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| FAQs About Loach Identification Related Articles: Loaches, Dojos/Weatherfish,
Related FAQs: Loaches 1, Loaches 2,
Clownloaches,
Kuhli Loaches,
Loach Behavior,
Loach Compatibility,
Loach Selection,
Loach Systems,
Loach Feeding, Loach Disease,
Loach Reproduction,
A beauty eh? |
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Loach(?) ID
8/26/07
Hello I was just wondering if you could ID this fish for me
thanks Tom
<Hello Tom. That's a species of Pangio (formerly Acanthophthalmus).
Collectively, Pangio spp. are known as Kuhli loaches. The
orange-and-brown banded species (of which there are several) are the
most commonly traded. Yours is one of the "unbanded" Kuhli loaches,
quite possibly Pangio oblonga known in the trade as the Java loach.
Basic care is identical to any of the other Kuhli loaches: soft sandy
substrate, needs to be kept in groups of 3 or more, keep water
temperature at or below 25C, keep tank securely covered, etc. Cheers,
Neale.> |
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Loach ID, Kuhlis 7/25/07
Hi all, thanks for all the help in the past. I have a very simple freshwater
question for you guys. I searched the FAQs and articles and couldn't find a
definitive answer and the necessary page on loaches.com, conveniently, was down.
It is long (5"-6") and serpentine like. He is pinkish in color with 4 'whiskers'
around his mouth. My LFS called him a True Kuhli Loach but they have a bad
history in correctly identifying fish. Could you please tell me what this guy is
and if he needs any similar tankmates; I understand other types of Kuhlis need
groups of 3 or more? Also after several hours of web searching I found that the
same store had sold me a water bug and I believe it's a 'Dragonfly Nymph';
green, 1 1/2" long, big eyes and 6 legs. The same site mentioned nothing about
these critters in captivity and that they are predatory towards small fish and
insects. Non-coincidentally, I believe, one of my Glass Catfish had a an
(eventually) fatal bite taken out of him near his organs. I'm leaning towards
throwing him in the Cichlid tank if he keeps this up, is unsuitable for
captivity, or I can't feed him reasonably. Or maybe I should quit being stubborn
and setup a quarantine, but with Cichlid, Reef, Catfish, and Community tanks it
would be quite an investment. I apologize as this was supposed to be a short
letter, but with a pension for diversity there's always something to talk about!
Thanks in advance
-John
<Hello John. Identifying species of Pangio (the genus to which kuhli loaches
belong) is difficult. There are around 30 species, many of which are very
similar to each other and almost none of which are correctly identified by
retailers. The problem for me is the size of your specimen: most kuhli loaches
are very small, and even the biggest species in the genus, Pangio myersi, tops
out at around 5"/12 cm according to Fishbase. And such big specimens are
exceptional: around 4"/10 cm is much more typical. For this reason, I'm
wondering if you don't have a species of Misgurnis. These are sometimes called
weather loaches in the trade. They reach around 6-8"/15-18 cm in length but have
the same snake-like build as kuhli loaches, though they are much more robust.
They typically have mottled brown bodies but there are albino and golden
varieties in the trade and you might have one of these. Alternatively, horseface
loaches, Acantopsis spp., are also commonly traded. These are also quite a bit
larger than kuhli loaches, but they have very distinctive long heads, uncannily
like a horse's. The best thing to do is visit Fishbase and research loaches. Go
here:
http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary/FamilySummary.cfm?ID=127 and then where
there is a link "Show Species" click on it and review the photographs presented
to find something similar to your fish. As a general rule, all Pangio and
Misgurnus are sociable, while Acantopsis run the range from harmless and fairly
sociable through to territorial and waspish. Loaches in general are somewhat
territorial, which is why only Pangio and Misgurnus have really made it in the
hobby as community fish; even among the loaches formerly called "Botia" most are
pretty mean animals, the Clown Loach being one of the rare exceptions. Now,
Dragonfly nymphs are indeed highly predatory and cannot be kept with fish. That
said, they are extremely cool animals, and far more interesting than most fish!
They have amazing jaws and some varieties get very large indeed. I HIGHLY
recommend setting aside a bowl or similar with some pondweed just for the nymph.
They don't really care about filtration being adapted to stagnant ponds. Change
some of the water every couple of days though. Add small water creatures from
any ditch or pond outdoors from time to time. You can even hand feed them
bloodworms using tweezers. Watching them catch the worm and then suck out the
juices is quite something. They grow rapidly, and watching them metamorphose is
truly a spectacle of nature not to be missed. Enjoy! Neale>
Re: Loach ID 7/26/07
Wow, thanks for such a quick response. You nailed it: Misgurnus
anguillicaudatus, Dojo Loach/Weather Loach. About the nymph, a goldfish bowl is
sufficient? And do I need real pondweed or would fake plants suffice? And I
figure he'd eat just about any bug I throw in or do they have to be water bugs?
I'm very excited about what you told me and not having to get rid of him. Should
be very interesting!
Thanks again
-John
<Hi John. Weather loach is a lovely fish. One of the nicest. Hardy, cute, fun to
watch, hyperactive, and totally peaceful. Just for once, a "mystery fish" story
has a happy ending. Anyway, yep, the nymph will be fine in a bowl. Change some
of the water every couple of days just to keep things sweet. But damselfly
nymphs especially live in still water and aren't fussy. (To tell the difference:
damselfly larvae have three "feathers" at the tail end, used for breathing;
dragonfly larvae are a little bigger and more robust, and they don't have those
feathers.) Obviously a 5 gallon tank with a air-powered sponge filter would be
even better. And yes, they eat pretty much anything. Soft prey are preferred
(like midge larvae). The only thing that matters is there's something floating
at the surface the larvae can crawl about on. They need to breathe air
periodically. Good luck. Cheers, Neale.>
Loach Colored Loaches? - 11/02/2005
Hello,
<Hi.>
Can you please email me with the name of the fish I had when I was younger?
<Umm, I hope you've got a description?>
I am starting a new tank and wanted to get him again. He had the loach colors
<"Loach colors"? There are many species of loaches in many, many sizes, shapes, and colors....>
but was long and tubular like a worm, fast as hell and very good with other community fish. Have any idea what he is???
<Your description seems to be of a Kuhlii loach, http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?genusname=Pangio&speciesname=kuhlii . Take a look here for just a few others:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/cobitids.htm , and here for many more:
http://www.loaches.com/ .>
It's driving me nuts and Petco and Petsmart are no help!
<Hope this has shed some light.>
Thanks. -Angelo
<Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
- Is it a Loach? -
<Greetings, JasonC here...>
I've got a couple new fish and need to know more about them. They look like eels
or snakes, about 3 inches long, slimmer than a pencil, and 1 is black and 1 is
light brown to gray. They were called Loaches and were hidden under a rock. From
info I've read they look like Kuhli Loaches and are nocturnal. <Perhaps
secretive is a better word.> I put them in my 55 gal. with my 2 zebra Danios,
2 scissortail rasboras, 2 black mollies, 2 red platys, 2 Cory cats & a small
pencil algae eater about 4 days ago. <Goodness... that's a lot of fish in
that tank.> They immediately burrowed in the small gravel & hid inside
the rock cave. I've only seen one the next day when I shook the cave and he shot
out like a bullet. <If these are indeed Kuhli loaches, then they're only
going to feel comfortable around other Kuhli loaches. You might consider getting
them a tank of their own.> Help !!! Should I worry & look for them or
should I just assume they're not going to show in the daytime. <I would give
it some time. It's only been four days.> And how can I enjoy them if I can't
ever see them? <Perhaps in a tank of their own. Do read up on them here and
in the FAQs and pages beyond:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/cobitids.htm
>
Sign me,
Lonely Fish Lover
<Cheers, J -- >
Is it a YoYo Loach?
Ok. I've just left my LFS and they have what is being called a yoyo loach in
their display tank. If this is a yoyo, then he's unlike any that I've
ever seen. He's absolutely stunning! He's got similar
markings of a yoyo (I have 3 of them) but he's much more elongated.
<Ironically you are the second person in a month to have contacted me stating
that they have seen a "yoyo" for sale like that. I had done
a search on it, and unless it's a new subspecies that isn't identified yet, then
there isn't anything online that resembles the loach you have described. I
have yet to see these "new" Yoyo's, but they sound quite impressive. My
yoyo is "standard", maybe when I want another one I'll try to find
myself one of these.>
I've spent the last 2 hours searching all of the loach sites that have pictures
and I haven't been able to find out what he really is. Do you know of
a loach that has similar markings to a yoyo, but is longer and much thinner.
<I have seen Rostratas sometime confused with them at stores like Petco. But,
it was something that was easily identified to anyone who knew what a YoYo
looked like. I think that it might just be a unique YoYo. Perhaps
something you shouldn't pass up.>
Even his tail fins seemed a bit longer than any yoyo that I've seen. I
know for sure it's not a Tiger or Rostrata. Thanks! Sherri
<Wish I could give you a definitive answer what this loach might be, but I
don't know many other Loaches with that distinctive "Y" and
"o" patter where the YoYo gets it's name from. Good luck
-Magnus>
The Weird Yo-Yo, Continued
Thank you...this unique 'yoyo' is in the display tank - they won't sell him! Darn! Thx
again!
<Do take a look here for some more on Botia almorhae (the yo-yo): http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/botia_almorhae.html They
have some neat pics and some good text on this fish and its color morphs. Might
also look on what they have to say here, regarding the "angelicus"
loach, as it is *somewhat* yo-yo-like in patterning: http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/botia_sp_myanmar.html
. And of course, play around from the homepage: http://www.loaches.com/
. There's a lot of good info there, and it's well kept up and usually
quite up-to-date. Hope you can find some insight on this strange
fellah! Enjoy. -Sabrina>
Re: Identification help
Hi Robert,
Sure, that's Botia kubotai. (See
http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/botia_sp_myanmar.html)
Thanks,
Jeff
<Outstanding! Thank you Jeff. Bob Fenner>
==========================
Jeff Shafer
Loaches Online
http://www.loaches.com/
==========================
> Jeff, please take a look at the attached pic. Do you recognize this
species?
> This image made at the recent Interzoo show...
> Thank you, Bob Fenner, WetWebMedia.com
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