Loaches Online Forum

I'm debating getting some schistura "Crimson". They're very pretty but quite feisty with each other. I haven't kept any schistura before. I read through the previous posts on them, so what do you keep with them, especially other loaches & bottom dwellers?

My options are a 4ft tank, possibly with v. maassi, rasboras maybe corys or dennisoni barbs, not set up yet. Will they beat up the maassi?

A 20g long or 29g 30inch tank with just rasboras. Too small?

How many could I keep? At Ned's they have places they could hide but they are all out, evenly spaced an inch or 2 apart. They seem to fight if the tank is approached but quickly go back to just sitting. I know Emma had group aggression troubles at work.

There appear to be some slightly larger, less colorful with only a spot of red on the dorsal. I assume these are female, what would be a good m/f mix? Or is the color fading as they grow?

Does anyone keep 1 alone & are they aggressive to other fish? This seems the least good option, I like interactions & at least the vaguest possibility of breeding.

Any input appreciated.

Hi Nancy,

i keep my Schistura alone in the tank, only with other species of Schistura. I've noticed some differences of the aggression potential between different species, but it's unsure to say in advance. That is my experience with different loaches of this genus, but I've never kept the crimson loach, so I can't tell you something special to this species.

I have two single-schistura, they aren't friendlier than the group-schistura.

Bye

Thomas

hi Nancy, ive got 6 of them and so far they've been perfect occupants in the tank, they're kept with Sewelia and a few Lepidocephalus guntea.

when they first went in the tank they sat side by side with the other crimsons, i think someone else on here has seen the same behavior with their own fish.

mick

Thanks guys. What size tank are yours in Mick?

Interesting Mick! I see, I've bought the wrong schistura Mine was ugly and bitchy, yours are pretty und friendly

Different schistura - different behaviour

the tank dimensions are 36x15x15 inches, it's heavily planted with a couple of decent sized pieces of bogwood and plenty of large and small pebbles.
Thomas, i too have a quarrelsome schistura, i'm waiting for either Graeme or Mark to take the things off my hands mate.

mick

Sounds like they'll be good starter schistura for me then. Any thoughts on sex/color/size differences by behavior?

i can only go off my experiances with this fish Nancy, Emma said when they were in the shop they battled most of the time, i'm sure the other person who had a good report on them was Mad Duff.
as to sexing them, i'm pretty sure that the fish that are larger with less colour in the body are females, the males are smaller, slimmer and with far more colour in the body and finnage,
i think with a bit of work that it would be possible to spawn them.
one thing you might not like about them is once they find a place you might only see them a feeding time.
but personally i think they're worth getting.

mick

Thanks, Mick

Hi Nancy , these are quite easy to keep and not very aggresive , but as has been stated they are quite shy and will dissapear for long periods , i keep mine in slightly cooler water along with some M. triangularis .

It's weird how people find them to differ so much in behaviour. Even my supplier said they have trouble keeping them in the holding tanks (which are actually large tropical ponds) prior to sale. The only way he manages to do so is by stuffing the pond full of Indian almond leaves.

Emma

Thanks Andy & Emma. Slightly cool would give me some different options too. I think I'll try 5 or 6.