Loaches Online Forum

I have a 5" yo yo that keeps my cichlid tank in an uproar about all the time. He particularly likes to chase the clown loaches. And tonight he hurt my 'little' 2" acei. (not badly) Why is he like this? Will he ever calm down? I have alot of caves in my 55g. tank. About 10 med. mbunas (nice gentle ones) 3 large peacocks and 1 elect. blue hap. He acts like a mean, clumsy drunk always wanting a fight

First, Hi everyone.

I'm a newcomer in loaches.com and as you'll certainly quickly notice, french.

So sorry for my poor english, i'll do my best for being understable.

Hello Linda,

do you mean that you keep a sole yoyo loach ?

If these is the case, don't be surprised if he gets aggressive.

For every loaches species, lonelyness always creates behaviour deviances, showing aggressivity, depression, suicidal tendency...
The issue is generaly fatal for your loach and even for other fishes, beeing constantly stressed and so on, weaken or even physicaly hurt to death.

Do you keep all these fishes in a 55g. tank ?
It's much too small.

To my eyes, if possible for you, a good solution should be :
Keep the clowns, peacocks, elect. blue hap (alone, too ?) in a minimum 100g. (150g. and even more is better) and the yoyo with at least 4 congener in your actual 55g.
Perhaps, will he recover the herd instinct, sociableness with companions of is own specie and then, the pleasant behaviour we love in loaches.

Hoping having helped,
yours sincerely,
Dom.

Hi (and bonjour!) to you both and welcome to LOL.

I must say I would have to agree with everything that Pickerel has said - all of which is good advice.

As is the case with all the Botia species, they are highly social and ideally should be kept in groups of 5 or more per species (3 is the absolute minimum).

You should definately try to upgrade your tank too - Clown loaches reach around 12", Yoyo's reach 8" and both need loads of space. Check these pics out for an example of the sort of size's clowns grow to:

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=1211

Their are also issues with keeping clowns, etc with rift lake cichlids. See this thread for more info on that:

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=1627

Thanks everyone. I will be finding a new home for my clowns and yo yo. Somewhere with sand and some buddies for them. What would be a good 'cleanup' fish for my tank?

My mbuna are only 2" now. They are the yellow labs, rusties and one acei. They are the gentlest of Africans and I am slowly thinning them out. I gave 3 away to a friend of mine that is just getting into fish.

I guess I just fell in love with the look of the clowns and yo yo. And the LFS supported me whole-heartedly

Maybe I can get some store credit?

Wouldn't count on it..

The teenagers who run your LFS will tell you that Jack Dempseys can coexist with your Discus..

Just make sure you have at least three of each species when the day is done and you'll see just in thier behavior that they are happier for the companionship..

Fishhead