Urgent Advice Needed Regarding Roach

[AL_G]

The Mrs has a tropical aquarium containing cat fish, neons, plec, danios etc but today someone at her work has given her a fish as a present A roach no less. She phoned the pet shop where the guy got it from and they said it's suitable for cold water or tropical aquarium? Is this right? help please, i thought that roach were cold water river/pond fish only!

 

[Mad Duff]

Yes your right Roach are a pond or river fish they will not be happy in a codwater tank let alone a tropical one.

She phoned the pet shop where the guy got it from and they said it's suitable for cold water or tropical aquarium?

That really annoys me either the staff dont know what they are doing in which case they shouldnt be doing the job or they are simply motivated by profits and couldnt care less about the fish .

 

[Fella]

I think it would be reasonably hard to get hold of a roach, and maybe it would be worth checking if it as a very similar "tinfoil barb".

Roach are unsuitable for any aquaria because of the vast volume of water they need. Because they are coldwater fish, they need a high amount of oxygen in the water, and as tropical tanks hold less o2 than coldwater tanks, Im sure a roach would suffer in a tropical environment.

 

[AL_G]

Right, she has just got home with the fish in question and it turns out that it is not a Roach but a Loach (kind of makes more sense). However I'm still not 100 percent sure how it's going to do with the other fish in her aquarium. I think it is in fact a sucking loach? I'll post a pic later and hopefully someone can ID it for me. I know nothing about these fish but have heard they can be aggressive. Her tank is a 30 gallon tank, heavily planted, good water stats albeit high PH and has 8 corys, 9 neons, 6 danio zebras, 2 suckermouth catfish, 1 bristlenose plec and now 1 suspected sucking loach.

Why anyone would buy a pet for someone as a thank you present i'll never know? You wouldn't just give someone a cat or a dog. Funny old world innit?

 

[Fella]

If it is a sucking loach, they're not generally regarded as community fish, as they're very aggressive,chasing fish till they tire out and then preying on their mucus coats. They are considered suitable for tropical and coldwater so it makes sense that that may be what it is.


Might be worth rehoming it.

 

[dwarfgourami]

What I have always wondered is what happens to all the rehomed sucking loaches of this world? When did you last meet someone who kept mature CAE's? (Except RandomWiktor, you're my hero!).

Presumably they eventually get to the age where the lfs can no longer flog them as cute little things- bit like children for adoption, apparently once they get past 8 it's pretty hopeless.

Not saying you shouldn't rehome yours, I know I would as a shot! After all, you do have a responsibility towards your present fish.

Just wondering, is there some kindly person who takes in CAE's once they've got beyond the cute kitten stage? Perhaps I could leave money in my will.... The Sucking Loach Home. Oh, I forgot, I'm spending it all on fish while I'm still alive.

 

[AL_G]

Here's a link to a picture of the little chap if someone would be kind enough to verify that it really is a sucking loach. Thanks

http/homepage.ntlworld.com/alec.green/Pics/PICT1244.JPG

 

[Clairel]

C x

 

[AL_G]

C x

?

 

[Amerce]

Looks like a flying fox look alike, check this website out. Either way it is an algae eater and usually harmless to other fish, unless of course they swim really slowly.

http/www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/

 

[AL_G]

Looks like a flying fox look alike, check this website out. Either way it is an algae eater and usually harmless to other fish, unless of course they swim really slowly.

http/www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/

I guess we're going to have to keep a close eye on this little fella then and see if he's willing to play nicely or not. And I suppose it's not going to be a good idea to add any guppies etc as they're pretty slow swimmers?

 

[blue_ram]

Looks like a flying fox look alike, check this website out. Either way it is an algae eater and usually harmless to other fish, unless of course they swim really slowly.

http/www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/

I guess we're going to have to keep a close eye on this little fella then and see if he's willing to play nicely or not. And I suppose it's not going to be a good idea to add any guppies etc as they're pretty slow swimmers?

I'm pretty sure that's a Chinese Algae Eater. In anycase, it's a member of Cyprinid family. The larger members of that family (including CAE) tends to get vicious as they get older. CAE tends to live 10+ years, so you can't get rid of them so easily.

 

[Clairel]

C x

?

Sorry i clicked onto the picture link, and i saw a Bronze Cory.... I replied, then looked at it again, and the picture had changed Lol....Dont know if it was me, or if you changed it? I think i need more sleep lol

C x

 

[trace1]

its ok claire cos i thought the same thing the other fish was just to the right of the cory lol
trace

 

[AL_G]

its ok claire cos i thought the same thing the other fish was just to the right of the cory lol
trace

Sorry, i was just trying to confuse you

I didn't see that little cat fish hiding in the background