adding Loach to my aquarium

[yaacov]

hi all
I'm have some zebras, bettas and pelco in my aquarium and i want to add some loachs. my question is if the loachs can live together with the other fish without bothering them ?

[Pootspete]

Hi and welcome! How big is your tank?

[yaacov]

The tank size is 70 litre

[JamisonBWolsh]

If you do buy any loaches buy 3 or more...they like to be in groups

[mwood322]

What kind of loaches were you looking at? That will give us a better idea of if it will work.

There are many different kinds, some peaceful, others quite aggressive, and still others get very large.

--Mia

[yaacov]

i want to add Orange-Finned Loach or Clown Loach. Do they peaceful fishes ? and what is the question about my tank size is it matter ?

[mwood322]

Most Loaches should be in at least a 30 gallon to be comfortable. The Two you picked have the potential to get big. Orange-Finned can reach 8 inches, and Clowns 6-12 easily. Orange-Finned can be aggressive, and Clowns need to be in at least a trio. They do better in numbers above 6 though. Clowns should really be in tanks over 75 Gallons at least. I'm aiming for a 130 to house my 6, and they are only 3 inches now.

Loaches that can live in tanks smaller than 30 gallons include all varieties of kuhlis, and skunk loaches, though skunks are very aggressive at the best of times. Yo yo loaches may work in smaller aquaria, though they can be nippy.

In general loaches are nippy, can be boisterous and can be very secretive, hifding most or all of teh time in the wrong enviroment.

--Mia

[Hoplosternum]

Unfortunately I have to agree with mwood322. Clown Loaches and Red/Orange Finned Loaches get to large and in the latter case far too aggressive for your other fish and the tank size.

The only loach that will definitely be OK are khuli loaches but these are perhaps not what you are looking for.

There are two other possibilities that might work (apart from the Yoyos mcwood322 mentioned) but they are a risk, especially for your betta I would think. Chain loaches (Sidthimunki) are small but need to be kept in groups. Like many loaches these are now often bred commercially in SE Asia and are often now reported to be aggressive and nippy. There is information about them on this site http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/db.cgi?db=fresh&uid=default&ID=0481&view_records=1 but they can now often be aggressive which is not mentioned here.

The other choice is Botia striata (Zebra loach). These are slightly smaller than Yoyos and slightly more peaceful in general. You should be able to get a trio (they need their own company) in a 70 litre, but it will use up a lot of your bioload and they may still go after your betta.

Any loach type should be bought in a group of 3+ really to avoid personality disorders and numerous hiding spaces should be provided.

By the way if you have a 'real' pleco i.e. a Common or Sailfin I would take him back to the LFS before you get attached to him. These fish grow very very big in a relatively short space of time and will not survive in a tank that size in the long term. Some commonly available Plecs can grow to two foot in length and even at smaller sizes they produce a lot of waste. All your other fish will die too as he either eats them or poisons them as water conditions deteriate. A bristlenose catfish (Ancistrus) or Ottos are far more appropriate for a 70 litre for algae eating duties.

Good luck!

[yaacov]

First i want to thank you all for yours remarks and answers.

i abandoned the idea of adding Loaches to my aqurium (i don't want to take any risk, because my tak is very peaceful, and i don't want it to be change).

but i have still one question about what -Hoplosternum- wrote:
that my tank is to small to raise in a pleco. is it true because when i bought it mentioned the size of my tank and i have been answered that it is ok. The pleco size is about 2 inches.

[latazyo]

NOOOOO

loaches are a great addition to your tank

I woudl strongly suggest the half banded kuhli loach, they hide a lot and are interesting to watch when they come out and they are very pleasureable to look at

as far as I know mine are peaceful, as none of my other fish have probs with them

I have 4 loaches and 3 otos in a 20 g (check sig) and all is well!

[yaacov]

latazyo i got your answer but i don't think they are good for me .
i search for info about them after reciving your reply and i figure out that those are pretty hard to find fish. i have to admit that i even didn't hear about them till now and i am not sure that i can find any kind of those.

thanks anyway.

b.t.w.

what - LFS - means is it initials of fish store or something like that ?

[Serrateeth_2002]

Loaches need hiding places,all of the loaches i know of live in pipes,caves,anywhere dark.You might want a Pakistan loach.

[Tightdog1]

clown loaches are very sesseptible 2 ich so be careful, clown also grow very very slowly so they do not need a huge aquarium in the beginning, i had 4 in a 20g by them selves but they died (:mad: ich)b4 quarrantine was finished so i never got a good chance to raise them, but they are nice fish.

[Hoplosternum]

Hello Yaacov,

You might need another thread to get your question about Plecs answered as everyone is still talking about loaches here :) Obviously I think I am right ;) but it is always a good idea to get a few opinions, the board has many people more knowledgeable than me :)

LFS = Local Fish Shop i.e. the place you should return any unwanted fish (rather than kill them or release them into the wild) and buy the fish you want :)

By the way I think you are making the right decision about loaches. I personnally love them but in a tank of your size with your existing fish they may cause problems. There are a lot of loach fans on the board :) But they (loaches) also have certain requirements (lots of places to hide, live in groups etc.) which you either have or must provide. So they are not for everyone and should not be a casual purchase.

[koolkatzfish]

the common pl*co gets over a foot long. If you want a pl*co get a bristlenose or clown or one of the other smaller pl*cos. Do not trust the fish store, get the species name first and look it up. I was told a sailfin would stay under 5 inches (nope it can get up to 24 inches long).
Also some other loaches to consider: yoyo loaches (botia lohachata) or zebra loaches (botia striata) both are hardy and stay under 4-5 inches.

[firetank]

if you can get kuhli loaches. i have just got them and they are fantastic to watch, plus dont disrupt the tank...

[kuhli]

Hiya you may check out loaches.com.
They are very friendly and helpfull. IMHO Kuhlis are great as are striatas they shoud be fine:)
Also dwarf loaches would work.
Kuhli:)