Few questions about loaches

[Pyramid_Party]

Hi, I got a few questions about these guys:




1. Do loaches do alright with Discus and/or Angel fish?

2. Do loaches eat fish eggs if given the chance? Kinda like how a Pleco might eat eggs if it gets the chance.


3. I know Loaches are a schooling fish, but I wonder, Say for instance you have 6 clown loaches, and maybe like 1-2 other species of loaches, would they ALL school together or would the other loaches be outsiders/loners of the group?

I guess what I am getting at is, do all loaches no matter what species school together or is there rejection from the group?

 

[Lupin]

1. Do loaches do alright with Discus and/or Angel fish?

Some questions can be answered by the sticky threads.

Angelfish and Discus
This has long been debated whether both cichlids are compatible with loaches. Is that possible at all? Yes and no. First of all, temperature must be taken into consideration. Most loaches do not like very high temperature. This will require maximizing the surface movements to ensure oxygen is not greatly depleted. Second, both cichlids are rather peaceful by nature and will not tolerate any boisterous movements at all. They tend to become severely stressed from it. Third, a lot of loaches like powerful movements so this is really another justified reason for the recommendation against keeping both cichlids together with most loaches.

All those mentioned above however can be compromised provided the tank must have spacious area thus preventing the loaches from acting like a pack of hyenas and ripping their fins to shreds and harassing them. Pangio sp. is by far the best choice as they do not require currents at all, are tolerant to warm temperatures and are not as boisterous as the other species preferring to hide most of the time or even forage the bottom just like the corydoras.

The other good options would be Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki, Botia kubotai, Botia histrionica, Botia rostrata and juvenile Chromobotia macracanthus. All three unfortunately fall under the category where all reasons mentioned earlier must be done to satisfy these species otherwise you will not be able to see them at their best. In a large tank, surface movements must be maximized. Assign an area where there will be powerful surface movements. When feeding, make sure to bait the loaches with sinking foods. Most discus tend to take their time to eat but this may eventually change and you will be lucky if they decide to wolf down on all the foods you give them. Angelfish usually do not have a problem with this although you will need to avoid the delicate strains particularly the black and double black strains. They tend not to cope well with the added stress from the constant movements of their tankmates and are best suited on their own with some placid tankmates.

2. Do loaches eat fish eggs if given the chance? Kinda like how a Pleco might eat eggs if it gets the chance.

All loaches are opportunistic and will eat the eggs regardless of the species.

3. I know Loaches are a schooling fish, but I wonder, Say for instance you have 6 clown loaches, and maybe like 1-2 other species of loaches, would they ALL school together or would the other loaches be outsiders/loners of the group?

It can work but best results are always found in a group of 6 per species rather than 1-2. Different species will not school and may simply interact, ignore or pester other tankmates.

Tiger loaches tend to behave rather mildly if kept singly but some simply pine away until they die. In a large group though, they often battle aggressively and loud clicks can be heard. With tiger loaches, it is best keeping a group in a 75g minimum with plenty of hiding places so they can settle their territorial disputes.

I guess what I am getting at is, do all loaches no matter what species school together or is there rejection from the group?

No, different species will not school together. They can interact, ignore or even peck others of different species depending on their personality but they will not in general school together. My groups of Y. modesta and Syncrossus helodes simply ignore each other.

 

[m.poisson]

i have 3botia kubutai & 2hillstream loaches with 4angels,4ctenopomas and 2gold gourami in a 55 tall.
everyone is doing fine...i had to remove a alpha angel for pestering and harassment,i am sure he killed 2 of my stock.black nasty is in with the baby oscar now.
my kubutai are very silly and pester everyone,too-but they don't seem to hurt anyone.i had four for almost a month before one started flashing and freaking out,went into spasms and died. i treated for ick,but no one else is showing any stress.he did not have spots either. so i dont know what happened...
the hillstreams hang out in the bubble wand or hide. they come out in the evening and are beautiful,but shy. the ctenopomas thought about eating my smallest one,but i think he realized that getting him off the glass to swallow may be impossible. he is right.it seems the ctenopomas like fast water,too...but it could just be that they are vain and like looking at themselves when water hose makes a bare spot on the bottom of the tank. all my angels are thriving now that black nasty is gone. i actually want more loaches and angels,they are adorable and my lfs now has tiger loaches.

 

[m.poisson]

my giant danios and melanotaenia fluviatilis school together. the danios are faster and a bit more robust, but the rainbows keep up.they compete fiercely for food and all twelve are fat and happy. they are in a 75 gallon with a baby oscar,3mollies and black nasty.nobodys big enough to eat anyone,but the tank is kind of boring...

 

[ewurm]

Hi, I got a few questions about these guys:




1. Do loaches do alright with Discus and/or Angel fish?

2. Do loaches eat fish eggs if given the chance? Kinda like how a Pleco might eat eggs if it gets the chance.


3. I know Loaches are a schooling fish, but I wonder, Say for instance you have 6 clown loaches, and maybe like 1-2 other species of loaches, would they ALL school together or would the other loaches be outsiders/loners of the group?

I guess what I am getting at is, do all loaches no matter what species school together or is there rejection from the group?

My experience:

1. Haven't kept discus, but should be fine with Angels.
2. I feed smelt eggs to the loaches as a bulking food, they will absolutely eat them
3. Check my blog for some recommendations for compatibility among loaches. My Clowns and Yo-yos shoal together.