cute loaches

got this cute pic of the dude and one of the zebra loaches last night.......looks like the dude has his head on the other loaches shoulder ......made me laugh

sue

wow! nice clear pics..i always liked loaches

nice pic , wish i could get a pic of my loaches ,they tend to be camra shy

mine are open to bribery with bloodworms and spirulena discs

sue

What kind of loaches are those stripey kind and what tank specs. to you need to keep them??

Very nice


Silver

Wonderful pictures Suemack!
Thanks for posting them

ALASKA

hi silver ....the stripey ones are botia striata (zebra loaches) ...they're one of the smaller loaches (to about 3 inches) and are happier with company of their own kind - though they do interact with the other loaches in the tank and they all share the same cave

They seem to be happy in water with a slightly soft pH (mine is usually bout 6.8) love having a well planted tank with plenty of places to hide.....though they are a bit of a pest with the plants sometimes ...nibbling at them and rearranging them a bit

They eat anything ....especially fond of bloodworms, tubifex worms and the spirulena sinking tabs.

Sensitive to ammonia/nitrite in the water and like most of the loaches very susceptible to ich and difficult to treat as they are very sensitive to any meds.

They're probably the bossiest of my loaches apart from the largest clown but don't seem to do anything more than chase the others away from the best of the food.

hi Sue very nice fish you have there.

Great pics as usual sue! ....and once again, "The Dude" has made himself known to the world as the best loach EVER!

Do loaches have shoulders? Jk awsome loaches

WOW............they're BEAUTIFUL FISH!!! If only......................what do you think about me getting a few for my 55 (see sig). I wonder what type of water I have...soft or hard.......how would I find out? Oh, and if they do get ick do you treat them the same way you would any other fish? And does anyone know why they get ick more often and how you can prevent them from getting it??

I hate sick fishies

I would like to nominate your first picture for FOTM..........for April I suppose! ?



Silver

hi silver - thank you for the nomination

.......got a GH test kit at the lfs and discovered that my water was very soft as am on tank supply (rain water)....but the loaches seem to be fine in most water so long as it's not extremely hard or extremely high pH.

Mine live with keyholes, an apisto, bristlenoses, guppies and even when the keyholes get stroppy during egg laying they seem to be fine.....they certainly don't seem to have a problem competing for food...... they just love their food

For treating for ich...have been very lucky so far and haven't had to do this but have read a lot on the subject.......1/2 doses of most of the meds seems to be about the max they can tolerate.......I think I would try raising the tank temp first if it was a problem

My tank is overfiltered and I do a lot of w/changes (at least 2 x weekly) as there are quite a lot of bottomfeeders in the tank who seem to appreciate the fresh water.

sue

ps ....of course they have shoulders paradise gourami........ when they snuggle up in the loach house at night they lay their heads on each others shoulders and tell each other bedtime stories......

Thanks................

I am going to seriously consider this option! I have enough room for about 6" more of fish (at maturity) for my 55 gallon and that would be perfect for a couple of zebra loaches, wouldn't it??


Thanks again and I hope you get a second nomination!!

Silver

hi silver

they should be fine so long as they have shelter....mine love playing round the plants and in and out of the ornaments........they seem to need at least a pair as the interaction between them is quite amazing to watch.

Mine live with cories and bristlenoses ....get on fine tog....though they do occassionally guard the odd treasure (fav food like cucumber)

sue