Hybrid Loaches

[tender]

Hi!
I have registred a lot of talk/threads about hybrid loaches. For instance clown/yoyo hybrid. I was wondering if anybody knows how common these are on the market? Or if there exists any photographs of them?

Please let me emphasise: I`m not interested in purchasing one. Nor a debate around the ethics of this. I`m simply trying to learn some facts about these fish. Because, whether we like it or not, they exist. Also it would be good to know what they look like, in case they should turn up in any of my local fish shops.

Kind regards
Marius

[Mad Duff]

Hi Marius, I posted this a while ago http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php ... brid+loach it may be of interest

[tender]

Hi!
Thanks. Do you know how common they are?

Marius

[Mad Duff]

Sadly I dont know how common they are, it would be better if we did so that we could warn people about them.

[tender]

Hi!
Yeah I agree. The more we know, the better.
Since Emma is in "the trade" she might be able to shed some light on this?

Kind regards
Marius

[Emma Turner]

Hi Marius,

Unfortunately, the hybrids are becoming more and more widespread. Fishkeepers really need to question their aquatics stores to see where they are buying their stock from, and if of Eastern European origin, the likelihood is that the loaches are captive bred and if so, they could well be hybrids. Just last week I received a catalogue from a Czech company who was touting for business, and even though I was aware of certain species being captive bred, I was surprised by the amount of captive bred loach species on offer from this company. It is commonplace to see captive bred Chromobotia macracanthus, Botia almorhae and Yasuhikotakia modesta on Czech stocklists in general, but this one was also offering European bred Yasuhikotakia morleti, Botia striata, and Pangio kuhli. (They had a separate section for wild caught fish, which included a few other loach species).

I would encourage people to buy their loaches from shops who source them direct from country of origin.

Emma

[tender]

Thanks Emma
Very useful information!

Kind regards
Marius

[helen nightingale]

the ones i have seen were very obviously cross-bred. if you are used to botia you will sense something is not quite right. behaviour, nose shape, attitude, and so on. sadly, not the sort of things a beginner would pick up on, and they can be so pretty. i am worried as b. striata are normally very docile, so a crossbred one could realy catch somebody out.

Emma, what is the situation regarding country of origin of sids?