Loaches Online Forum

hey guys!
after failures at keeping kuhli and reticulated (well not really kuhli i just never saw them!! while the reticulated got bacterial infection)
i am thinking of getting some dwarf/yoyo loaches. but im not sure if they are suitable to this tank

fluval vicenza 180
-2xl002
-3xpeppermint bristlnose
-3xfoerschi whiptail
the tank has just been off a 4 week tank cycling and im planning to put 1 peppermint bristlenose in first and get 2 more in 2 weeks time and im getting the 2 L002 around this weekend which i plan to put in my established tank-livebearer tank

how many yoyo loaches could i add? or cant i add any at all? if i cant what loaches can i get?
(btw loaches arent very common in australia)

Hi DJ-don, welcome to Loaches

Is the 180 a 180 liter tank? That is about 45 gallons.
Yes, you can add Yoyos to this size tank. Most of the smaller ones are OK, too, but I would not get any larger species. They will be best in a group of at least 5.

Some upper level fish could include Rainbows, and most of the slightly larger Tetras or Barbs such as Congo Tetras or Clown Barbs. I would avoid smaller fish that might get eaten. Just check out the temperature requirements. Yoyos and Congo Tetras for example are warmer water fish.

Kubotais are another good community tank Loach, not quite so large as the Yoyos.

I don't know if it's a huge problem, but you have a lot of bottom-dwellers. As Diana said, Yoyo's (and many other loaches) need to be at least 5 to be happy, and that means that you have 13 bottom-dwellers. Probably not a big deal, especially if you have lots of caves and hide-outs, but it's worth thinking about it.

thanks for that guys~
i would like to get clowns but the get big but i want to get yoyo loaches because they are not that big and they will eat the pond snails
and i thought yoyo loaches stayed around the middle levels which made them an unusual loach

DJ-don wrote:thanks for that guys~
i would like to get clowns but the get big but i want to get yoyo loaches because they are not that big and they will eat the pond snails
and i thought yoyo loaches stayed around the middle levels which made them an unusual loach

They do swim a lot in the middle, but generally feed on the bottom. I probably should've written bottom-FEEDING. They do occationally hide in the lower levels though.

would you say they are generally needy fish or sensitive fish? because i want to put 5 of them in with 1 peppermint peppermint will be added today and the loaches next week or would that be too much for the fish tank?

DJ-don wrote:would you say they are generally needy fish or sensitive fish? because i want to put 5 of them in with 1 peppermint peppermint will be added today and the loaches next week or would that be too much for the fish tank?

Not needy, but we've found that they are picky about their food. We've got one who won't even touch flakes or mini-pellets. It'll only eat brine shrimp, mosquito larvae, freeze-dried tubifex, and cocktail shrimp.

would they be any problem with kribensis'