What Loach?

[Padfoot]

I need to find a nice loach to stock in my tank.

Its a 180L tank and will need to live alongside Indian Gourami's, Danio's, Bristlenose catfish.

Was thinking of Clown's but have discounted that due to their potential size and hardiness, thought about Yoyo's but was told they would bother the Gourami's.
LFS showed me some "loachata's" which i thought were Yoyo's but am assured they are different.

Any advice would be cool!

 

[TammyLiz]

The correct scientific name for yoyo loaches is almorhae, although it used to be lohachata. The best way to ID a loach is to actually look at it because they are often, or maybe I should say usually, sold under the wrong name. It is a bit of a mess, IMO, becuase there doesn't seem to be a clear definition of what exactly defines each species of loach. They are all similar but grow to different sizes so it is important to try to figure out what they are! My suggestion for a loach in your tank would be striata (zebra loach), rostrata, or kubotai (polka-dot loach, sometimes called angelicus) They all have similar dispositions to clowns, and stay much smaller. As i said, though, it can be hard to tell what you're looking at!

I would agree, clowns are not good for your tank, it is too small as they grow to 12 in./30 cm.

Others who have more experience with the fish you already have may be able to give better advice than I can on whether your current inhabitants would be bothered.

EDIT: Here are some links to help you get started on being able to try to ID these loaches. As I said before, it can be difficult since the species come in from the wild all mixed up, looking similar, and the species list is a little muddy. Who knows if all the info on these pages is actually right or not. Nevertheless, its a very good start.
http/loaches.com/species_pages/botia_rostrata.html
http/loaches.com/species_pages/botia_rostrata.html
http/loaches.com/species_pages/botia_sp_myanmar.html
I, by the way, am completely in love with my loaches, and I think you would be too, if you were able to get some. They are very funny!

 

[mikev]

The correct scientific name for yoyo loaches is almorhae, although it used to be lohachata.

There are good reasons to think that B. almorhae and B. lohachata are different species, and the latest genome Botia studies show them to be close but with genetical differences. LOL people seem to be unaware of this.

 

[TammyLiz]

Mike, I'm not surprised.
I am interested in knowing what the difference is and if it is noticable. Do you think mine are all almorhae and your two that are growing faster are lohachata?
Or should we try not to hijack yet another thread by discussing the nuances of loach ID?

 

[mikev]

Mike, I'm not surprised.
I am interested in knowing what the difference is and if it is noticable. Do you think mine are all almorhae and your two that are growing faster are lohachata?
Or should we try not to hijack yet another thread by discussing the nuances of loach ID?

Nothing wrong with hijacking the thread, but unfortunately I don't have much to add, and I don't know which one is which: the paper does not specify.

But here is something that me of interest to you:
The "closeness" map of the Botia's (this is a part of a much larger map) looks about like this:

Histrionica
Kubotai
Dario
..
Striata
...
Lohachata
Armorhae
....
Rostrata
.....
Chromobotia M.

Number of dots approximately shows the distance, and the map makes your Rostrata the most "remote' member. This is based on a small sample, so should not be viewed as totally reliable, but still interesting.

 

[TammyLiz]

So wheres this larger map you're talking about? I mean, how do you know this? Is it in a book? A paper? I guess I'm trying to ask if theres something you have that I can read.

 

[Padfoot]

Without wishing to appear dense....does this mean that the "Loachata" the lfs showed is different to the Yoyo, or not?

 

[The-Wolf]

perhaps this topic I did a while back may help you all, or perhaps it will just confuse you more.
either way I think you'll like it
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=103153

 

[TammyLiz]

I had forgotten about that. Thanks for bringing it up again. I am anxious to discover what mine will turn out to be. Each one of my five looks like such an individual. There is one pair that looks similar but the rest of them are very different from each other. It is interesting.

 

[Padfoot]

Went back to the lfs today and looked at their "Loachata Loach's".....which looked, to my non expert eye, to be exactly the same as "Botia Loacahta" a few tanks down.

So, i asked as sales guy...and....he said "basically they are the same species...".

Ended up with 3 Botia Loachata's.

 

[TammyLiz]

Congratulations!

 

[phlawed]

lmao yo-yo's bothering gourami's? every fish bothers others at times its called "playing"

I would agree, clowns are not good for your tank, it is too small as they grow to 12 in./30 cm.

clowns rarely, very very rarely grow that large in captivity

 

[TammyLiz]

I would agree, clowns are not good for your tank, it is too small as they grow to 12 in./30 cm.

clowns rarely, very very rarely grow that large in captivity

Thats because they are slow growing and take about 8 years to reach maturity. Most people don't care for them well enough for them to even live to maturity. They should live for several decades. There have been reports of a clown loach living in someone's tank for 40 years and still going strong.

 

[phlawed]

I would agree, clowns are not good for your tank, it is too small as they grow to 12 in./30 cm.

clowns rarely, very very rarely grow that large in captivity

Thats because they are slow growing and take about 8 years to reach maturity. Most people don't care for them well enough for them to even live to maturity. They should live for several decades. There have been reports of a clown loach living in someone's tank for 40 years and still going strong.

like i said rarely rarely rarely, but usually in captivity clowns only get to 6-8" and still live many many years just at only 6-8"