the same thing.
Another tank has only black and regular kuhli loaches. They tend to mingle all the time. They have broken down to three groups. Two consisting of all kuhlis and the other has the mixture of black and regular kuhli loaches. Each group has their own cave complex.
In another tank I have some kub, clowns and straita loaches. Again everyone stays with their own group. The clowns have their own cave, the straita each have their own caves and the kub share their spot with the 6 inch gold nugget and have since the nugget arrived 18 months ago. They moved right in with it and have been a group ever since.
I might add that each tank has a cave complex of at least 10 caves. The one tank has each cave connected so that the kub's love to weave their way thru in chases. At times, the 4 clowns will do the same thing.
Another tank has only black and regular kuhli loaches. They tend to mingle all the time. They have broken down to three groups. Two consisting of all kuhlis and the other has the mixture of black and regular kuhli loaches. Each group has their own cave complex.
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Martin Thoene
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I have 3 kubotai in with 3 histrionica and the 10 Clowns.
While the Clowns are all out and about looking to be fed the hists will swim with them. Very occasionally the kubotai will mix with the hists but generally only in the lower parts of the tank.
This video (with LOUD soundtrack....turn down your speakers) shows a typical scene. The kubotai stay low in the tank while the histrionica are far more interactive with one another and swim at all levels. They do this virtually all day too. The kubotai are far more secretive. They will swim with the hists for very brief periods as shown at the very start of the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRBKC7ydoLc
Martin.
While the Clowns are all out and about looking to be fed the hists will swim with them. Very occasionally the kubotai will mix with the hists but generally only in the lower parts of the tank.
This video (with LOUD soundtrack....turn down your speakers) shows a typical scene. The kubotai stay low in the tank while the histrionica are far more interactive with one another and swim at all levels. They do this virtually all day too. The kubotai are far more secretive. They will swim with the hists for very brief periods as shown at the very start of the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRBKC7ydoLc
Martin.
Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.
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