Yo Yo Loach Average Adult Size

[kuzyaburst]

I was looking at Yo Yo loaches recently and thought they were pretty cool. I've seen many sites that have ranges of the adult size of the loach. I just want to know what is the average size of an adult YoYo Loach? Also what is the amount of loaches recommended for a school? I was thinking of getting 4 or maybe 5, I currently own 2 in my tank that are about 1".

 

[Byron]

This is Botia almorhae, though sometimes one can see other species under the common name; see SF for more on this aspect http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/botia-almorhae/.  
 
But assuming you mean B. almorhae, this fish will attain six inches.  Growth and size are frequently dependent upon the environment and foods.  It may take some time; my closely-related Botia kubotai have a five-inch max size and I've had them five years now and they are around 3-4 inches depending upon the individual fish.  
 
Generally peaceful, but like all loaches (to some degree) they establish a social structure within the group and there will be some in-fighting though not damaging if the fish are maintained in a group of at least five and there are numerous hiding places in the aquarium.  Long-finned upper fish should be avoided to prevent possible fin nipping; suitable upper fish are barbs, rasbora, danios, characins.
 
As you have two, I would add another 3-4 soon, assuming you have tank space.  If not, perhaps return the two and consider one of the smaller loach species.  The group is absolutely essential for these fish.  Mine (and in another tank my dwarf and banded dwarf loaches) are continually interacting in fascinating ways.
 
Byron.

 

[kuzyaburst]

This is Botia almorhae, though sometimes one can see other species under the common name; see SF for more on this aspect http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/botia-almorhae/.  
 
But assuming you mean B. almorhae, this fish will attain six inches.  Growth and size are frequently dependent upon the environment and foods.  It may take some time; my closely-related Botia kubotai have a five-inch max size and I've had them five years now and they are around 3-4 inches depending upon the individual fish.  
 
Generally peaceful, but like all loaches (to some degree) they establish a social structure within the group and there will be some in-fighting though not damaging if the fish are maintained in a group of at least five and there are numerous hiding places in the aquarium.  Long-finned upper fish should be avoided to prevent possible fin nipping; suitable upper fish are barbs, rasbora, danios, characins.
 
As you have two, I would add another 3-4 soon, assuming you have tank space.  If not, perhaps return the two and consider one of the smaller loach species.  The group is absolutely essential for these fish.  Mine (and in another tank my dwarf and banded dwarf loaches) are continually interacting in fascinating ways.
 
Byron.

Ok thanks yeah I'm planning on getting atleast 3 more.

 

[kuzyaburst]

This is Botia almorhae, though sometimes one can see other species under the common name; see SF for more on this aspect http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/botia-almorhae/.  
 
But assuming you mean B. almorhae, this fish will attain six inches.  Growth and size are frequently dependent upon the environment and foods.  It may take some time; my closely-related Botia kubotai have a five-inch max size and I've had them five years now and they are around 3-4 inches depending upon the individual fish.  
 
Generally peaceful, but like all loaches (to some degree) they establish a social structure within the group and there will be some in-fighting though not damaging if the fish are maintained in a group of at least five and there are numerous hiding places in the aquarium.  Long-finned upper fish should be avoided to prevent possible fin nipping; suitable upper fish are barbs, rasbora, danios, characins.
 
As you have two, I would add another 3-4 soon, assuming you have tank space.  If not, perhaps return the two and consider one of the smaller loach species.  The group is absolutely essential for these fish.  Mine (and in another tank my dwarf and banded dwarf loaches) are continually interacting in fascinating ways.
 
Byron.

Also one of my Yo Yo Loaches climbed into a very small hole on the side of an ornament I saw him peak his head from the hole yesterday. Today I don't see him anywhere and there isn't a way I can check to make sure he is ok, I only see 1 out of 2 loaches swimming around. I'm worried he might be stuck inside, do you think he'll be able to get out since he was able to get in? 

 

[Byron]

 

This is Botia almorhae, though sometimes one can see other species under the common name; see SF for more on this aspect http/www.seriouslyfish.com/species/botia-almorhae/.  
 
But assuming you mean B. almorhae, this fish will attain six inches.  Growth and size are frequently dependent upon the environment and foods.  It may take some time; my closely-related Botia kubotai have a five-inch max size and I've had them five years now and they are around 3-4 inches depending upon the individual fish.  
 
Generally peaceful, but like all loaches (to some degree) they establish a social structure within the group and there will be some in-fighting though not damaging if the fish are maintained in a group of at least five and there are numerous hiding places in the aquarium.  Long-finned upper fish should be avoided to prevent possible fin nipping; suitable upper fish are barbs, rasbora, danios, characins.
 
As you have two, I would add another 3-4 soon, assuming you have tank space.  If not, perhaps return the two and consider one of the smaller loach species.  The group is absolutely essential for these fish.  Mine (and in another tank my dwarf and banded dwarf loaches) are continually interacting in fascinating ways.
 
Byron.

Also one of my Yo Yo Loaches climbed into a very small hole on the side of an ornament I saw him peak his head from the hole yesterday. Today I don't see him anywhere and there isn't a way I can check to make sure he is ok, I only see 1 out of 2 loaches swimming around. I'm worried he might be stuck inside, do you think he'll be able to get out since he was able to get in? 
 

 
Should be able to get out if he got in.  This is a feature of loaches, they love hiding places.  I use chunks of wood with tunnels, and I have several chunks of it in both tanks with loaches.  To see them playing tag disappearing in a tunnel and coming out elsewhere, then reversing their chase, is fun.  There must be wood or decor with tunnels or crevices so each loach can pick his home, otherwise they will be stressed.

 

[Noahsfish]

I've had three in a thirty gallon for about a year now, and they're 4-5" each. They were initially shy but now are out and swimming every time I pass the tank, so I'd say 3 is a fine number for them if provided with adequate tankmates and hiding places. I used to keep them with some Cardinal tetras but they're fairly agressive and killed two of them, so I only keep harlequin rasboras and a opaline with them, both of which the loaches happily coexist.

Be careful adding new, delicate fish to the tank with these loaches. I've noticed they get very curious and nippy at small, slower moving fish. I thought they might go for the gouramis fins but there's been zero issues so far and I even see the gourami swimming among them . BTW, how big is the tank?

 

[kuzyaburst]

I've had three in a thirty gallon for about a year now, and they're 4-5" each. They were initially shy but now are out and swimming every time I pass the tank, so I'd say 3 is a fine number for them if provided with adequate tankmates and hiding places. I used to keep them with some Cardinal tetras but they're fairly agressive and killed two of them, so I only keep harlequin rasboras and a opaline with them, both of which the loaches happily coexist.

Be careful adding new, delicate fish to the tank with these loaches. I've noticed they get very curious and nippy at small, slower moving fish. I thought they might go for the gouramis fins but there's been zero issues so far and I even see the gourami swimming among them

. BTW, how big is the tank?

planted 40 gallon, and they got out of their hiding spots they're now happily playing around near my plants.

 I think I have a pretty good stock with the loaches because I haven't seen anyone bother each other, they swim near each other and no nipping... other than my Serpae Tetras nipping at each other.

Here's one chill-axing

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

I bought my Yo-Yos as Botia Lohachata. Their markings are very similar to yours. The yo-yo pattern is very distinctive on mine.

 

[Byron]

I bought my Yo-Yos as Botia Lohachata. Their markings are very similar to yours. The yo-yo pattern is very distinctive on mine.

 
That is possibly the same species.  Here's some data from my earlier research on this that may be of interest.
 
This commonly-available loach may be seen under several common names including Reticulated loach, Lohachata Botia, Pakistani Loach, Almorha Loach and Yo Yo Loach probably being the most common. The latter, coined by Ken Childs of Dolphin International fish importers in Los Angeles, comes from the pattern on the fish's side resembling a series of brown "Y" and white "O" markings which is more discernible in young fish. The name "Pakistani" loach may be the most inaccurate, since this species is not known to occur in Pakistan [see additional comments below].  The body markings of the yo yo loaches can vary quite considerably from fish to fish, and as the fish matures the pattern fills in to be more reticulated. From time to time a fish may "gray out" as it is commonly called, usually two together and often during "fights" or when feeding; the base colour darkens considerably.  Episodes of this interaction between two fish can last for several hours.
 
The exact species name of this fish is still uncertain. Originally it was deemed to be Botia lohachata, the name assigned by B.L. Chaudhuri in 1912, and it is still widely seen under this name. Botia is derived from an Asian word for soldier or warrior. In the early 1990's it was suggested that this "species" was conspecific with B. almorhae which had been described in 1831 by J.E. Gray. Dr. Maurice Kottelat (2004), an acknowledged authority on this family, confirmed this and assigned the name B. lohachata as a synonym of B. almorhae and not a distinct species in his major revision of the genus which he separated into seven genera.

Subsequently, Steven Grant (2007) proposed that B. almorhae may in fact consist of five distinct but closely-related species:
Botia almorhae Gray, 1831
Botia birdi Chaudhuri, 1909
Botia lohachata Chaudhuri 1912
Botia sp. "Kosi", possibly a variant of B. almorhae
Botia sp. "Teesta", possibly a variant of B. almorhae

The striking similarity in pattern among these fish certainly makes this feasible; the California Academy of Sciences--Ichthyology (whose database is accepted by the scientific community) has accepted the validity of the first three distinct species. The authors of Loaches Online accept B. almorhae as the species of the subject fish. The occurrence in Pakistan is restricted to the species B. birdi described by Chaudhuri in 1909.
 
Of course. this does not mean that you or I may have this or that species.  Collectors may not have correctly identified the fish, although one might be able to pin this down if one knew exactly where the fish were collected.  I would have to dig a bit further into my research, but I suspect the species have individual ranges and are not overlapping, but again this is just a surmise.

 

[LongS]

I'm pretty sure Almorhae are indeed lohachata. They are nice loaches, although i keep Botia Histrionica and a few rogue Botia Kubotais which are all similar looking. The best loach to keep if maximum size is an issue is Botia striata as they don't get very big and are arguably the most attractive looking loach there is.

 

[RobRocksFishTank]

Yes, those two yo-yos are the same, I think. Most of the sources I've seen put them up to 3". Strata seem to be about the same, maybe a bit smaller.