NoOb with a question...

[AneesasMuse]

Hi Everyone!
I am new to this forum and fairly new to loaches. I recently rescued a pitiful little guy or gal from a reptile breeder, along with 3 SAE's and a baby dalmation Molly girl. I was told the loach is a Kuhli, but she looks more like a B. rostrata or a B. lohachata/almorhae. I've had her a couple weeks or so, and the more I feed her and see her recover to her full potential... the more I see the "YoYo" on her pattern.
Is there a sure way to tell if she's a rostrata or an almorhae? They both seem very close... to me, anyhow.
Btw, I've tried to get pics of her and she is not a cooperative sort. LOL I probably would be able to if I could dangle a live worm above her head and snap a "focused" pic simultaneously...... yeah right!!
Thanks everyone!

[Graeme Robson]

If you see a 'yoyo' then what you have is a Yoyo (Botia almorhae). Try and add more Almorhae specimens if you can.

Your Molly should be re-housed to the right environment.

What size is your aquarium?

[AneesasMuse]

Thanks!

They are in a QT for now... it's a 20gL. I don't bring new fish into my fish room and just plop them into a tank cuz I breed fish... and I can't afford to bring in illness, disease, etc.
Now, that I know what I have with the loach, I can pick up a few more at my LFS and make Yolanda happy
I'm still looking for a few younger Mollies cuz little Sparkle is just a juvie and I don't want her to get bullied. She and her new friends will be going into a BW set up as soon as QT is over.

With the B. almorhae, what should the gender ratio be? And how can I tell who's who?

[Graeme Robson]

Superb.

If the Botia almorhae still has the 'yoyo' markings then they are still very much juveniles. Once they mature and leave the 'yoyo' pattern behind, then you can tell the difference's between the males and females. Females generally hold the larger abdomen. As far as i'm aware, the gender ratio doesn't apply if your just housing them. Best to keep them in at least groups of three's. Breeding wise? who knows! Breeding Botia..etc is not common in home aquariums.

[NancyD]

Check out the yoyos pics a few posts down especially Graeme's shapely? voluptuous? female. WOW.
Nancy

[AneesasMuse]

thank you both, so much

I read a little further in the index, and I am now in the process of figuring out where to put another large tank for the YoYo kids, or which currently inhabited large tank they could possibly go into

[angelfish83]

Ya you're a newb

its ok we all started somewhere

some facts:

Mollies like HARD water with some salt in it

loaches HATE hard water and salt and like soft water which is ever so slightly acidic...


So you should move the molly.

If it was a kuhli it would move in a more snakelike manner whereas if it were a yoyo it would have a much more rigid stance and a different body shape although if it were emaciated it might be skinny enough to fool a novice