Weather loach; stkg. /RMF       12/20/15
Hi!
I have a question regarding weather loaches. I am in the process of setting up a 40 gallon breeder size tank just for weather loaches as I find they are incredibly interesting fish to keep.
<Faves of mine as well>
I also plan on having a 20 gallon sump on the tank to deal with how messy they can be. How many loaches could I comfortably keep in a tank this size?
Thank you!
<Wowzah.... well, IF you had to, you could stock hundreds here.... temporarily. Some sort of optimum, allowing for room to move, grow... might be a dozen or so. Bob Fenner>
Weather loach /Neale       12/20/15
Hi!
I have a question regarding weather loaches. I am in the process of setting up a 40 gallon breeder size tank just for weather loaches as I find they are incredibly interesting fish to keep. I also plan on having a 20 gallon sump on the tank to deal with how messy they can be. How many loaches could I comfortably keep in a tank this size? Thank you!
<Weather Loaches are sociable and do best in groups. As obligate air breathers adapted to ponds, they're also a bit less sensitive to overcrowding than the average community fish. So while I'd allow 15 gallons for the first one, simply to allow proper water quality and swimming space given their substantial adult size (up to 20 cm/8 inches), the traditional "inch per gallon" rule would be fine thereafter, i.e., another 5-10 gallons per additional specimen. Cheers, Neale.>

Fancy goldfish, dojo loaches <stkg./sel.> for new 50 gal tank      5/4/14
Hello,
<Hello Amanda,>
Over the last few years I've learned a lot about fancy goldfish keeping, thanks in no small part to you guys!
<Cool.>
Now, I just purchased a 50 U.S. gallon tank and am considering branching out into dojo loaches.
<Excellent fish.>
I watched some videos of them and they are really playful and adorable.
<Yes.>
From what I understand, they are excellent tankmates for fancy goldfish.
<Only to a degree. They are quite big (20 cm/8 inches) and quite pushy fish, so while not aggressive or nippy, than can upset slow-moving varieties of fish. In short, definitely safe with standard single-tail Goldfish (such as Comets and Shubunkins) and also good with robust fancy Goldfish (in particular, Moors and plain vanilla Fantails). But I would not keep them with anything less robust than these, such as Ranchu, Lionheads, Celestials, Bubble-Eyes, etc.>
However, I am concerned about overstocking. I keep a rigorous cleaning schedule and do large water changes (50-90%) twice a week. I will also have strong filtration, 10X the tank volume per hour. With this setup, are two fancy goldfish and two dojo loaches appropriate? I know Dojos like to be kept in groups of two or more, so I wouldn't want to put one in there by itself.
<Should work fine.>
Right now I am deciding on the substrate; I will probably go with sand as I know Dojos like to burrow and gravel is too sharp.
<Yes, but not always practical to use sand with Goldfish because they "shovel" a lot and this can throw sand particles into the filter inlet. A fine pea gravel (2-3 mm grain size) might work just as well with less risk.>
I had originally wanted to do a low-tech dirted tank with a gravel cap and a lot of plants, but I actually prefer the look of sand, a couple of plants (like Anubias and java fern) and rocks. I am going to start the fishless cycle as soon as I have an exact plan and all the materials I need.
<Plants and Goldfish don't really get along, except insofar as Goldfish should be provided with cheap plants (Elodea for example) as a routine part of their diet, or their only diet if you're away for a couple weeks. That said, Anubias and Java Fern could be okay if you add a heater set to, say, 22 C/72 F, which will suit the Goldfish and Loaches extremely well.>
I have a few questions about dojo loach care:
1) Is Soilent Green an appropriate staple food for them? This is what I feed my goldfish and they thrive on it. They also eat it slowly enough that the loaches would be able to get plenty.
<Not really. Loaches are carnivores, feeding mostly by sifting sand to extract small insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates. To a degree they're detritivores too, and likely consume some algae in the process. In short, a varied diet is needed. The Goldfish food will be acceptable most days, if they eat it, but throw in something else more meaty for them periodically, such as frozen krill or finely minced seafood.>
2) I have heard that Dojos sometimes kill snails. However, the sources were not clear on whether they killed just small snails or big snails as well. I keep mystery snails and would only want to put them in the new tank if it's safe for them.
<Apple/Mystery snails usually don't last long with fish, period. By which I mean they tend to get harassed even if they don't get eaten whole, and without a "siesta" for a month or two, they burn out and die. Just how many 5-year-old, tennis ball-sized Apple Snails have you ever seen? That's the thing. Maybe try something else if you want a novelty snail in there: Nerite Snails (which consume algae extremely well) and are so well armoured nothing much bothers them. They won't breed, so you buy 'em as you need 'em, but in good conditions at subtropical to tropical temperatures should last a few years. They're quite pretty, too. Here in England they typically retail for about £2-3 a pop, so less $5.>
3) Can Dojos handle the large water changes typically done with goldfish, and can they handle my typical QT schedule of 0.3% salt for the first week and PraziPro, as well as PraziPro every 6 months for maintenance?
<Yes, such maintenance will do them no harm. However, I'm not sure you need to de-worm any fish more than once, unless you're adding something that re-contaminates them (live food, new fish, etc. Do also bear in mind certain medications (especially copper and formalin) are more immediately lethal to loaches than most other fish.>
Thanks!
Amanda
<Most welcome, Neale.>
Re: Fancy goldfish, dojo loaches for new 50 gal tank      5/5/14
Thanks Neale.
<Welcome, Amanda.>
I must have had only weird goldfish, because they have left alone every plant I've put in the tanks, including Elodea!
<Perhaps too well fed? Like most herbivorous fish they'll eat flake and pellets a-plenty given the chance, but it really is wise to let them have some sort of green foods, even cooked peas, from time to time.>
They also leave my apple snails alone to the point that they've grown quite large; I am raising my first clutch of eggs right now.
<Cool. Have had fun breeding Pomacea spp myself. The baby snails are adorable! Easily reared on softened lettuce and algae.>
Still, I don't know if the new goldfish will act the same, so I will get plants that are considered "goldfish proof," as well as a heater, and maybe get Nerites instead. The Nerites are quite beautiful.
<Indeed.>
I have heard on a goldfish forum that many believe (but it hasn't been proven) that flukes never fully go away, hence the maintenance dose of Praziquantel.
<Doesn't really seem to make sense, except so far as Prazi isn't the most reliable antihelminthic out there.>
Since there is clearly disagreement on this, I wonder if I could take scrapes of the goldfish's slime coat and look at it under the microscope we have at work?
<Possibly, but do bear in mind wild fish carry a certain parasite load without any problems at all. So unless a fish was clearly suffering somehow, I'd medicate once after purchase (ideally, in a hospital tank) and then not medicate at all until needed.>
I would be interested to find out, but am not sure if flukes would show up on slime coat scrapes at 615X magnification - maybe not because the flukes are attached to the fish.
<Flukes should be easily visible at such magnifications.>
Thank you very much - I am looking forward to keeping Dojos!
Amanda
<Good luck, Neale.>