Yoyo Loach Swimming up Filter

[ICED]

Hey guys,

I have just purchased a yoyo loach (or the Pakistani loach) today and i have noticed some strange behaviour. It has been swimming up my filter and i am really stressed out. I pulled him out and he seems to be fine, but has anyone else had the same situation? If not, is there anything i can do? I really don't want to loose this guy... My tank size is 50 gallon and i checked my water parameters and everything seems to be fine. I own a community tank with:

1x angel fish (About to buy another one)
2x Rainbow sharks
2x Silver dollars
6x Swordtails
1x Bristle nose pleco
1x Male dwarf gourami
1x Gourami
1x Pakistani Loach

I have read forums stating to have more than one, but i couldn't have bought more as he was the last one left, and he was expensive. I have also heard that they may be aggressive to other fish. I have provided plenty of hiding spaces for them and there is pretty much no open spaces. He has his own caves and seems to be getting along fine with the other fish. I am just puzzled as to what made him decide he wanted to go up the filter? I have a powerhead but it is old and there is not much current in the tank. He swam up the filter although the current was pushing him out and i only noticed it as it made a noise. If i didn't check the intake, he would have died... Please help if it is possible. I cant think of anything to block the filter without preventing water from coming through. Thanks for your attention.

UPDATE: Everything seems to be fine which is great and he is showing no signs of stress and pretty much never hides! He is not aggressive to the other fish and visa versa. Thanks for your time!

 

[FroFro]

Hey guys,

I have just purchased a yoyo loach (or the Pakistani loach) today and i have noticed some strange behaviour. It has been swimming up my filter and i am really stressed out. I pulled him out and he seems to be fine, but has anyone else had the same situation? If not, is there anything i can do? I really don't want to loose this guy... My tank size is 50 gallon and i checked my water parameters and everything seems to be fine. I own a community tank with:

1x angel fish (About to buy another one)
2x Rainbow sharks
2x Silver dollars
6x Swordtails
1x Bristle nose pleco
1x Male dwarf gourami
1x Gourami
1x Pakistani Loach

I have read forums stating to have more than one, but i couldn't have bought more as he was the last one left, and he was expensive. I have also heard that they may be aggressive to other fish. I have provided plenty of hiding spaces for them and there is pretty much no open spaces. He has his own caves and seems to be getting along fine with the other fish. I am just puzzled as to what made him decide he wanted to go up the filter? I have a powerhead but it is old and there is not much current in the tank. He swam up the filter although the current was pushing him out and i only noticed it as it made a noise. If i didn't check the intake, he would have died... Please help if it is possible. I cant think of anything to block the filter without preventing water from coming through. Thanks for your attention.

You need to baffle your filter intake/outtake or lower the water line so that he can't swim up the current and through the outtake. Loaches are known to go into a filter in search of food or a place to hide. He hasn't adjusted fully to his new home yet, so he's probably still searching for secure places to hide. What kind of substrate do you have? I do know that loaches like to bury themselves in substrate (if its soft enough) to hide when they don't feed safe/when they rest. As most loaches are nocturnal. Loaches in the wild usually live in water that has very soft, muddy bottoms for them to swim in, so having a soft substrate will mimic this environment for them.

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF.

Most true loach species will swim into any opening, sometimes even if they cannot exactly fit. It is their natural behaviour. You need to block any filter intake large enough for the fish to get in, even if only part way. Providing plenty of hiding places also helps to ease their stress, and here nothing beats chunks of driftwood with crevices and tunnels. I have Botia kubotai (a close relative) and Ambastaia sidthimunki, and several chunks of Malaysian Driftwood. They play "hide and seek" a lot. Loaches also need to select their "home" for the night, so providing plenty of options is best.

Now, having said that, you have a couple of real problems here. First, with just one of the species, it is going to be highly stressed and this will worsen. Loaches in the genus Botia are highly social fish, and must be in a group; five seems to be minimum. I realize you only found one at the store, but this is still not going to work for the fish's well being.

There is another serious issue here, and that is the existing two Rainbow Sharks. Loaches should never be added to a tank containing any of the "shark" fish. The loach is still getting settled--or trying to unsuccessfully without others--but at some point one or both of the sharks willtake a strong dislike to the already-stressed loach, or vice versa. And stressed fish send out chemical signals that other fish read, and they may well really target what is a weakened and stressed fish. I would return, or at least remove, the loach quickly; every day the stress is worsening. This really is not at all likely to work, and the loach is most likely to be the loser.

Byron.

 

[ICED]

You need to baffle your filter intake/outtake or lower the water line so that he can't swim up the current and through the outtake. Loaches are known to go into a filter in search of food or a place to hide. He hasn't adjusted fully to his new home yet, so he's probably still searching for secure places to hide. What kind of substrate do you have? I do know that loaches like to bury themselves in substrate (if its soft enough) to hide when they don't feed safe/when they rest. As most loaches are nocturnal. Loaches in the wild usually live in water that has very soft, muddy bottoms for them to swim in, so having a soft substrate will mimic this environment for them.

Hi, thanks for your reply. I have blocked off my filter with fly wire and everything seems to be fine now. He does like to dig up my substrate which is small gravel, and he is enjoying his new home! He now has alot of hiding places, but doesn't want to hide, he is a character! Thank you for the advice!

 

[ICED]

Welcome to TFF.

Most true loach species will swim into any opening, sometimes even if they cannot exactly fit. It is their natural behaviour. You need to block any filter intake large enough for the fish to get in, even if only part way. Providing plenty of hiding places also helps to ease their stress, and here nothing beats chunks of driftwood with crevices and tunnels. I have Botia kubotai (a close relative) and Ambastaia sidthimunki, and several chunks of Malaysian Driftwood. They play "hide and seek" a lot. Loaches also need to select their "home" for the night, so providing plenty of options is best.

Now, having said that, you have a couple of real problems here. First, with just one of the species, it is going to be highly stressed and this will worsen. Loaches in the genus Botia are highly social fish, and must be in a group; five seems to be minimum. I realize you only found one at the store, but this is still not going to work for the fish's well being.

There is another serious issue here, and that is the existing two Rainbow Sharks. Loaches should never be added to a tank containing any of the "shark" fish. The loach is still getting settled--or trying to unsuccessfully without others--but at some point one or both of the sharks willtake a strong dislike to the already-stressed loach, or vice versa. And stressed fish send out chemical signals that other fish read, and they may well really target what is a weakened and stressed fish. I would return, or at least remove, the loach quickly; every day the stress is worsening. This really is not at all likely to work, and the loach is most likely to be the loser.

Byron.

Hello, thanks for your reply. I have blocked off my filter and added plenty of hiding places and driftwood. The loach is going really well and hasn't been harmed as he is larger than the sharks and pretty much one of the largest in the tank. I haven't found any problems as of now and he seems to be fine; he isn't stressed at all and the rainbow sharks are minding their own business. He has plenty of hiding places all over the tank and is very social and is showing no signs of stress. It never hides and is pretty much out of his tank all day. He has adapted well but if i do see any problems i will sure take your advice! I was worried at first as i had read forums on loaches acting more aggressively in groups, especially to Angels which i would 'assume' is true but i could be wrong. Thanks so much!

 

[Byron]

Hello, thanks for your reply. I have blocked off my filter and added plenty of hiding places and driftwood. The loach is going really well and hasn't been harmed as he is larger than the sharks and pretty much one of the largest in the tank. I haven't found any problems as of now and he seems to be fine; he isn't stressed at all and the rainbow sharks are minding their own business. He has plenty of hiding places all over the tank and is very social and is showing no signs of stress. It never hides and is pretty much out of his tank all day. He has adapted well but if i do see any problems i will sure take your advice! I was worried at first as i had read forums on loaches acting more aggressively in groups, especially to Angels which i would 'assume' is true but i could be wrong. Thanks so much!

I am not going to get into an argument over fish behaviour, but something you posted here needs responding to as it is a misunderstanding. And remember I am trying to be helpful for your fish, not critical.

Fish experience stress from many things, and in the early stages there is no external sign to the aquarist, unless it is very serious from the first. The wise aquarist researches the needs and behaviours of a fish before acquisition, and provides accordingly. We usually know how each species of fish generally behaves and what they require in the way of water parameters, aquascaping, numbers of the species, etc. We should assume the fish we acquire will be normal and thus behave as is normal for the species. If this fish is healthy, it usually will be "normal." Attempting to force any fish into a situation that does not provide for what the fish expects may seem to work, but this is causing stress and at some point the fish will react. Some call this cruelty to the fish; the fact that unlike dogs and cats the fish cannot tell us more directly they are in trouble does not mean they are "OK." Have a read of both citations in my signature block.

The other point I'd like to make is that initially fish new to an aquarium are under fairly severe stress, and can take time to "settle down." Chasing a fish around with a net and bagging it evokes the exact same response physiologically as does a predator in the wild, so it is an extreme stress inducer. This has two aspects. First, they are not going to show their true colours until they are settled; so down the road, which could be a couple weeks to a few months, the fish will sometimes quite suddenly change its behaviours to what is programmed into its DNA. And this too is important--this is part of the fish's evolutionary development, and not something we can hope to change. Second, during this initial settling in period the fish is even more vulnerable, and something that might not bother it if it was in a more friendly environment (= normal) can be extremely problematic.

Stress is the direct cause of 95% of all fish disease. It is always better to lessen it as much as possible, and providing the right environment is key.

Angelfish were mentioned...this is not a good combo with loaches. Nor any of the "sharks."

Byron.

 

[ICED]

I am not going to get into an argument over fish behaviour, but something you posted here needs responding to as it is a misunderstanding. And remember I am trying to be helpful for your fish, not critical.

Fish experience stress from many things, and in the early stages there is no external sign to the aquarist, unless it is very serious from the first. The wise aquarist researches the needs and behaviours of a fish before acquisition, and provides accordingly. We usually know how each species of fish generally behaves and what they require in the way of water parameters, aquascaping, numbers of the species, etc. We should assume the fish we acquire will be normal and thus behave as is normal for the species. If this fish is healthy, it usually will be "normal." Attempting to force any fish into a situation that does not provide for what the fish expects may seem to work, but this is causing stress and at some point the fish will react. Some call this cruelty to the fish; the fact that unlike dogs and cats the fish cannot tell us more directly they are in trouble does not mean they are "OK." Have a read of both citations in my signature block.

The other point I'd like to make is that initially fish new to an aquarium are under fairly severe stress, and can take time to "settle down." Chasing a fish around with a net and bagging it evokes the exact same response physiologically as does a predator in the wild, so it is an extreme stress inducer. This has two aspects. First, they are not going to show their true colours until they are settled; so down the road, which could be a couple weeks to a few months, the fish will sometimes quite suddenly change its behaviours to what is programmed into its DNA. And this too is important--this is part of the fish's evolutionary development, and not something we can hope to change. Second, during this initial settling in period the fish is even more vulnerable, and something that might not bother it if it was in a more friendly environment (= normal) can be extremely problematic.

Stress is the direct cause of 95% of all fish disease. It is always better to lessen it as much as possible, and providing the right environment is key.

Angelfish were mentioned...this is not a good combo with loaches. Nor any of the "sharks."

Byron.

I am not going to get into an argument over fish behaviour, but something you posted here needs responding to as it is a misunderstanding. And remember I am trying to be helpful for your fish, not critical.

Fish experience stress from many things, and in the early stages there is no external sign to the aquarist, unless it is very serious from the first. The wise aquarist researches the needs and behaviours of a fish before acquisition, and provides accordingly. We usually know how each species of fish generally behaves and what they require in the way of water parameters, aquascaping, numbers of the species, etc. We should assume the fish we acquire will be normal and thus behave as is normal for the species. If this fish is healthy, it usually will be "normal." Attempting to force any fish into a situation that does not provide for what the fish expects may seem to work, but this is causing stress and at some point the fish will react. Some call this cruelty to the fish; the fact that unlike dogs and cats the fish cannot tell us more directly they are in trouble does not mean they are "OK." Have a read of both citations in my signature block.

The other point I'd like to make is that initially fish new to an aquarium are under fairly severe stress, and can take time to "settle down." Chasing a fish around with a net and bagging it evokes the exact same response physiologically as does a predator in the wild, so it is an extreme stress inducer. This has two aspects. First, they are not going to show their true colours until they are settled; so down the road, which could be a couple weeks to a few months, the fish will sometimes quite suddenly change its behaviours to what is programmed into its DNA. And this too is important--this is part of the fish's evolutionary development, and not something we can hope to change. Second, during this initial settling in period the fish is even more vulnerable, and something that might not bother it if it was in a more friendly environment (= normal) can be extremely problematic.

Stress is the direct cause of 95% of all fish disease. It is always better to lessen it as much as possible, and providing the right environment is key.

Angelfish were mentioned...this is not a good combo with loaches. Nor any of the "sharks."

Byron.

Thank you so much! I will do my best to find some more loaches for it, driving to a pet store is fine but actually finding companions for this guy might be difficult, but i will find some! After a day i have found some sort of different behaviour, but I'm not sure if it is normal... He seems to be swimming around a lot less and likes to lay down near the driftwood. Im hoping this is normal but it could be stress... Thanks again for your help!

 

[Byron]

Thank you so much! I will do my best to find some more loaches for it, driving to a pet store is fine but actually finding companions for this guy might be difficult, but i will find some! After a day i have found some sort of different behaviour, but I'm not sure if it is normal... He seems to be swimming around a lot less and likes to lay down near the driftwood. Im hoping this is normal but it could be stress... Thanks again for your help!

Fine. I do recognize that you have one because of no others. But it is still a serious issue for the loach. The sharks need to be carefully monitored, they may well take advantage and become aggressive to the loach. Fish excrete chemical signals as communication, which can be read by others in the species (pheromones) or by other species (allomones) and when stressed, as this loach clearly is, this is being "broadcast" so to speak. The sharks may take advantage of a weakened fish.

Byron.