Loaches Online Forum

It was hard getting these photos, the Rams wanted all the attention and kept swimming in front of the camera. Lol. <3

Yoyos are great, and yours look lovely and lively. Looks like thy made it through the ick. Good work on your part.

Thank you

They actually did awesome with this whole ich thing. The clowns however, did not :'(

After this whole ich mess is gone would it be okay if I got maybe 1 or 2 more yoyo's since the clowns all passed away? They seem to do ok with each other but I notice more chasing around now. Is that normal with just 2? I know they should be kept in groups of 3 or more, but would it be ok?? I just don't want another ich outbreak.

I know I need to wait to get them, but they did the best out of all the fish with the ich. I was quite surprised. There are no "physical" signs of ich anymore on the fish, and I've cleaned the tank very very well. So hopefully that has helped. They all seem to be doing great now and since I did a really good vacuuming yesterday and water change they seem even happier.

Thanks again for the response and the compliments

In a 40g tank i'd think you could get a group of 7/8 that would make a nice family of yoyos for your tank.

I had a group of 5 in a ~47 US gallon tank and rapidly became of the opinion that it wasn't a big enough tank for yoyos. They're in a 79 US gallon tank now and that seems much more sensible. In a 40 gallon I'd go for Botia striata or Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki.

Your yoyos are looking great, btw.

Is it ok to add the zebra or dwarfs with the 2 YoYos I already have??

Are they as susceptible to ich as the clowns??

How many would be ok??

I suppose up to ten of either but not of both (or five of each). You could perhaps add a third yoyo. They would get on just fine.

I don't know about ich. I've never had to deal with it.

If you like the botia type loaches I'd recommend botia striata! I'd wouldn't get less than 5 of them, because they can be aggressive- it's best to spread out the "picking order," so nobody gets chased too much. They should get along fine with your yoyos, and should be able to hold their own. I think 5-7 would be a safe number to put in your 40 gallon tank as long as you dont have too many other inhabitants. Striatas do become a little more shy/reclusive as they get older so dither fish are a great thing to have with them, but because they also appreciate clean water under stocking your tank is always a good idea. They are indeed susceptible to ich, and because of this you should REALLY quarantine them! This could be done in a 10-20 gallon tank, but you would have to be on top of water changes to keep your levels safe. If you decide on striatas and have an lfs that carries them regularly keep your eye out for oddly patterned ones!

I've read scaleless fish like loaches, catfish and such are more susceptible to ich. I don't understand why, but i often read that its the loaches, usually the clowns, which show signs of the disease first.

I definitely don't want to overcrowd the tank. Since the ich came, i lost my 4 clowns, 2 ember tetras, and 2 black neon tetras.1 of my 3 silver tip tetras has become quite aggressive towards the other neons and even chasing the 2 rams around. I need to get a 10 gallon for a qtank.

If anyone has photos of their qtanks, id love to see them.

Just a small point - loaches aren't actually scaleless, they just have very tiny scales.

I know

Yeah same here.

I would add at least 1 more Yoyo and then a group of B. striatas. I love them both.

I find all loaches very susceptible to ick and very difficult to treat because they are so sensitive.

I would wait to get any more fish until the ick is gone, and you are sure the tank is fully cycled. All the work you have been doing in the tank, may have unbalanced it. Then add fish slowly. You have to give the biological filter time to grow with each additional fish. I would get another Yoyo, then wait a month, and get three small B. Striatas, and then wait and get two more straitas. Never get your fish all at once, because they overwhelm the biological filter, and crash the tank.

A Q tank is usually a bare tank -- mine is 10 gallons. I keep a coconut hut and plastic plants in mine. It needs to be bare to keep the fish clean and make it easy to clean. It is also easier to clean the items in the tank once you are finished quarantining new fish or treating sick fish. I boil the coconut hut on the stove, and put the plastic plants outside to bake in the sun for a week or two. I do the same with the filter and the actual tank. All are cleaned thoroughly for the next round.