loaches , loaches,loaches!!!

[Jamie]

I am considering both of these to control the snail population in my tank. Will zebra loaches be just as effective as clowns for a 150g planted tank? I know that clowns get much larger than the zebras and I am sort of leaning towards the zebras.

Thanks - Jamie

[valerie]

I added 4 zebra loaches to my 58g planted tank because i was having a snail problem that wouldn't go away(tried all the tricks). The loaches too care of the snails in a few days. They are jsut a good as clowns. I think most species in genus(is that the right word??) botia will eat snails. I have also had B.robusta and they ate snails too.

I think Zebra loaches are a great choice since they stay smaller. I don't think you should jsut get them because they will at the snails, get them because loacehs are really cool fish.

Stoopid- yes some loaches eat snails. They sck them right out of their shells. This can be a problem if you have tons of snails because you will be left with 100s of snail shells all over your gravel.

*note* loaches can have problems eating MTS as they have stronger shells and are in the gravel most of the time.

[OrionGirl]

Loaches will eat the snails.

Reducing the food source does kill the snails off, but it also slows down their reproduction. When food is scarce, they don't lay more eggs. If there is still plenty of food and just a few snails, they will continue to lay eggs.

[Jamie]

Looks like zebra loaches for me :D

[Sum-X]

If you want to see them, I'd go with cories. Kuhli Loaches tend to hide a lot, and usually only come out at night. Clown Loaches would be too big. Of course, there are other species of them, but I would probably go with cories as mentioned.

[LMOUTHBASS]

lets compare some different types - personal experiences etc!!!
i know the clown will get plenty of press here!!!
i like yo-yo loaches what are you personal experiences with them? how big will they get etc are they wild caught? how do they interact with others - lets just talk loaches though - which ones are good to mix - or whatever you can think of tho share

[emoore]

I only have clowns but I will be getting a group of yo-yo's as soon as I get a larger aquarium. From what I have read clowns and yo-yo's get along pretty well. I think yo-yo's get about 4-5 inches long. I believe that almost all loaches (99.9%) are wild. I have heard some reports of breeding attempts in asia but I have not been able to find anything concrete.

[Slappy*McFish]

:cool:
I like loaches too. I currently keep clowns, yoyos, modesta, and zebra loaches...all together. In fact, they all tend to congregate together and get along just fine. My Yoyos are around 5-6" and are somewhat active during the day(especially around feeding time). The Clowns are by far the most active of all the loaches, while the Modestas only come out to feed, but recently have become bolder in their daytime activities. For over a year they hid away during the day and I rarely saw them with the lights on, but the last month or two, they have lost alot of their shyness for some reason. I'm not sure if the yoyos and modestas are wild caught, though the clowns most definately are. The lone zebra loach spends a great deal of his time hanging out with the yoyos. I feed them TetraMin pro crisps, New Life spectrum granuals, frozen bloodworms, brineshrimp, and mosquito larvae, shrimp pellets, and algae wafers. They also occasionaly receive shelled garden peas, which they really seem to enjoy.

[LMOUTHBASS]

i've seen these from time to time look very much like a fish that just sits on the bottom n walks on its belly sorta - not a big swimmer is what im saying i guess!!!

[mogurnda]

My all time favorites are darter loaches (B. sidthmunki). Small, pretty, outgoing, and easy. I wish they were easier to find. Zebras are great, too. Of course, the clown loaches are a favorite around the house right now.

[NJ Devils Fan]

My yo-yo loaches are great. They are so fun to watch and are not afraid to come over to me when my hand is in the water. They are a real treat to have in my tank. I would recommend them to anyone.

[Dapple2]

For the moment, my favs are my ringed loaches, friendly, non-aggressive, eat like pigs, unusual, active at all hours, what's not to like :D

[rich]

full grown skunk loaches are mean as hell. i got a tank out of the paper with livestock. got rid of all the fish but decided to keep a big skunk. i then added the SA cichlids i bought to the tank. within a day the skunk had camped out the very middle of the tank and would push the bigger cichlids to one side ( even the grumpy firemouth). i got rid of the skunk and now the cichlids cruise the tank.

[valerie]

Right now i only have zebra loaches(botia striata) but i have kept B.robusta and B histronica(sp?) in the past.

My favorites out of the ones i have owned are by far the B.striata. I have 4 in my planted tank and they are always out and about. I have heard that zebra loaches can be shy but not my guys.They are also always clicking, it drives me crazy at night.

I would love to get some clowns but don't have any room right now to keep them.

[cblin]

I have 2 clown loaches, 2 weather loaches, 1 yoyo loach, 1 horse face loach.

Clowns are colorful. Weather loaches are hyper. Yoyo loach is definitely the pig. However, horseface is like a lawn mower, moving the sand around all the time.

Wife's favorite is the yoyo. My favorite is the horseface. Every time I look at it, I have to chuckle.
http://204.210.234.59:8080/horseface.jpg

[TwoTankAmin]

I have 8 clowns and 5 sidthimukis. The sids are a smaller loach, cute as buttons and very active. I had 4 yoyos which when they approached 4 inches began bother other fish including my dd black angel pair. the yoyos were shipped out.