hide and seek with yoyo loaches

[KittenFishMom]

I just saw my yoyo loach (s) today. I haven't seen them in days. I did a water change and it or they are swimming all over the place. Do they normally hide for days at a time? I have been watching the tank at night with the blue lights on, but haven't seen them.

This is the tank that got cloudy. It had cleared up pretty well, then got cloudy again yesterday. I think the 3 corys were fluffing up the substrate and kicked some stuff into the water.

I added a few male guppies to see if they might help clean the substrate, but they have been staying close to the top of the water. I don't see why, there are lots of hiding places lower down and lots of air going into the water. They did it before and after the water change.

[Lots Of Loaches]

IMO there isn’t a single answer for how yo-yo loaches act. One of mine was always hiding for the first 3 months I had it while the others I got at the same time were always out exploring. The one that hid is now the most outgoing of my yo-yos and loves to annoy my Pinktail Chalceus. How long have you had them? How many do you have? Usually, the more you have the more comfortable they will feel in your tank, especially if you provide numerous hiding spots for them. 
My yo-yos are not afraid of any other fish in my tank and seem to enjoy messing (playing not hurting) with them.  This includes a few African cichlids as well as my Chalceus. That being said, this might be the reason your guppies have no interest in the lower part of your tank. Maybe they aren’t interested in catching your yo-yos attention and then having to deal with their antics. who knows, I’m just throwing out a guess. 
I hope your guys start coming out more as it is so much fun to watch loaches play around with each other and investigate their home. 

[Wrencher_Scott]

I had a Yoyo a while back and that crazy fish never stopped moving. (or eating)

I think it's normal for them to be very active during the day. I only had one so I don't know what they do in groups. 

Maybe you should test the water and make sure everything is ok. You should have zero ammonia and zero nitrite if it has cycled. If not you don't have enough biofiltration. 

[Robstar]

Not sure about the yo-yo's, but in my experience guppies are definitely a "top water" fish. They will go anywhere in the water column but prefer to stay up top. I hope some more people with loach experience can help you out. It's no fun having fish you can't normally see.

[Kurt Brutting]

I agree with the posts above, involving the numbers. The more the better! Loaches are my absolute favorite fish they have the best personality! It takes time for them to get comfortable and a good way to tell if your loach is stressed he or she will be colored down or almost milky looking. 

[KittenFishMom]

a yoyo loach has made several appearances tonight. I put 2 in the tank. I don't know if they are taking turns, or if only one is left. I will get more if the yoyo loach is still here when the 55 is ready.

The male guppies I added to this tank ignored the big red male betta I had in their other tank. They seem very nervous about the male plakat betta in this tank.  Maybe he is more aggressive, or maybe they just are not use to him yet. They are swimming deeper into the tank now, so that is a good sign.