Loaches Online Forum

Every LFS I have been into recently have only had skinny Kubs. Are Kubs more susceptible to skinny disease than other loaches? I've never seen yoyos like that.

its the same over here, most of the shops i have seen with them for sale all have rather skinny looking ones. there are only a few in every batch that look in good condition.

I'm a little confused. While a skinny fish is not the most healthy fish, can you not successfully fatten them up once you bring them home, or are they more prone to dying because they are thin?

They are more prone to dying when skinny and these fish that I have seen weren't just skinny, they were so emaciated that there stomachs arched upward toward their spines. All of them were just as skinny as the kubs pictured in this link. http://www.loaches.com/articles/images/ ... g-syndrome

You're obviously better off buying non-skinny fish but chances are very good they've all been exposed so even if you buy very healthy looking fish, they can become skinny very quickly. Especially if your water quality isn't that great. Good water quality is still no guarantee though and since there's no surefire way to avoid it, the key is to be able to treat it.