Sumo Loaches

Batch · Post by **Batch** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:44 am

Hi,
One of my local fish stores is offering Sumo loaches for $5.99. Anyone had much experience with these guys? A couple of specific questions.
Do they eat snails? Can they live peacefully in a planted tank with
small tetras/rainbows/danios/corys (ie not harass/eat them)? Will they get along with Khulis? The species-index suggests the answer to the last one is no.

Thanx,
Batch

Emma Turner · Post by **Emma Turner** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 2:37 pm

Hi Batch, and welcome to Loaches Online.

The recent influx of Sumo Loaches are likely to be this species:
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/sc ... f-balteata

They are quite fiesty towards one another, so require an aquarium with plenty of hiding places and visual barriers so they can get away from one another. Having kept a similar species for many years (Schistura balteata http://www.loaches.com/species-index/schistura-balteata) I would definitely not recommend them with Corydoras or Kuhli loaches. Not only will they harass them, but the tank requirements are very different.

Sumo Loaches will require a River or Brook style set up in which to thrive, which means very fast flow, high levels of oxygenation, and slightly cooler temperatures.

If you can set up a reasonably sized tank to meet their needs, ideal companions would include members of the Danio or Devario genera.

Hope this helps,

Emma

Batch · Post by **Batch** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:53 pm

Hi Emma,
Thanks for the fast reply. Based on the pictures, they
seem to match the Schistura balteata species. Sounds like i should pass on these guys.

Batch

Jim Powers · Post by **Jim Powers** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:07 pm

I just saw this species for the first time today, at my favorite lfs. They had just come in and had not had even been put in the tank yet so I couldn't really see much of the color.
I was curious about them myself so this thread is timely.
In the species profile, it says that if you keep more than one together, plenty of room should be provided for territories, typical for schisturas.
Do any of you who have this species think that it would be okay to keep an individual specimen?
I was thinking of getting one of these to fill the void left by my departed S. scaturgina but want to keep stocking levels low.

Graeme Robson · Post by **Graeme Robson** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:49 pm

I would say a single specimen would still be forcefully protective of it's own territory. Have you any other Schistura's in the proposed tank Jim? I find with Schistura balteata's is that any other species of Schistura is a major threat to-wards their territory. Same with other small sized bottom-dwelling fish.

Jim Powers · Post by **Jim Powers** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:09 pm

No other schisturas in the tank, just sewellia, H. smithi, S. wui and Beaufortia as well as danio and white cloud dithers.

mikev · Post by **mikev** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:17 pm

You may want to suggest to the lfs to spread them among their tanks.

The lfs here put them into one tank (15g, barebottom)...this resulted in a massacre.

Emma Turner · Post by **Emma Turner** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:18 am

mikev wrote:You may want to suggest to the lfs to spread them among their tanks.

The lfs here put them into one tank (15g, barebottom)...this resulted in a massacre.

This was my fear which I made known as more frequent imports of this eye-catching species began.

I even put a warning in the last issue of Tropical World magazine.

Jim, I now have just a single specimen in my River Tank with my Sewellias and he/she doesn't bother them. However, when others of it's own kind had been present, there was a huge amount of aggression. I would say that keeping one is fine, on the proviso that you have no other Schistura sp. present.

Emma

Jim Powers · Post by **Jim Powers** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:46 pm

Thanks!!
I sent an email to the manager at my lfs warning him about the aggression levels.
I'm going to have to study them a bit when I see them and see how they are behaving in the store tanks. I don't want to disrupt the harmony in the tank I would house them. There are no other schistura types in that tank, but I wonder how they would behave toward homaloptera types?

Emma Turner · Post by **Emma Turner** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:06 pm

Jim Powers wrote:There are no other schistura types in that tank, but I wonder how they would behave toward homaloptera types?

Well mine never bothered my Annamia or the 'mystery Homaloptera' type loach (that you also have one of). They seem most intolerant of their own kind. Still, you never know with individual fish, and you wouldn't want to upset the balance. Difficult choice!

Emma

Graeme Robson · Post by **Graeme Robson** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:13 pm

I agree with Emma. I personally don't keep these with any Hillstreams. I cant comment any further.

mikev · Post by **mikev** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:20 pm

I have trouble with the thesis that schisturas react only to schisturas.

Mine most certainly see and react to Homaloptera's, but don't seem to react to the sucker types. Given that the species here is pretty peaceful, "reaction" amounts to only very little occasional chasing, both ways, but I'd expect a more aggressive schistura species to actually do real damage.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:50 am

I had trouble with mine I bought 6 now I have 2. My first thought was it was from agression and Emma supported that conclusion. They were move into a botia set up less than good conditions for the speices. They had no problems sticking up for themselves at 2-3 inches against 5-6 inch yoyos at feeding time. I have since moved one of them into the S. poculi tank and have not had any problems, hopefully I will be able to move the last one soon (just can't seem to catch it). The Poculi tank has close to 30lb of diffrent sized rocks so plenty of hiding area. I personally would not sugest this spieces with out haveing great amount of cover.

southparkman · Post by **southparkman** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 10:55 pm

funny, i just ran into these guys at my lfs today to, to bad there so small, theyd get eaten in my SA cichlid tank

Jim Powers · Post by **Jim Powers** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 10:41 pm

Today I checked out the sumos that my favorite lfs got last week.
They were very cool little guys. When bloodworms and brine shrimp were put into the tank, they went absolutley nuts. It was fun to watch.
They were housed in a tank with some beaufortia who also went nuts when the food appeared.
I was expecting to see some aggression between the sumos, but didn't observe anything out of the ordinary as far as schisturas are concerned. Interaction between the fish was actually on the mild side.
The beaufortia, however, were the ones doing the chasing. Many times I saw them chase the sumos out of their way. Not exactly what I had expected to see.
I'm still not sure if I want one yet, but they sure are cool.

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