Pale YOYO loach?

KateCB

KateCB

Karate Kate
Jan 17, 2007
74
0
0
Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK
www.martialdesign.co.uk
:help:
Hi, hope someone can help me with this one!

I have two YoYo loaches - a couple of days ago I noticed that they were very pale - 10 minutes later they were both back to their normal colour.....however today the larger of the two (odd as they were bought from the same stock at the same time!) is VERY pale - nearly pink, and has remained so all day... is this normal?

If not, what do I do? It is very active, eating/playing with its tankmate - water parameters are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0.5 nitrate ph 7.0,(normal PH for our area of the UK) tank cleaned on Thursday, all other inhabitants as normal. (Api testing kit used).
 
Hi kate,
Yoyos are best in groups of 3 absolute minimum, but 5 or more is even better. All Botiine loaches have very structured social lives and a naturally defined heirachy. They determine this with trials of strength and within a group there's normally a leader or 'alpha' loach.
During times of dispute or stress all Botiine species may change colour. It's known colloquially by Loachaholics as "greying out". Sometimes the fish that comes out on top in the dispute may stay paler for quite a lot of the time.
So it's nothing to be worried about. Just loaches being loaches. With yoyos, especially as they get older and the pattern becomes more reticulated they may actually go darker than normal when fighting.
When you have only two one is going to be dominant and may get a bit too much for the other fish as any demonstration of force to reinforce that fish's dominance can only be concentrated on one other fish rather than spread between several individuals.
How big is your tank? Remember Yoyos can quite easily grow to 6" in aquariums.

Martin.
 
Pale Yoyo Loaches continued

Hi Martin,

Thanks for that - the tank is 66g, 4ft x 2ft x 2ft Aqua one with an albino shark, 2 gold gourami a flying fox, a farlowella and 6 baby platties (tank born, only one parent left - mum died about a month after they were born) so plenty of room/space for them - lightly planted at the moment, with lots of driftwood/rocks.

The largest Loach's colour has returned this morning, but whilst the smaller one is very active and inquisitive as usual, the larger one is less active - still swimming around but spending a lot of time 'resting' under the drift wood....they seem to get on generally, no fighting, but are always together, playing, foraging etc.

I'll keep an eye on them and see how they go...is ther a way to tell male/female? I had thought that perhaps the larger was female and it was a mating thing? I have a pair of krebensis in another tank who go hrough the ritual regularly (she dances beautifcully and he guards her really well when her stomach is hige and bright red, but no babies at all!:confused:
 
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