Yoyo (Pakistani) Loaches - Lost Colour

[Dillon]

Hi,

I am relatively new to fish keeping. I setup a 90litre tank and after a few weeks found I had snails which had come with plants put in the tank at setup. I went back to my local pet shop who advised buying loaches to remove/eat the snails as a natural means of control. I was also told Pakistani loaches would remain rather small at 10cm maximum each - which doesn't seem to be the case from some of the information I have since seen online (lots of conflicting information over the size these will grow to). I bought three as this was the recommended number to keep at my local shop.

Over the first week all three would eat sinking wafers and pellets and the snails soon disappeared. All three loaches were active for the next week. On week three one loach had become noticeably bigger/fatter. All are between 1.5 inches and 2 inches in length.

One loach has lost all of its colour, it disappeared for three days. It was then seen coming from a cave and was almost white/silver in colour with little distinction between the bands of colour. Over the duration of that day its colour returned but not to its full original colouration. It then spent two days swimming around however it seemed to be bullied by the fatter loach and I haven't seen it eating. Since it has returned in to hiding, I have seen it today for the first time in four days and its colour has all but disappeared again.

The water is tested daily for pH, KH, GH, Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite and the levels are all safe. The water temperature remains at about 24 degrees. There are no signs of disease or parasite etc on any of the fish.

In the tank I also have 6 small Fire Ring Danio's and 2 Dwarf Gourami.

I look forward to any suggestions. In summary this fish has only been seen swimming for two days out of the last two weeks and has spent much of this time with little or no colouration/greyed out?

Thanks

Matt

[Diana]

90L is only about 25 gallons, not big enough for Yoyos. I have mine in a 4' long (1.2m) tank, and they seem to use all the floor space.

Many Loaches will eat snails, but keeping Loaches just because you want snail control is not such a good reason. However, now that you have discovered Loaches perhaps you are interested enough to get them the proper sized tank. Yoyos reach 10 cm minimum adult length, commonly reach 15 cm. Active enough to need at least a 4' long tank. Height and volume are not so important.

Loaches will use color changes to communicate with the others. In any sort of group there will be bossy fish and a submissive fish. In larger groups there will be a more complex social set up. I think that 3 in a small tank is not right. 3 is too few for each one to develop a friendship with another, and a small tank does not offer enough space to get away from the bossy fish.
In such a small tank the bossy fish can search out the shy one and keep pestering it, and can monopolize the food.
With so few the middle ranking Loach has made friends with the higher ranking fish. Might not be taking an active role in harassing the lowest ranking fish, but is not helping this fish, either. 3 can pretty much only pair up as 2 against 1 and the 1 is almost always the shy one.

http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-almorhae