# Do loaches ever do anything?



## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I was in Petsmart today and I looked at some fish besides the bettas. I've heard loaches are good tank companions for bettas. The 3 I saw were pale yellow in color and sticking close to each other. They just sat there, no swimming, barely moving. Like a lazy betta hanging on a leaf. Is this how they always act or do the become more active outside the petstore?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Well I had one kuhli loach I inherited from my older brother. I had it in a tank with a sand substrate and a leaf litter over the top. That kuhli loach had a ball in that tank. I used to see it moving through the leaf litter and it used to hunt down the blackworms and grindals I put in for it and the other fish. 

Mine got really big and plump. They are funny little fish and quite active once settled.


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## DefStatic (Mar 17, 2013)

There are some loaches that just lay around. But Yo Yo Loaches and Clown Loaches do not typically just lay around.

But you need at least a 30 gallon tank to keep one of those IMO, as they easily can get 12" long, and usually quite plump.

I wanted some loaches in my 30 gal, until I found out how mig they get.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I wondered how big they get. The one I saw today were at least 4 inches. I have a big tank but it will be divided so they are not for me.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

What loach are you talking about? Clown loaches? They get very big (around a foot), but grow slowly. However, they prefer to live in schools, so you would need an extremely large tank to house them. They are also very prone to ich I believe, when younger.


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## Nicci Lu (Jan 7, 2013)

I have 6 black kuhli loaches- when I went to Petsmart to get them, I thought they were all out. Then the employee lifted up a rock and, zam! about a dozen of them zoomed out from under. In my 20L, I have lots of hides and they are out all the time, dancing their loach dance against the tank glass. They are absolute maniacs, and I don't think they ever sleep, lol.

I'm not familiar with the other loaches, but I know with the kuhlis, the key to get them out more is to have at least 6 and lots of hides so they feel more secure. I have heard, though, that the banded kuhlis are less out going than the black.


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## ehh (Apr 23, 2012)

yoyo loaches dont get too big.
clown loaches are the ones that big but they are so full of life and fun to watch. they grow incredibly slow though. i have a couple that are about 2 years old and might be 5 inches, MIGHT.


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## rosy delta (Jul 17, 2012)

Glad to hear Yoyo loaches dont get big. I recently bought one. I just love it! he is everywhere in the tank. does not hide at all. active, friendly, gets along with the cats and the betta, and is starting to eat the excess snails too. I also have a skunk loach in another tank. I never see him, but i also only have baby snails left so i guess he is doing his job.


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## Stone (Jan 6, 2013)

I have a hillstream loach, he is very active, not many people have them and they are called diffrent things from a "borneo sucker" "chinese butterfly pleco" and a few other names, he looks like a little stingray and only gets to be around 3 inches and it natures little suction cup he cleans the glass and rocks in my tank and is fun to watch, they are used to fast moving streams and love current


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

He sound neat Stone you should post a picture of him.


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## Stone (Jan 6, 2013)

here he is


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## ehh (Apr 23, 2012)

rosy delta said:


> Glad to hear Yoyo loaches dont get big. I recently bought one. I just love it! he is everywhere in the tank. does not hide at all. active, friendly, gets along with the cats and the betta, and is starting to eat the excess snails too. I also have a skunk loach in another tank. I never see him, but i also only have baby snails left so i guess he is doing his job.


Be careful with that loach and your betta. My yoyo nips at my jack dempsey. A lone yoyo can be a violent They're better in groups because they fight with eachother and leave everyone else alone.


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## Chevko (Nov 15, 2012)

I've got two black/brown kuhli loaches currently and a hillstream loach named Kite. Kite doesn't do much, mostly hides, but gets more active in the evening, which is when the rabbits do (the kuhli loaches). Check this (with horrible water quality) and this taken just a few moments ago. Watch your volume. The rabbits do this all the time in the evening. Kite's a little more shy. Kuhli loaches are supposed to be _shy_ and not social if there's only a couple of them... Uhno. They're perfectly happy to try and wriggle through Honey, race alongside the glass, all sorts. They particularly adore getting right up and personal with the heater. For about ten or so minutes now the bigger of the two has been racing alongside the glass like in that second video.


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## rosy delta (Jul 17, 2012)

i will keep an eye on him. right now all is well, if things get dicey he will go in with the skunk loach. they can duke it out! I hope there are no problems for a long time tho. I really like him. right now he is only about 1 1/2 inch long. Thanks for the heads up Ehh!


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## osromatra (Jan 9, 2013)

Kuhli loaches, when you have more than one/two, are pretty active, fun little dudes. I can't seem to keep mine, they are very sensitive fish. Any little blip with my cycle (we had 2 accidents in the past month and a half, one time I forgot to turn the filter back on after a WC and the second thing, a power surge pooched our filter and we didn't realize until about 12 hours later) and each time, we lost loaches. They are very sensitve, as they don't have scales really, so they absorb chemicals and stuff more readily. I do think they are good with bettas though, and I would love to have more. I enjoy watching their antics.


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## RoranicusPondicus (Sep 22, 2011)

I friend of mine has a Golden Dojo loach in a 55 gallon. At times you can find it just sitting at the bottom. It seem to like to swim thought the bubble, it fun to watch it. It also has the cutest face. I want to get one but not sure if it a good idea, I have a 20 gallon long.


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## rosy delta (Jul 17, 2012)

I had a gold dojo when I was a teenager, centuries ago. I loved that fish!! he got to be about 5 inches long, but sadly escaped the tank one night and was too far gone by the time i found him.


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