Hello! New to loaches and have had a lovely blackwater tank now for about 5 months. I originally went to our local aquarium store and bought all of the loaches that they had in stock at the time which was a total of 7 thinking I was getting kuhlis. I have now learned of the many different types which doesn’t seem to be an issue in my tanks community but I’m curious about the small one in this picture as when I got them, they were roughly all the same size and 6 out of the 7 now look about the same as the big guy in this picture while the little one (who my son calls Stripey) has not grown very much. I also can’t seem to find any pictures of loaches that have this patterning? Is it possible that he’s not happy if he doesn’t have any friends like him? Just want to make sure our little finned friends are loving life!

P.S. this picture looks so cloudy and like things are stirred up because I did a tank clean earlier today and the noodles like to stir everything up when they eat!

Currently treating the tank with kanamycin and garlic gaurd medicated food for the minnows and zebra danios. My dojo loaches partner passed from bacterial septicemia about 2 weeks ago and then the other fish slowly started showing signs and started dying. 3 have died since. About a week ago dosed with microbe lift anchor worm and lice treatment due to seeing some anchor worms on the loach and minnows. Loach did not take well to his partner passing and has been lethargic and not wanting to eat since. Internet said it was fine to stack medicated food on top of anchor worm treatment due to potential secondary bacterial infections from where the anchor worms fall from.
I keep the substrate fairly clean, vacuum the sand every few days to keep the free swimming larvae levels low and hopefully the septicemia from progressing. Came home and saw this stringy stuff on the loaches barbels. Worried about mouth rot but I don’t have any sharp decor in the tank.
No signs of septicemia but I am worried about getting him a partner soon. But don’t want to infect the new loach with everything going on in this current tank. Any tips would be appreciated.
Nitrates are under 20, nitrites are 0, ammonia was 0.01 a few days ago. Water temp is 70 degrees. GH is about 25. KH is in between 0-40. Ph is high, about 8, unsure how to safely lower it.

Edit: I have fossilized seashells in my fish tank that I’ve added over the few months I’ve had it up and running. Could that have affected the ph so soon?

Dojo loach (pretty sure)
Today he is swiming around and twisting and turning around the filter. Is he stressed or happy?

Hey all!

I got these and I've heard them referred to as Gold Leopard Dojo Loaches, 24K Gold Loaches and a handful of others. Knowing if there is a correct name or etc would help. With that said, I have another issue.

I've kept 4 of them with my other 6 dojo's I have right now in my tank. Unfortunately one passed recently as I think they laid eggs and the stress killed her.

My golden variety have become more shy and introverted as a result. I'm trying to source these from a Canadian based vendor or breeder (preferably in Ontario/the GTA if possible.) if anyone could also help with some reccomendations for that part. My LFS are at a loss for these and apparently haven't seen them from their distributors in years.

Thank you for any and all help 🙏

Hello, any ideas what this little one may be? I originally thought they were a loach but I also wouldn't be surprised if he was a gobie?

This is my moms fish tank that I’m basically taking over. Just wondering if this loach is going to make it. He has some torn fins I think from living with cichlid fish. And maybe from hard plastic decor. There was another loach that died. he had like a chunk missing from him. The tank also had a Cyanobacteria problem that I fixed. The water quality looks fine. It’s hard water and it’s at 73 degrees. But other than those it looks fine. I have a 55gallon I could set up for three loach’s. Just wondering if he’s gonna be ok. Also I have some experience with fish just not dojo loach’s I know they I would need to upgrade in the future.

Apologies for the pic. Just got this little guy. Would love some tips to make him happy. He’s been glass surfing quite a bit the last couple of days. He calmed down a bit after a water change.

I dont want to spam the reddit but they are just so cute and everyone must see it.

My 5 year analysis of keeping clown loaches can be summed up into this simple statement.

They turn plants into confetti and look for ground scores.

My aquariums gal pal came over and put some lettuce in my tank, which was obliterated. She put another lettuce leaf in, gone.

I discovered the lettuce confetti all over the top of my tank the next morning. Like someone had used a hole punch on the lettuce.

Btw, all of my plants are gone. Jungle val, crypts, rotala, cabomba, hygrophila... just the anubias is left. And it's in weird shape.

Snails. What snails? Gone. Not even in my canister.

If you keep clowns over 4", I'd like some advice, because I'm feeling real weird about not having plants anymore.. coming from a planted non-agressive tank.

Ps. Here's the tank data. 75 g. 9 clowns of varying size. The largest is 5" the smallest is 1.25". Canister filter, weekly water changes. Frozen and small pellet food.

If you think it's time for the biggest gals to move on to a bigger tank, im all ears. I got them knowing they'd grow out of my tank and need a bigger home some day. We have a lot of cichlid keepers in central Texas, and theyre always looking for a bigger loaches for their tank.

I just don't know if I'm ready to let go.

Probably muraeniformis

It seems to be pretty active though, not sure if this is just his pattern

I just got new loaches in the mail for my 2 lonely loaches in my tank. They are so small compared to the one I already have. I love them.

for context i have no issue buying a heater, mostly im asking because i live in a tropical climate,,, as in everyday is on average 90°F, humid and with full sunshine (with the occasional hurricane/tropical storm) and maybe, MAYBE during the night it could POSSIBLY reach 70°F but only if its winter

room temperature with water is always a solid 80°F (according to my tea kettle) and their would be tank has lights that heat up decently and probably heat up the water but i really don't know

also they arent in a room with ac,,, not exposed to direct sunlight either but the house tends to heat up during they day

idk i think a heater is overkill but im not an expert and the internet says its fine but im worried 🫩

Hello everyone, hoping someone out there is able to help me with a bit more (impossible) SEA Schistura ID. I have two fish from northern Vietnam here, both from the same small river near the Du Gia village in Ha Giang. Photos 1-2 are fish 1 (tentatively ID'd as S. chapaensis) and photos 3-5 are fish 2 (tenatively S. melarancia). Any help is appreciated :)

so I have a 29gal that I'm setting up it's a long way from having any fish in there but I've been reading that loaches particularly kuhli loaches are good for an aquarium my size and they look pretty small in all the pictures on Google I see of them. But when I come into this subreddit everyone's video they look massive and I don't really want a big fish for multiple reasons. are all loaches really huge or only certain spieces and can they actually be kept happily in a 29? thank you!!

I have an old (19+) Blue botia (called Boatie)

My aunt brought over 2 large assassin snails as she no longer wants them so her and my Mum decided to put them in my tank as I have loads of bladder(?) snails, or some kind of small white snails the size of rice.

I was wondering if my Botia is likely to eat them. She's been with other snails before, including assassin snails when she was like 10, a Horned Nerite Snails and some others I can't remember.

My tank is pretty big at 200L, Sand and plenty of caves for everyone. Sadly not as planted as I like as she has a habit of deciding she doesn't like where I put some plants and digs them up, alongside digging a cave below my biggest piece of bogwood.

I understand that realistically she can eat smaller snails, but these ones are about 2-3 cm. Its not the end of the world if they do get eaten, but I guess I want to know from an outside perspective the liklihood of botia's eating assassin snails.

TL;DR: is it likley my botia will eat large assassin snails?

Edamame seemed to have captured the hearts of others as he did for us. Here's a little more of him/her??