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What is your favorite loach?


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What is everyone's favorite loach they have kept, currently keep, or want to keep? How do /will you keep it? 

My first choice (recency bias) : Tri band sumo loach. I keep a colony of them in a 35 gallon with a coop powerhead sponge filter combo, a sicce with the directional attachment (hillstream level flow). Also used diy slate tile tunnels, coconut huts, and a few plants in easy planters to create lots of sight breaks territories, and cover. Dither fish will be prestilla tetras after they quarantine to encourage more viewing and less warp speed food runs out from cover and back in . 

My now #2 loach is the dwarf chain loach. My dwarf chain loaches are about perfect for any tank I have (without puffers). They play all the time, eat everything, and have never met a snail they didn't enjoy.

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I REALLY want to try keeping reticulated hillstream loaches, I love their stingray look, as well as their behaviour (at least the behaviour I've heard from videos). Ideally I'd really want them with some really bright fish like chili rasboras, or maybe ember tetras in a heavily planted tank with plenty of flat surfaces, and at least a little flow.

Kuhili loaches also sound fun, being peaceful, and an oddball, as well as hardy.  I'd want to keep them as the only bottom dweller, and perhaps some peaceful mid or top level fish once they get settled in. I'd also probably want to have plenty of caves scattered around the tank so they have cover and feel comfortable coming out. 

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On 10/11/2021 at 8:13 PM, Colu said:

I would love to get a group of panda loach their stunning

Screenshot_20211012-031018~2.png

Agreed even as adults with the less than ideal lighting they enjoy the repashy a bit and of course algae20211008_125852.jpg.893cea58e4966d99d1e4d85999fefb2c.jpg 

20211008_151723.jpg.55d82cc4eaba0c04040ba4e0b22606ac.jpg

On 10/11/2021 at 8:26 PM, FlyingFishKeeper said:

I REALLY want to try keeping reticulated hillstream loaches, I love their stingray look, as well as their behaviour (at least the behaviour I've heard from videos). Ideally I'd really want them with some really bright fish like chili rasboras, or maybe ember tetras in a heavily planted tank with plenty of flat surfaces, and at least a little flow.

Kuhili loaches also sound fun, being peaceful, and an oddball, as well as hardy.  I'd want to keep them as the only bottom dweller, and perhaps some peaceful mid or top level fish once they get settled in. I'd also probably want to have plenty of caves scattered around the tank so they have cover and feel comfortable coming out. 

Nice choices that would be a fun tank with the hillstreams and colorful schooling fish.

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On 10/12/2021 at 12:31 AM, Helan said:

I have been eyeing them for a while do they stay small?

https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/panda-loach-protomyzon-pachychilus/

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My problem with panda loaches and hillstream loaches is that they both do best in cooler waters (below room temperature); which means I can't keep them in an aquarium in my office. They just aren't good unless you keep your room below 70 year round. btw there are many conflicting sources on temp requirement of these fishes but the best i can determine from breeders this loach panda really wants to be kept around 70f. 

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As for my favorite: i'm undecided. Kuhli can be really interesting if you obtain one that is out going and likes to curl around your plants like a monkey; but many times you will end up with a group that hide 24/7. Zebra loaches are incredibly docile; clown loaches are just plain large (not the cute little ones you see in shops but keep them for a few years and they will put your angels to shame); then there are dwarf loaches which are incredibly hyper active. Also don't forget those little pink things but they require a bit more specialize treatment so be prepared.

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Btw you might find this an interesting read on another panda like rare loach:

 

https://www.loaches.com/species-index/schistura-pridii

 

Edited by anewbie
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On 10/12/2021 at 4:04 AM, anewbie said:

https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/panda-loach-protomyzon-pachychilus/

--

 

My problem with panda loaches and hillstream loaches is that they both do best in cooler waters (below room temperature); which means I can't keep them in an aquarium in my office. They just aren't good unless you keep your room below 70 year round. btw there are many conflicting sources on temp requirement of these fishes but the best i can determine from breeders this loach panda really wants to be kept around 70f. 

-

As for my favorite: i'm undecided. Kuhli can be really interesting if you obtain one that is out going and likes to curl around your plants like a monkey; but many times you will end up with a group that hide 24/7. Zebra loaches are incredibly docile; clown loaches are just plain large (not the cute little ones you see in shops but keep them for a few years and they will put your angels to shame); then there are dwarf loaches which are incredibly hyper active. Also don't forget those little pink things but they require a bit more specialize treatment so be prepared.

-

Btw you might find this an interesting read on another panda like rare loach:

 

https://www.loaches.com/species-index/schistura-pridii

 

Thank you for the info!

My spouse wants the panda loaches, but was told they need warm water.

They can't handle humidity in their room, so 4' tank is not heated, and tank varies from 66° to 72° over the course of the year.

<Goes to look at ordering panda loaches>

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On 10/15/2021 at 8:03 PM, Torrey said:

Thank you for the info!

My spouse wants the panda loaches, but was told they need warm water.

They can't handle humidity in their room, so 4' tank is not heated, and tank varies from 66° to 72° over the course of the year.

<Goes to look at ordering panda loaches>

Here is some additional information you might want to read:

https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/yaoshania-pachychilus/

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