Favorite Loach

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Ravenmoon
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Favorite Loach

Post by Ravenmoon » Sun Apr 19, 2009 4:16 pm

I thought I would start a fun thread on everyone's favorite loach or loaches. So few questions to run with, what is your favorite loach or loaches, why, whether or not you currently keep that particular loach or loaches, and if you do keep that loach, then a little about the aquarium setup.

Diana
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Post by Diana » Sun Apr 19, 2009 7:08 pm

Do I have to pick just one?

At the moment I am torn between the various hillstream type fish in my 20 long (Schistura types, Darter Tetras, Gastromyzom types)

...and Vailantella maassii. I have only seen these guys twice: When I bought them, and when I moved the tank. Beautiful! but where are they??
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.

Happy fish keeping!

wasserscheu
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Post by wasserscheu » Tue Apr 21, 2009 6:31 am

let me pick two, we all know it's not possible, as from each look into the tanks there are a lot of favorites in there.

I recently moved 16 Yunnanilus brevis from Quarantine into the tanks. I enjoy so much how they school and play. When I enter the room they hide. But than they stick there heads out and come to me and occasionally stay right in front of my face - I interprete their behavior as very sensitive, that's why they are my favourite for this thread.

The second ones are Aborichthys elongatus, I currently don't have any, but remember them as always looking straight into my eyes. When close, they even crosseye, that is so sweet... and of course they are always busy doing their landscaping. (I got an addresse from Thomas which worked and I receiced some. A virus from other fish wiped out the q-tank. So I need to do some work and hope, to still be able to get some, they are hard to get around here).
Wolfram

starsplitter7
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Post by starsplitter7 » Tue Apr 21, 2009 2:27 pm

Maybe a better question is why we like different types of loaches? :) To choose just one. I can't.

I love my Dojos because they are like big puppies in my tank. Whisker my fingers and check me out when I am in the tank.

B. histrionica because it stays pretty small and has a very nice personality. I think this is the best all around loach. Smaller size, nice personality.

My B. striata because they are so perky and spunky. Happy fish.

My Skunks because they are twitchy and funny. Want attention. And mine do not live up to their reputaion. They are well behaved.

My Kuhlies for doing the loachy dance along the glass.

My horseheads because they think I can't see them when they are staring at me from below the sand. :) "You can't see me!"

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Thomas
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Post by Thomas » Wed Apr 22, 2009 2:20 pm

My absolute favorites are the loaches of the group of the subfamily Cobitinae e.g. Cobitis, Lepidocephalichthys, Pangio.

I like the slender body shape, and how they chewing the sand to find some food. At the genera Cobitis and Lepidocephalichthys I love the markings and patterns.

Mike Ophir
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Post by Mike Ophir » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:14 pm

My favorite loach of all time has to be Yasuhikotakia caudipunctata, hands down. Beautiful fish, and even more beautiful behavior.

Mike
A proud member of LOL since 1998

CatsandFish
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Location: Heerhugowaard, Netherlands

Post by CatsandFish » Mon Apr 27, 2009 4:44 am

Currently i keep 2 Species of Loaches
9 Y. Sidthimunki i really love these guys an girls 8). They are always curious to what you're doing and what anything else is aswell.
They are going to get their own 3 ft tank somewhere this year, so defenitely these are my Favorites
Closely followed by Sewellia Lineolata (still haven,t found any in the area)
Also i keep 7 Beaufortia Kweichowensis in a 2ft tank with plenty of current and oxygen 8)
Try And Pry Open Your Third Eye

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Ravenmoon
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Post by Ravenmoon » Wed Apr 29, 2009 6:58 pm

Are the kubs a particular favorite of anyones? I love their markings, but they are kind of hard to find around here. I'm thinking of making them (10-12 individuals) the center piece of a 75 gallon I'm planning on setting up in the next couple of years. What do you guys think?

Diana
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Location: Near San Franciso

Post by Diana » Wed Apr 29, 2009 8:15 pm

Kubs are well behaved, out-front sort and would make a good show fish.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.

Happy fish keeping!

plaalye
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Location: Bellingham, Wa.

Post by plaalye » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:13 pm

If I had to pick one it would be kubotai. They're beautiful, and mine are very easy going with all their tankmates. Have a look on aquabid if you can't find them locally.

OneWay
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Post by OneWay » Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:28 am

I have a very very rotund ~4.5" Dario that is just a goofy, bossy little goober. I have many other loaches, but this one is just interesting,, almost as if it has a smirk on it face all the time because it is up to no good. Of course this is the leader of the Darios and takes the best hideouts.

I have to wonder what Darios do during mating though.. since this rotund seemingly female is all the rage for a certain smaller Dario, i refer to as the "pimp" Mostly because he dances around my other Darios. He is most found of my plump Dario, I do not think it is eggs, but she huge in comparison to the other loaches. I have been thinking she was just getting fat due to being the dominant loach with the best spot for food., but with the way the smaller loach is behaving I am starting to wonder. She has slimmed down considerably over the last several days, but I am not sure if it is from lack of eating or breeding.

I was lucky enough to have my wife as a witness to the "males" behavior,, she actually said "what a pimp" as he was going from loach to loach in the same manner. He was herding a school of 3 larger presumably female loaches around the tank, showing off all the while.
He tends to swirl around them in a radius and whenever they stop he fans his fins and shakes his tail/anal fin much like a showing african cichlid, but much quicker.

The loaches have been exposed to 2 very large water changes.. one was about 2 weeks ago when the tank was torn down and moved into our new house,, the other was just 3 days ago when they were moved into the new tank. PH 7.2, temp 79 degrees F, and all other parameters normal.


Anyone see this behavior before?

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Rubix
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Post by Rubix » Thu Dec 31, 2009 6:56 pm

Ravenmoon wrote:Are the kubs a particular favorite of anyones? I love their markings, but they are kind of hard to find around here. I'm thinking of making them (10-12 individuals) the center piece of a 75 gallon I'm planning on setting up in the next couple of years. What do you guys think?
Kubs are definitely one of my favorites, I have always had more of them than any other fish 8) They are not hard to find by me though high quality, healthy, plump kubs are somewhat hard to find here. They make great centerpieces when there is a good quantity and hierarchy. Do it 8)

newshound
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Location: northern ontario

Post by newshound » Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:15 pm

I have 13 species of botia

grrr tank
robusta -- man they move!

reg tank
histies -- so up front.

but I love them all!
drain your pool!

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Marcos Mataratzis
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Post by Marcos Mataratzis » Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:34 pm

I have YoYos, kub, modesta, sids, striatas, morletis and Clowns. Clown loaches are my favorite!
My 450L Loaches tank
31 clown, 5 morleti, 2 sidthimunki

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onebto
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Location: Surrey England

Post by onebto » Fri Jan 01, 2010 7:58 am

I have to big up the Clown Loach .

I have to admit I've only kept 2 species of loach the other is Kuhli's so I do not have experience of others types, I look forward to the near future (February) and a bigger tank then after a reasonable while I will look into adding some other species of Loach.

My Clowns are Like personal friends each one a definable character. My wife is amazed and some what frustrated (constantly mistaking one for another :roll:) that I can identify each one not just by size but to me there very clear differences in markings and in most cases there habits.

Chromobotia macracanthus :D Truly have earn't there nick name Clowns I spend nothing short of to much time watching them play and explore there home, especially when I do my major monthly tank clean as I never put all the rocks and bog wood back the same.

It appears to me an almost increased excitement from them when Dad's finished setting up and they start checking out the changes.

When time allows in the evening I sit on the couch next to the tank it does not take long for a few if not all to come up to the front of the tank staring at me making faces turning upside down, waving there fins knowing it would not be long before I cave and put a food wafer in the tank. Click click CLICK lol there fantastic !

Regards onebto

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