Dojo Loach Behaviors, What Should I Expect?

[tetra]

After a long, long time, I finally got dojo loaches. I only got 2 since they can get a foot long.  I put them in quarantine yesterday night and I saw some heavy breathing (it’s still happening right now with both of them) but maybe they are just getting used to the new environment. They looked healthy at the Petco I got them at. Except there was a fish in there with a con-caved belly, couldn’t tell if it was parasites as I only got a close look really quick. But the dojos otherwise looked healthy, no sunken belly or any bad signs. They were active, too.

Even so, I’m still gonna use a dose of maracyn and paracleanse to be sure nothing bad occurs since I saw they are more prone to illness.

I did see shortly after putting them in, one dojo started to just lean on a piece of cholla wood. It had some heavy breathing, but it’s been like that since I got them yesterday. It wasn’t lying on its side or anything. The other one was just sitting there as well on the bottom, not leaning on stuff though. Is the leaning part normal? I did see they act weird and sometimes act dead. But I just want to be sure, as this is my first time keeping them, as well as my first ever time keeping a loach.

And also, they are active now, but not crazy like most loaches. They take maybe a few minute breaks before acting like a loach again.

[Lennie]

@dasaltemelosguy may help with dojo loaches 

[Colu]

I would add an extra air stone and add a small amount of aquarium salt 1 table spoon for 10 that will aid Gill function and add essential electrolytes and monitor for a couple of days they might just be stressed and need some time to settle in

Edited February 17 by Colu

[dasaltemelosguy]

On 2/17/2024 at 3:33 AM, Lennie said:

@dasaltemelosguy may help with dojo loaches 

@tetra, 

As odd as it may seem, that sounds like typical Dojo behavior. They will lie on one side, lie on their backs, hang upside down or in impossibly convoluted, contorted positions that makes you think they are ill or even dead, only to scurry off once stirred. I am not exaggerating when I say I’ve thought “I found a dead Dojo” easily a dozen times but it proved to be no more than they’re just plain weird. IMO what you’re describing are just Dojo’s being Dojo’s.

BTW mine were in a tank treated with salt several times and they tolerated the salt level that @Colu recommends well. In fact, I went up to 1/5 on the salt without noticing any distress in the Dojo’s for what that’s worth.

They hold their heads above the water line and spit, so you’ll hear their mouse-like noises and see water on the floor frequently. The only tragic negative is they are precise and targeting jumpers. If a hole in the tank lid exists that they can fit through, they will fit through it.

You can hold them, pet them, hand feed them, even pick them up out of the water. Overall, a hardy, friendly, weird and fun fish.  There are few fish that I kept when first I started fishkeeping that I’d always want to keep but Dojo’s top that list. 

Good luck.

[Markp2483]

I have two in a 100gal patio pond. They are the strangest fish. Like a poor mans mudskipper. They commando over immerse rocks and floating plants when they smell food. They’ll sleep with their  heads stuck in a hole and their whole body out of water.  They sleep in any position. They’ll climb into your hand and nimble on your fingers.

they have quickly become one of the best wet pets I keep.  

[tetra]

So far the breathing has slowed down a bit. But now they are starting to play dead now. I saw one this morning lying on its side in the corner, breathing’s normal. After poking it, it got back up, as I spooked it. They both do it often now. It even got to the point where one of them had one-half of its body inside the cholla wood (there is a hole at the side of it big enough for it to fit in) and the other half drooping down to the bottom of the tank. Eventually they both got up again and did what loaches usually do. So now their “normal behavior” is kicking in now.

I also added just one table spoon of salt since the quarantine is 10 gallons, with paracleanse and maracyn also as a preventative. Didn’t add an air stone as I don’t have a spare at the moment, but the breathing is improving, they’re probably just getting used to their new surroundings.

[tetra]

It’s been a month now and I just moved them to their new home a couple days ago. So far, everyone is doing great. Even Corydoras’ fry are still in there thriving, though I believe competition for food is going to be really hard on one of the smallest little fry in there.

The dojos are doing pretty good right now, but I noticed this morning that the smaller dojo of the two kept following and chasing the larger one. I did see the barometric pressure changed, so that could have been why, since they were also really active. Something bizarre that happened was that the smaller dojo wrapped itself around the larger one, is this mating behavior or are they just playing? Or is this aggression? I only saw this once, so I couldn’t get a photo. The following and chasing is not crazy anymore but still happens. The larger one is also not being attacked, just chased around.

I also can’t tell 100% if one of them is a female and the other is a male.