Zipper Loaches Updated with pictures for postive ID please

[starsplitter7]

My favorite LFS closes its doors this month. I am crushed. They had two zipper loaches for sale. I will get pictures soon for ID. I have them in separate tanks until I find out if they can hang out.

One is in my little loach grow out tank. It is a little under 2 inches and has a buff belly and circles down the sides. A stripe from nose to eye. It looks very much like Acanthocobitis botia, but not a really good spot on the tail fin.

The larger one about 3" is in my mini grrr tank and is mostly a buff color with no spotting and striping.

[Diana]

Looking forward to seeing the pics! They sound like completely different fish. Were both called Zippers?

[mickthefish]

where's the pics, i want pics.

mick

[starsplitter7]

Introducing Little Zipper Loach! He's living in the Loach grow out tank with lots of aeration. I would like to put the two together. Is that safe?

Hi!

With the little Yoyo

With the young Histie and a tiny lone Sid. Will need to find buddies for these guys?


Leaping Cories in a single bound.


Introducing Zipper #2 -- 3 inches.

I am shy.


My tail -- does not look this red in real life.

[mickthefish]

very nice, thanks for the pics.

mick

[starsplitter7]

Are they zippers? Can I house these fish together?

[mickthefish]

i'd say they were, especially the first one and counting the dorsal rays on number 2 i'd go with A botia again unusual pattern though.
i think most will want a pic of the fish out in the open.
they should settle down well in that tank.

mick

[starsplitter7]

The small one is doing well in the loach grow out tank. But I have the larger one with my skunks. My skunks are well-behaved and seem to enjoy chasing each other. They leave this "zipper" alone. Do you think I could have both zippers in the loach grow out tank?

[helen nightingale]

all the fish in your photos are lovely. that yoyo in the top picture looks a lot bigger than in the second one.

[starsplitter7]

There's one Yoyo and one Histie in this tank. The yoyo is pretty big -- grew from less than an inch to 3 Inches in a few months. I am getting ready to move him to the main loach tank where I have Yoyos 3-5 inches. I need to find some more Histies and Sids. Never seen them before. The Histie has such a nice personality. They should replace Clowns with Histies as the loach to sell.

[starsplitter7]

I went ahead and moved the larger zipper to the loach grow out tank. I will keep an eye out that they do not hurt each other. The larger zipper just seemed so stressed, and the smaller one, so happy. Tell me these guys will be happy together, and they are communal. (I did check the species index -- it didn't say, and so many of these long loaches are not happy with each other.)

[starsplitter7]

Here's #2 in transport and unhappy.