weather loach/dojo loach

[subopposite]

I have read in various places, even here, that weather/dojo loaches are typically coldwater fish, but can be kept in with tropical fish within a reasonable temperature. I don't want my other fish and friends to get eaten however. Would any of these be suspect to being eaten or do the loaches basically just eat flake/pellets/or vegetable matter. Anyhow, this is what I have in my tank now.

4 guppy
4 dwarf frogs
2 dwarf gourami
1 paradise fish
1 dwarf pleco
1 rubbernose pleco
2 platys
2 julii cories (getting 1-3 more soon)

Would they be safe if a weather loach was added???

 

[Alien Anna]

Is this for your 46 gal tank? I think a Weather Loach would be far too big - they are almost 1 foot in length as adults. Being cold water fish means that they need high oxygen water (the solubility of oxygen in water decreases as it gets warmer), so in an over-stocked tank they'd struggle.

There are many more suitable bottom dwellers. What was the reason you fancied one of these?

 

[Ginger726]

I have had a weather/dojo loach for a few years now, he has moved from a 15 gallon tank, to a 75 gallon tank in several rooms of the house. I don't keep my house exceptionally cold and I don't treat him any differently than I do my other fish. The loach is about 7-8 inches in length and hasn't gotten any bigger for a long time. I think he has gotten thicker a little. He eats flake food and whatever else is semi soft and palatable. They don't have a good set of jaws or teeth. They are bottom feeders more than anything. Mine has a difficult time with large things he has to chew. He has never attempted to attack or eat any fish I have had. I think he did chase around the feeder shrimp a little. I don't use a heater in my tank so I don't have a problem with it getting too hot. He has been a great companion in my tank it would be nice to have more than one. I do know they like SMALL gravel. When they search for food it hurts their snout to root around in the hard gravel. I kept mine in a tank with gravel in it and now he has a scar on his nose so they weren't lying when they said they need fine gravel or sand

 

[subopposite]

Well, my 46 is certainly not overcrowded and I have a rena 300 air pump and a bubble wall going, so air shouldn't be a problem for the guy. There is much water agitation. I would buy him young, so he would start small anyhow, even when he got big it would not break even the 1" per foot rule. I think a 46 gallon is not too small for a weather, but maybe it is. Can anyone make a suggestion about this. I think a 55 is 4 feet by 1 foot. My 46 is 37" (3ft 1") by an average of 15 inches wide approx.

Thanks Ginger for the info on their eating and living habits. That helps very much.

Alien, I understand you think it may be too small for a weather, but I am going to go out and see what others think too. Maybe they are even too small for a 55. I don't know, but I will not overcrowd the tank. If you see. Almost all of my fish are 2.5 inches or smaller. In fact, only one is bigger than that now and only 1-2 more will get bigger than that at full growth and only by an inch. If I added 12 inches to my tank it would be within the range. I guess the reason why I want one is because I really want a rope fish, but that would destroy all. I just want something that looks like that. I also hear they have great personalities too. Kuhlis are too small too. There are other weather like loaches that only grow to 6" too. I could easily consider one of those if they can take about 77 degrees for water and don't eat other fish, which is my main concern. Thank you for your input though. It will be rememebered.

Can anyone else give me some input too?

 

[Alien Anna]

Subopposite - I'm not going to get all huffy and offended if you disagree with my suggestions. I just tell you what I think. Some people have more experience and you may feel their opinions carry more weight. Besides, fish keeping is not an exactly science. Sometimes its more of an art.

Anyway, back to the Dojo loach. I think my opinion is partly informed by the enormous dojo I saw in a zoo aquarium. It was at least a foot long but quite fat and was moving about a heck of a lot in this enormous tank (8'x4'x5', I estimate). It was housed with various cold water fish, most of whom I didn't recognise, plus some cold water plecos. It just looked so right in that huge tank, I'd be concerned about one crammed into a much smaller tank. Let's face it - if yours grows to 11" long and your tank is 3.5' long that's not very far to swim before it has to double back on itself. Put some bogwood and rocks in the tank and there isn't very much room for a dojo to wriggle about and few places for him to hide. I could be wrong - I don't have the greatest imagination, but I thought you'd like to know why I said what I said.

My comment about cold water fish in tropical tanks still stands.

 

[subopposite]

Well, I am glad you didn't get huffy. I wasnt' trying to make you mad or anything. I just like to get various opinions and info. No such thing as too much info for me and as you said there are different sizes of loaches. Thanks again for your input. I did appreciate it. Just wanted to see other peoples views as well that may have kept them and the sizes of their tanks and such. I know Dragonslair kept one in tropical temperatures from doing a search, so I was kind of hoping to hear from him as well.

Lastly, I do agree with not putting cold water fish in tropical temperatures. It seems from what I read that these loaches can fair well in a very wide range of temperatures, but will only breed in cooler waters. I would never put a goldfish in with my tropicals however or something I knew would do poorly or not be healthy.

 

[Braddah]

hey sub just a quick story about dojo's...I had 2 that i thought were so cool looking and bought them...within 2 days they had eaten a bamboo shrimp, a black fantail molly, and put a rather large hole in my angel fish (who died later of the injury) So IMHO I would add 1 that is super small and hope for the best... mine were each about six inches when i got them and i think that is the reason for there freakin on my tank...so good luck.

 

[Inchworm]

According to my old referrence book (Exotic Aquarium Fishes by Dr.William T. Innes) there are two kinds of weather loaches.

The first, Cobitis taenia or Spotted Weatherfish has dark markings on a buff colored background. It grows to 4 inches and has a movable spine below the eye with 3 pairs of barbels on its upper jaw.

The second, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, called Japanese Weatherfish, has no spine below the eye and grows to 8 inches in length. This fish has two variations. The one from China and Japan is light gray with blotches of darker gray and the European one is light brown with several dark stripes along its body.

According to Innis, they can live in bad conditions and in temperatures from 40 to 80 degrees.

There may be others, but these are the two I know of. Perhaps Alien Anna knows of another.

I have 2 of them, one about 5 inches long; the other is smaller and has become deformed. Both are extremely active. I keep them in a 55 gal. tank with goldfish. In my experience, they are quite peaceful. They swim rapidly around the tank and dig in the gravel. For this reason I would not suggest you get them if you have a tank with rooted plants. Otherwise, they are great fun to watch.

 

[fish&chips]

just to the point of sizes im now not sure how big my tank is i read wot was put and is this right

think a 55gallon is 4 feet by 1 foot.

as my tank is 4ftby1ft and thought it was 48 gallon means im short on 7 gallons

is alot well means few more fwishys maybe even a loach ?>?

 

[Ginger726]

inchworm had a good reference
I had checked around nearly a year ago because I wanted to buy some more weatherloaches.

By the way I would be perfectly comfortable having two in my 75 gallon even a 55 gallon.

I found a site that these guys are a delicate dish in Korea. They grow them for food. I work at TX A&M agriculture and experiment station. We grow and study rice. We had a man I think from China. He demonstrated how they grew rice, LOACHES (weather/ dojo) and some other crop simultaneously.

Anyway my point is here is that they can in fact be raised in a wide temperature range and various water conditions.

They are also good attention grabbers. People always point and ask what kind of fish is that when they come over. He is a great fish.

Mine isn't aggressive. and yes they would tear up live plants. They are also good weather indicators I hear. They since the pressure change I guess. Hince the name weather loach. When the weather changes they swim around like mad.

 

[Inchworm]

Thank you for the information, Ginger 726. But I hate the thought of anyone eating a loach!!! Just look at their sweet little faces!!!!!

I was wondering why they were called weatherfish. Now I will have to watch them and see if I can learn to make predictions based on their activities.

I found it interesting, too, to learn how they are raised. My book just says that "the young bury themselves for a long period, no doubt feeding on microscopic life and vegetal decomposition."

 

[subopposite]

Yes, if you master the art of weatherloaching, you can predict to your friends when a storm is coming and they will wonder how you did it.

 

[Ginger726]

yep, I have to admit it is a sick thought of eating a few loaches on your night out on the town. , but I suppose they like it.

Hope you all read into these guys they are neat !