Yoyo Loach Bullying

[lukestanislaus]

Hi I bought 3 Yoyo loaches for my 90L tank today (about 2hrs ago) , I read that they are best kept either singly or in groups of 3 or more so that's why i got 3, (They are quite small, maybe 4-5cms long) that are exhibiting some weird behavior. One seems to like swimming against the current coming out of the filter a lot and the other two seem to be chasing each other, but its a little one sided. The darker (and smaller) of the two keeps getting chased and even forced into jumping out of the water and its tail looks a lttle shredded up, this is disturbing because I thought these were a peaceful fish
They haven't bothered any of the other fish at all really
This is just an example but it's just general chasing and the smaller one sometimes hides but if it comes out it gets chased again, although they seem to have calmed down since then in the last 20mins and the previously lighter one has darkened up a little, they are being much more friendly now but should I still be concerned?

I recorded a small clip of whats happening

VIDEO

Any assistance or advice would be great

 

[loachman]

Hi I bought 3 Yoyo loaches for my 90L tank today (about 2hrs ago) , I read that they are best kept either singly or in groups of 3 or more so that's why i got 3, (They are quite small, maybe 4-5cms long) that are exhibiting some weird behavior. One seems to like swimming against the current coming out of the filter a lot and the other two seem to be chasing each other, but its a little one sided. The darker (and smaller) of the two keeps getting chased and even forced into jumping out of the water and its tail looks a lttle shredded up, this is disturbing because I thought these were a peaceful fish
They haven't bothered any of the other fish at all really
This is just an example but it's just general chasing and the smaller one sometimes hides but if it comes out it gets chased again, although they seem to have calmed down since then in the last 20mins and the previously lighter one has darkened up a little, they are being much more friendly now but should I still be concerned?

I recorded a small clip of whats happening

VIDEO

Any assistance or advice would be great

Loaches are river fish and they will enjoy a current. Swimming in the powerhead is normal

Do you have a number of hiding places? I've noticed mine tend to be territorial over favorite hiding places. Getting a number of caves or things to hide under should limit the aggression.

Loaches also tend to form a social heirarchy with an "alpha" so it may take a couple days for it to calm down some and the pecking order to get established.

 

[lukestanislaus]

Ok thanks, after closer inspection it appears the smaller one is a bit deformed, should i take it back and get a new one?

also i was wondering, if i add 2 more yoyos will that make them less or more aggressive as a group? because i notice they sometimes chase the other fish =/

 

[~T~]

I have always found yoyo loaches to be aggressive to other fish and although more would cut it down it might not stop it altogether.

 

[tophat665]

First thing's first - get the beat up one into a QT tank and medicate him lightly until he heals. (Remember - scaleless = no salt & half doses of copper based medicine only.) If it takes more than a week for his back to show improvement, then you may want to take him back to the fish store.

Once he's better, put him back in the tank, and the operscription is time, company, stimulation, and refuge. Add two more yoyos, make sure there is at least one hiding place per fish (2 is better), rearrange things to break up sight lines and provide a more stimulating environment, and wait. If you have 5 loaches, with places to run to and things to keep them interested, then it'll only be a matter of time before the aggression shakes itself out into a pecking order, and nobody, not even the tail, will get beat up too much. If you prefer, you could add three to 5 of another Botia species with similar results. (Just not B. Horae).