YoYo Loach

Hi,

My tank is starting to settle now and its time to start the hard part - deciding one to put in!

I've today added a few fish - 2x Leopard Cory (and i've since read thats not enough! - so i'll have to go get 2 more) and 2x Hoplo Catfish

However earlier tonight I spotted a huge issue... a snail! - Which made me think..I need a loach! (Guessing the hoplo arent interested in snails?)

I was thinking of adding a rainbow shark at some point, but this is now a redundant idea and its looking like a loach. Are there any loaches that dont get too big that dont mind being single as a bit of a feature? - I'm guessing not.

This led me to find the yoyo loach of which i really like the look of! - However, I see there not a single, but could I get away with having just 2?

Reason I ask is at this point there's plenty of room (Tank is a Jewel Lido 200L) however i'm just thinking, with 4x cory's + 2 potentially 6" Hoplo, do i really have room for 3 potentially 6" yoyo loaches too? - Which is why i'd prefer 2.

Potential other tank makes when the tanks finished will likely be a pair of angels and a pair of rams/dwarf gouramis (maybe both if I can)

Guessing the loach will stay mainly low in the tank like the catfish - leaving the space higher up for the future angels/other

Thanks for your help
Lee

Yoyo loaches need to be in a group. Like all botine loaches, they are sociable fish.
The Lido is a cube, so it has a small footprint for the volume at 51 x 71 cm (and 65 cm tall) That's 20 x 28 inch footprint for those who don't use metric. Yoyo loaches need a tank length of at least 120 cm so the tank is not suitable for them.
Hoplo catfish also need 120 cm long tanks. And so do rainbow sharks. The Lido may be a 200 litre tank but it cannot be stocked like a standard rectangular tank because of the limited swimming length.

It is not a good idea to buy fish just to solve a problem. Snails are not a bad thing in a tank, they are an important part of the ecosystem. They only become a problem if they have too much food = overfeeding the fish.



As you are now aware you need more cories. They need to be in a group of at least 6, with more being better, and preferably the same species.

I completely agree with essjay. In a nutshell, the tank is not large enough for loaches or the shark, and these fish can have other problems anyway. Cories need to be increased, and there is space so 9-10 in total would be good.
And given their size, I would re-home the Hoplo Catfish, which would be better without the cories (or the cories would be better without the Hoplo).

Hi,

Thanks for the quick response, although i'm now a bit confused.

With the lido - its narrower than a normal tank - but wider

When I googled it said they needed a 30 gallon tank which is standard tanks would be a 30 or 36 x 12 tank.

1 lap (all 4 sides) of a 30" tank would be 84"
1 lap of a 36" tank would be 96"

1 lap of the Lido 200 would be 96" also - with then the added depth (26") meaning the mid and top level fish are further away


Also, can yoyo loach be pairs or need more? One site i read said they could be single but needed similar sized fish around as they'd pair up with them - this could be the Hoplo's but that didnt sound quite right to me? (That was on the spruce pets website)

Lee

Maybe a zebra loach is a better option?

Thanks
Lee

Both responses are correct so I won't repeat what has been said. In addition

1. Loaches need to be in a group of at least 6
2. Loaches should not be kept in the same tank as Corydoras
3. Loaches are very susceptible to problems caused by anything less than pristine water so are not advised in a new tank
4. They aren't actually that good at pest control, and there are some common snails they can't eat

Do you have a picture of the snail in question? If you feel that strongly about the snails you could catch them as you see them or use a snail trap.

lee_k said:

When I googled it said they needed a 30 gallon tank which is standard tanks would be a 30 or 36 x 12 tank.

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If this refers to the Hoplo, the information is misleading. I don't know which species this is but they all attain around six inches (15 cm) and require a minimum 48-inch (120 cm) length tank. Two species data from the most reliable site:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/megalechis-thoracata/
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/megalechis-picta/

Aside from this, there is the issue of the cories. Cory catfish are substrate fish with a significant requirement for a number of them and this generally does not work well with other substrate fish. Cories and loaches should not be combined in any tank regardless of size.

lee_k said:

1 lap (all 4 sides) of a 30" tank would be 84"
1 lap of a 36" tank would be 96"

1 lap of the Lido 200 would be 96" also - with then the added depth (26") meaning the mid and top level fish are further away

Click to expand...

On the face of it, this would seem realistic, but it does not ever work like this with fish. The fish "expects" length, territory, etc, in order to function as it is designed. To provide good health the fish must have the environment it expects. Failing to do this results in stress which weakens the fish and leads to other issues and a shorter than normal lifespan.

lee_k said:

Also, can yoyo loach be pairs or need more? One site i read said they could be single but needed similar sized fish around as they'd pair up with them - this could be the Hoplo's but that didnt sound quite right to me? (That was on the spruce pets website)

Click to expand...

If that is an example of "information" from this site, it is a totally unreliable site. To assume what they do is cruel to the fish, without any question. These fish (all the botid loaches) are highly social, they need a group of five or more of their own, they develop an hierarchy, and without these numbers they will be under stress. Suggesting they can be social with other species is like saying a human can develop normally if they are kept isolated from humans and only react with animals.

When fish are under stress like this, they usually react by becoming aggressive. Sometimes they withdraw instead, and literally waste away. However long either takes to play out, the fish is being inhumanely treated and I'm sure you do not want this any more than the rest of us.

lee_k said:

Maybe a zebra loach is a better option?

Click to expand...

This is still the same problems, the cories or loaches but not both, and the Hoplo's. And the tank size is still an issue. Data here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/botia-striata/

Tbf - i just liked the loach, the snail was a added bonus of a reason to have one. I didnt know you couldnt mix cory and loaches etc - everything i'd read suggested they were community fish, i guess what i'm learning is even reading several websites...there still wrong!

Obviously 6" isnt particularly big (i mean a swordtail can be 4!) and it'll be a while for the hoplo to hit that so plenty of time to see how they go, rehome or even shuffle around/change tanks in the future (we have another 48x15x15 tank atm but it has 2 musk turtles in so little fish would be a no no!) So im certainly not panicking just yet!

Anyway as the days progressed there currently very active at the front of the tank so any excuse for a pic!

The fish in question:

You can see one of them on the left mid way up


and the fish

Regarding information, you are learning what we all have had to learn, and that is to know the source of the information so you know whether it will be reliable or not. Anyone can develop a website and promote themselves as some sort of experts and lead people astray. There is quite a lot of failure in this hobby, by relatively new aquarists, who finally give up. It doesn't have to be that way.

Seriously Fish is an expert site run by ichthyologists and it is reliable. There are others, for loaches there is Loaches Online, for catfish there is Planet Catfish and for cories Corydoras World. I know either personally or by reputation the individuals behind all of these.

Your most pressing issue at the moment is acquiring more cories; I still say 10-15 in total, one species or mixed doesn't matter much to them. I can assure you they will be happier and thus healthier.