Loaches Online Forum

This is my first post on this awesome site. I want to give some thanks for the information I've already been able to gather regarding the Yo-yo and Hillstream Loaches I'm keeping, so, thanks! They currently reside in a planted 20-gallon with a few Cherry Barbs and some rocks, but they definitely need more room and special treatment (in the case of the Hillstreams).

I just set up a tank last night to house the Hillstreams (Beaufortia sp., I believe), a 24 long (36x12x12") with a couple of unidirectional powerheads with inflows at the opposite end of the tank and PVC returns underneath the substrate. Once cycled, the tank will contain White Clouds, hopefully a cool-water shrimp species (read somewhere that Tigers or Bumblebees like cool, fast-flowing water) and the aforementioned Hillstream Loaches. Does that sound good? Any further suggestions?

The others (Yo-yos and Cherry Barbs) may soon get quite a treat, as I might be coming into the possession of a 100 gallon long (72x18x18") to use as a grow-out tank for my plants. Here's the real fun; I have absolutely no idea what I want to do in terms of stocking. The only "for sures" are going to be a few more of the fish I already have (topping out around 8-10 Yo-yos and 15 or so Cherries), but other than that, I'm game for anything. Would like to keep an Asian theme, and while I know this site is likely to be loach intensive in terms of suggestions, I'm not sure if I want any others that might distract from the fascinating behavior of the Yo-yos (plus the only thing I'm likely to find locally would be Clowns or possibly Khulis). Any with experience keeping Yo-yos and other loaches could certainly change my mind....

In my experience, open ended forum posts like this tend not to garner much response, but I figured it was worth a try. Thanks again for all of the assistance already rendered, and in advance for anything to come.

Joe

alright...
100 gallon tank... is way too small for 8-10 yo-yos... they can get up to 6-8" (someone correct me if i'm wrong, but that's what i was told on my three little guys)... they're awesome fish and i love them too, but you don't want to overstock a tank and stunt their growth and cause problems on your end with bio load and all of that. look at adding a pleco of some-kind. i have an asian theme bedroom and the pleco looks good in it i have a clown pleco and a bushy-nose/bristle nose pleco it's a girl so the barbles aren't big at all... they don't get big and they'll help clean the tank (only get a pleco if the tank is established though *they need driftwood in their diet*) um... as for the barbs i don't know much about cherry barbs, but as with any type of barb they nip so i guess female bettas are out of the question (you can keep multiples in a tank and it would match your asian theme). clowns are great but they get huge most topping easily 12" !! and khulis are GREAT i have 6 black ones, wish i could get the normal ones. you can count khulis as 1.5" of fish instead of the three due to their skinny nature. with loaches you can be a little over the inch per gallon rule, but it means much more work for you and possible stress/stunting of the fish. well... i hope this has helped you in some way, i know it's like a novella.. take care, and if i think of other asian fish i'll post some more or if you have questions what-not i'll keep an eye on here and look out for ya! welcome to the forums, enjoy!

Although I'm new here, I thought I would toss in my $0.02 worth. Since I'm still working on my learning curve with loaches, I can recommend some asian fish other than loaches

Siamese Algea Eaters are great, and not too hard to come by - they shoal nicely too and like some current. Plus, they work hard.

Although I've never kept them, Badis badis look really neat, although I don't know enough about them to know how they would get on with the yoyos.

You can get some beautiful danios http://www.danios.info/ . I think they also do fine in cool water if you are looking for something else for your subtropical tank. IME though I've got pearl danios and they think my very small cherry shrimp look tasty - they leave the bigger ones alone though - just something to keep in mind if you're considering shrimp - go with one of the smaller danio species. Mine enjoy the current also, but they seem pretty adaptable.

Schools of rasboras are nice, and the harlequins colour up nicely with age. The little emerald eyes are quite cute, but not sure if you want something that small. Again, I'm not sure how they would fare with yoyos.

There are some neat asian catfish, but they'll eat small things in your tank - chaca chacas, and all sorts of different cats - http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworld/185.PHP.

What about a knife fish? Again, not sure about the yoyos , but Black ghost knives are beautiful and you've got the space. They would eventually dine on your cherry barbs, but you could always move them into your coolwater tank. You've also got the space for Bala sharks if you are looking for something bigger. Even with 100 gallons, I would stay away from irridescent sharks - their mature size is huge.

If you're looking for shrimp info, this is a good site. http://www.petshrimp.com/shrimpspecies.html

Enjoy the 100 gallon - I'm very jealous.....

Thanks for the advice. I'll probably keep the total number of Yo-yos at 6 or 7 max. Aside from that we'll just have to see what's available when the time comes to make a move.

RE: jealousy...I'm having trouble believinging it myself!

Joe

Wow, I r a gud spelar!

I'm thinking Glass Catfish (Kryptopterus minor) and/or some Hengel's/Harlequin Rasboras. A nice sized school of one or both.

Joe