Yoyo or Clown loaches?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Congratulations. :)

I've got 15 that I'll be moving soon into a 360-gallon (in a 125 now). They also grow very quickly to about 5", then slow down their growth. So a 70 won't hold a shoal for long before stunting them, unless water changes are perfomed twice a week.

Enjoy!
 
BuffaloFish said:
Congratulations. :)

I've got 15 that I'll be moving soon into a 360-gallon (in a 125 now). They also grow very quickly to about 5", then slow down their growth. So a 70 won't hold a shoal for long before stunting them, unless water changes are perfomed twice a week.

Enjoy!
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I'm sure a shoal of 3 inchers can be held for quite a few years. Even if they grow to 5 inches very quick.

What do you mean by 'Stunting'?
 
Well, it can happen two ways. 1., if water quality drops (they are prodigeous eaters and poopers) and they live in said water for a while, then that can 'stunt' their growth so that they never reach their full potential size, and have other ill effects on their health, obviously. 2., I've read theories that the dominant loach (usually a female), will excrete hormones into the water that limit the growth of the loaches around her, allowing her to remain the largest loach and the alpha of the group. Frequent water changes help to remove those hormones from the water, allowing all of the fish to grow more freely.

I feed mine three times a day (flakes in the morning, pellets in the afternoon when I can get home on a lunchbreak, and meats at night (chopped shrimp, bloodworms, and/or brine shrimp)), so even in my 125-gallon, I make sure to do water changes at least once a week, since I have loaches that I'm working to grow out. :D
 
i say yoyo's cause they are way more hardy, i've had them in my tank since the beginning of my hobby from 10 years ago, that's right, the 5 yoyo's i have are 10+ years old (been in 3 separate tanks as i upgraded) and they've never had ich while everyone of my clown loaches have manage to get it. they never get eaten and they are much more social towards other yoyo's than clowns towards other clowns. BUT they do hid most of the time and i think that's just natural for them.
 
anarekist said:
i say yoyo's cause they are way more hardy, i've had them in my tank since the beginning of my hobby from 10 years ago, that's right, the 5 yoyo's i have are 10+ years old (been in 3 separate tanks as i upgraded) and they've never had ich while everyone of my clown loaches have manage to get it. they never get eaten and they are much more social towards other yoyo's than clowns towards other clowns. BUT they do hid most of the time and i think that's just natural for them.
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I already bought the Clown loaches
 
BuffaloFish said:
Well, it can happen two ways. 1., if water quality drops (they are prodigeous eaters and poopers) and they live in said water for a while, then that can 'stunt' their growth so that they never reach their full potential size, and have other ill effects on their health, obviously. 2., I've read theories that the dominant loach (usually a female), will excrete hormones into the water that limit the growth of the loaches around her, allowing her to remain the largest loach and the alpha of the group. Frequent water changes help to remove those hormones from the water, allowing all of the fish to grow more freely.

I feed mine three times a day (flakes in the morning, pellets in the afternoon when I can get home on a lunchbreak, and meats at night (chopped shrimp, bloodworms, and/or brine shrimp)), so even in my 125-gallon, I make sure to do water changes at least once a week, since I have loaches that I'm working to grow out. :D
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Thanks man. Don't worry, I shall be doing water changes every week especially since the tank is less than a week old :)

By the way, I like the idea of feeding them chopped up shrimp, How small does the chopped up shrimp have to be?
 
Depends on the size of the mouths you're feeding. If they're babies, I'd chop it pretty finely and see how they do with it. I've also noticed that--at least with mine--they don't care for frozen/thawed shrimp as much as they do fresh/organic shrimp. I'm usually the weirdo at the grocery store buying just two or three shrimp from the fish counter. ;) Shell it, chop it, and feed it fast, because it doesn't last long in the fridge.
 
Oh, you may also want to keep a little Quinine on-hand. This was recommended to me by another loach keeper and it has already saved my butt with one little loach that came down with ick. It is great for combating ick in loaches and I always try to have some available, just in case.
 
Get both. They get along together and pretty entertaining. Yoyos can get up to 7". Your tank size is plenty.
 
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