Loaches Online Forum

Hello everyone, I'm a beginner aquarium enthusiast and this is my first post here. I am in the process of planning a tank (have not purchased a tank) and am curious as to how quickly weather/dojo loaches tend to grow. The dojo loaches at my LFS are roughly 2.5"-3"; when can I expect them to have grown 1"? 5"? Full length? I'd appreciate any guidance from those of you who have had dojo loaches before. Thanks!

Hi greenclove, and welcome to Loaches Online.

Weather loaches grow very quickly when young and slow down once they get past the 4-5" mark. Many factors will influence the rate of growth, such as tank size, water quality/frequency of water changes, good mixed diet and so on, so it wouldn't be possible to say exactly how long they would take to grow an inch etc.

I have in my care 3 baby weather loaches (that bred at one of my other half's fish stores). They were tiny when we first found them, but they have grown extremely quickly! (If you're interested see this thread: http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=6396 ). I must update with some more pics actually....

Anyway, of more use would be the species profile for the most commonly available Weather loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, as this will give you tips on their requirements: http://www.loaches.com/species-index/we ... licaudatus

If the Weather loaches are pretty small, they would probably be ok in a 3ft long tank to start with, but they will need moving to a larger tank (at least 4ft long) within a few months. Go for the absolute biggest you can, as it is always best to move the fish as least often as you can.

Hope this helps,

Emma

Thank you so much for your help, this is exactly what I was looking for. I just wanted to get an idea of whether a larger tank would be needed and if so, whether it would be needed in a matter of months or whether I'd have up to a year or so to invest in a larger tank. I think at this point I'm going to wait until I can get a 55 gal.

The baby loaches are absolutely adorable, please post more on their progress! And thank you again for your help!

No problem, glad to be of assistance. Thanks for the nice comments re: the baby weather loaches too.

Emma

Hi Greenclove, and welcome

its good to see that you are being so responsible and asking about the fish before you go out and buy them and thanks for giving me the chance to join you in saying to Emma "progress report and photos please!"

Mine grew from 2" to 5" in about a year. Ayear later he grew about another 1-1.5". So fast at the start.

Right now, I have a 65-gallon for my three dojos, which are roughly three-to-four inches long. They're in a community tank with other peaceful fish and some Amano shrimp and snails. Previously, they were in my 20-gallon tall when they were smaller. I knew they would need more space to swim in, so transferred them over after the big tank was cycled. Both tanks are planted.

It's good to get as large a tank as possible, as dojos prefer to live in a group with other dojos. Having just one by itself would be unnatural for it. I would suggest three or four together in a large and spacious tank. Do keep it tightly lidded, as dojos can easily escape an aquarium and live for awhile outside of the water. They seem to specialize in getting out, so any holes in the top to accommodate airlines or other equipment must be as small as possible. If you ever find one missing from your tank, better start looking around on the ground, as they can travel good distances rather quickly. They have a way of storing oxygen in their bodies which allows them to live outside a tank as long as they don't dry out. But eventually, they would have to be returned, as they can't stay out indefinitely. It's best they not escape to begin with, as the environment outside of their aquarium may not be safe for them.