loach only species tank

[khuli_master]

Hi everyone my name is martin. I was recomended this site by a friend

I was wondering if anyone has ever made thie rown loach species tank

if so what: loaches did you have & how many?
the pH & temp of the tank?
size of the tank?
what decor did you use (ie rocks, caves small soft gravel etc)?

I have been thinking of setting up a loaches only tank. something like 100l
200l


I have had the following loaches before

Khuli
clown (only to kill my snails spreading)
hillstream
yoyo

[shari2]

Hi and welcome to LOL!

What species are you considering? There are many...you could start with the species descriptions for info on specific fish:

Species Index Revisions

Many here keep loaches with barbels on sand substrate. Temp/decor/size of tank are all dependent on which fish you plan to house. There are families of fish which share similar requirements that can be kept together. There are also groups of small schooling fish from the same type biotopes that can share the tank to create mid/upper level activity in a bottom dwelling species tank.

Look around and get back to us on it.

[khuli_master]

well the most common Species of loach im considering are

the khuli loach

the yoyo has become popular in my country just last year

the dojo loach (if it can stand tropical temp)

hong kong pleco/borneo sucker (the loach that looks like a stingray)

dwarf loach


I only want a loaches only tank. I have fell in love with loaches since i got my first khuli 2 years ago


I already got a 30 gallon already set up & it has 3 khulis, two yoyos & one Hillstream (the one that looks like a stingray) & 7 black tetras (whitch im selling off soon)

[LES..]

Hi Martin,

I'd caution against keeping hill stream loaches with the other loaches you suggest and recommend you read Martin Thoene's excellent article on the specialist needs of these lovely fish. Personally I'd recommend a tank set up exclusively for hillies just because I love these guys ;-)
However I'll leave others to discuss your other choices of loach as I do not keep any of them.

Just as a point of information what is your general location (just country will do)? It will help people recommend specifics for you.

LES..

[khuli_master]

australia mate

[lsinor]

I have been keeping a primarily loaches only tank for the last five years. I have a 75 gallon tank with plenty of wood and rock caves. I have added over the years 6 B. almorhae (now about 5 inches long), 5 B. striata, 8 B. kubotai, 4 B. sidthimunki (availble now at PetSmart in Atlanta) and 8 very young (approx. 1 inch) B. robusta (probably). I also have 4 Synodontis angelicus (5 inch) in the tank. I use power heads on underground filters and two outside power filters (pretty good water movement). Fish vary a lot in size, but fights are very rare.

[khuli_master]

can you please say the common name. im never good at scientific names

[Martin Thoene]

A translation kuhli_master........

I have been keeping a primarily loaches only tank for the last five years. I have a 75 gallon tank with plenty of wood and rock caves. I have added over the years 6 yoyo Loaches (now about 5 inches long), 5 Zebra Loaches, 8 Polkadot Loaches (Burmese Border loaches), 4 Dwarf Loaches (Chain Botia) (availble now at PetSmart in Atlanta) and 8 very young (approx. 1 inch) Chinese Golden Zebra Loach (probably). I also have 4 Featherfin Catfish (5 inch) in the tank. I use power heads on underground filters and two outside power filters (pretty good water movement). Fish vary a lot in size, but fights are very rare.

The reason that most of us use Latin names is because it is a positive identifier. The "Common names" in many cases only apply to certain countries and particularly as LOL has a truly international membership, it is more accurate to use the "proper" names because we all know what we're talking about.

If you look in our new species profiles, you'll see common names listed. We've only included English names, but many fish have many "common" names depending on the country you're in. Remember we don't all speak English. Latin names are there for international convention purposes.

Martin.

[ey]

I have added over the years 6 yoyo Loaches (now about 5 inches long),

Martin.

Sorry to crash the topic, but Martin, how long did it take your yoyo loaches to grow to 5 inches? I heard they are fast growers given the right conditions, but mine haven't grown as much as I was expecting. They were 1.5" - 2" when I got them 9 months ago, they are now 2.5", is this a normal growth rate?

[mikev]

They were 1.5" - 2" when I got them 9 months ago, they are now 2.5", is this a normal growth rate?

For comparison, the growth rate here:
I got 5, all under 1", 9 months ago.
I'm measuring them now as I move them to a larger tank: two are 3.25" and 3.5"; the remaining three (yet to catch) seem slightly larger.
All of them made 3" very quickly, but then their growth slowed down a lot .

[helen nightingale]

Hi Martin

6 B. almorhae (now about 5 inches long), 5 B. striata, 8 B. kubotai, 4 B. sidthimunki (availble now at PetSmart in Atlanta) and 8 very young (approx. 1 inch) B. robusta (probably).

i have seen these fish by the following common names:

almorhae = pakistani loach or yoyo
striata = candy loach, striped loach or zebra loach
kubotai = lace loach or plokadot loach
sidthimunki = sids
robusta = ?

can you see the use of the proper names now? some of mine are different to Martin's, and some different species have the same common names. its very confusing. a little effort at looking into the scientific names is very worthwhile.

you would be best to steer clear of the dojo (or weather loach!) as these dont do so well with warmer temperatures. also the hong kong plecs. these are hillstream loaches which need cooler water too, and a very strong current. neither would go so well with your Khulies. as for keeping yoyos and dwarf loaches together - do you mean Y. sidthimunki?

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php?t=2992

they may be a bit small to go with yoyos, and yoyos can be a little bit feisty sometimes, as botia species go


Isinor - just a word of warning - your robusta (now called sinibotia robusta) can be a very agressive species!
i would advise that you prepare for fights to start breaking out. i am planning a tank for robusta, and would not keep other loaches with them (and chose dither species with extreme care). i would be particularly careful of your striata, as these are lovely peaceful fish which can be quite shy!