So I love bottom feeder fish like plecos and loaches. Currently I have 1 tank running and 1 planned. A 55 gal and a 60 gal respectively. The plan is to have 2 yo-yo loaches and a rubber lipped pleco in the 55 gal and to have a rainbow shark and my common pleco in the 60 gal. (And yes, I know... common pleco) So! That brings me to my actual question... any chance I can squeeze in a pair of dojo loaches somewhere? I think they are so cool... LFS has some... I’d need to quarantine them a while but that’s doable... I just don’t want to get them and not have room for them. So what does everyone think? (Please feel free to tell me no and I’m insane lol ?)
How many bottom feeders is too many?
- Thread starter Pidge1992
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Virtually all loaches do best in groups of 6 or more, preferably more. They have a hierarchy with a dominant female ruling the tank. I had 20 Yoyo loaches in my tank and they had a great time bombing around together. My friend has 12 loaches in his tank and he ended up with a huge female about 8 inches long and a bunch of smaller fish.
Don't mix different species of loach because they are territorial and fight.
You should get at least 4 more Yoyo loaches and leave it at that for their tank.
Having a rainbow shark and normal Plecostomus catfish in a tank is going to put a load on the tank when the pleco is mature, and I would not advise adding anymore bottom dwelling fishes to that tank. If you had a smaller species of pleco, then you could add 6 or more Dojo loaches. However, Dojo loaches prefer cooler water to plecos and rainbow sharks.
Don't mix different species of loach because they are territorial and fight.
You should get at least 4 more Yoyo loaches and leave it at that for their tank.
Having a rainbow shark and normal Plecostomus catfish in a tank is going to put a load on the tank when the pleco is mature, and I would not advise adding anymore bottom dwelling fishes to that tank. If you had a smaller species of pleco, then you could add 6 or more Dojo loaches. However, Dojo loaches prefer cooler water to plecos and rainbow sharks.
Ditto to adding more yoyo loaches! my dad had two similar botia in his tank (kubatoi, similar to yoyos) and they were't happy just the two. The female was dominant and bullied the weaker one. If you have three, two gang up on the smallest one. Five or more is what they need to have a normal, active, content hierarchy and social group. You'll see behaviours from them that you just won't with two of them, and a group of them bombing about would be more visually stunning than a pair you rarely see, and a different pair of loaches that they're always fighting with.
You said you know about the common pleco, so I see you know it's going to need a bigger tank sooner than later
Dojo loaches needing cooler water and their own territory is a good excuse to get another tank!
(Man, I really want a tank with 20 yoyos now! I'm on a cory kick at the moment, not having room for loaches, but I really do love botia, will need some dwarf chains at some point!)
You said you know about the common pleco, so I see you know it's going to need a bigger tank sooner than later
Dojo loaches needing cooler water and their own territory is a good excuse to get another tank!
(Man, I really want a tank with 20 yoyos now! I'm on a cory kick at the moment, not having room for loaches, but I really do love botia, will need some dwarf chains at some point!)
Yoyos get pretty big, not sure if you can get 6+ yoyos in a 60 galloon at 5-6" each. They are also very voracious, we just had to move the three from our 75 as they were out competing everything else in there and our schoutendeni puffers were getting a bit ticked at their boisterous behavior. BTW we have 4 more in QT right now to bring their #s back up.
Not sure about the territory as Dojos are social loaches, but they do need a coldwater tank, I have 6 in a 50 gallon tank that is 2'x4'x10", they like a big footprint. I have a female in there (Albino Gold Dojo) that is 9" long and about 3" around. When I had her in a 75 gallon she would constantly run into one side of the tank then the other-rinse and repeat all day/night. She doesn't do that anymore. I also love when they do a group huddle to sleep, they are very cute but need coldwater. I tried to keep some in warmer waters once (someone said it was OK) and the poor guys had nothing but health issues from the start to the end of their too short lives.
Not sure about the territory as Dojos are social loaches, but they do need a coldwater tank, I have 6 in a 50 gallon tank that is 2'x4'x10", they like a big footprint. I have a female in there (Albino Gold Dojo) that is 9" long and about 3" around. When I had her in a 75 gallon she would constantly run into one side of the tank then the other-rinse and repeat all day/night. She doesn't do that anymore. I also love when they do a group huddle to sleep, they are very cute but need coldwater. I tried to keep some in warmer waters once (someone said it was OK) and the poor guys had nothing but health issues from the start to the end of their too short lives.
Good point about the tank size, I forgot to check the size of the tank. Would need to be prepared to upgrade eventually to a pretty sizeable tank.
Thanks for the reply’s everyone lol just settles me on my plans. No dojo loaches for now. BUT where are we getting that yo-yo loaches get that big??? Everything I’ve read says they cap out at 3 inches and both mine (which is a few years old and about 3 inches) and my friend who has several large mature adults (also about 3 inches) where under the impression that’s as big as they got? Also my friend intends to give me 1-2 of his so they will all be similar size since my kid is bigger and fish stores only sell tiny babies.
8 to 11 inches, full grown
www.seriouslyfish.com
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus – Oriental Weather Loach — Seriously Fish
www.seriouslyfish.com
That’s the dojo loaches, I knew they got huge, I was asking about the yo-yo loaches since I already have one and plan to get more.8 to 11 inches, full grown
Misgurnus anguillicaudatus – Oriental Weather Loach — Seriously Fish
Yoyo Loach Care Guide: Size, Breeding, and More
The yoyo loach is an interestingly colored loach that brings energy and activity to your tank. Their dark bands with light blue tint contrasts against their silver bodies creating a really interesting look. This fish
www.fishkeepingworld.com
First site could pull off google but all the others say the same yo-yo / Pakistani loaches stay small...
Oh, sorry....5.5" to 6.25"
www.seriouslyfish.com
Botia almorhae – Yo-Yo Loach (Botia grandis) — Seriously Fish
www.seriouslyfish.com
Lordy... well that’s the first site I’ve ever seen listing them that big but I won’t argue... I’ll just get several more and hope they don’t lol ? thank you.Oh, sorry....5.5" to 6.25"
Botia almorhae – Yo-Yo Loach (Botia grandis) — Seriously Fish
and thanks everyone! All the replies are helpful!
"My" kubatoi loaches were easily 4.5-5 inches before they passed away at something over five years old, the female especially got really rounded and chunky. It's not just the size of the fish though, it's the fact they need a pretty good sized group, and are very active, exploring type of fish.
I personally think a 60 gallon would likely be fine for a group of six, depending on other stocking, but throwing dojos in there would be crazy. People might have differing opinions on minimum tank size though.
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