Mixing Loaches

[Magic8]

Have not posted here in some time just need some opinions from someone who has had loaches.

I started out with 6 Burmese border loaches about a little over about 2 months ago or so I had a tank emergency where my tank sprung a leak I went and bought a new tank and swapped everything over in record time had everything swapped over and up in running in about 4 hours or so my biggest challenge was netting all my fish and putting them in totes until I finished the swap at the time of my swap I only lost 2 diamond tetras and 2 loaches everything else came out fine.

For the past month or so I’ve been trying to track down some more Border loaches with no luck at all I lost another loach about a month a ago kind of randomly then this morning I lost another one also kind of out of the blue my water parameters have not shifted at all I test my water daily so no changes there these loses were kind of out of the blue!

With now having only 2 remaining border loaches and having a hell of a time getting more locally or online my LFS has a bunch of YO-Yo’s I know fish school with their own species I would really like to up my #’s on the borders but just can’t find any.The Yo-Yo’s are about 1/2 the size of my remaining two borders my question is which I kind of know the answer to but would like another opinion!Will yo-yo’s school with borders I know they are different species but they both look so similar in coloring and patterns I just can’t get my hands on any borders I’m hoping maybe I could get 3-4 yo-yo’s I know loaches like to be kept in groups of 4-6 I hate that I only have 2 borders and cannot find any to up my #’s.I am hoping to-yo’s may fill this void until I can find some borders I’m not very optimistic though as I’ve been searching for over two months and have not been able to track any down!

Sorry almost forgot to give you my tank size and stock

65Gallon

X1 rubbernose pleco
X1 albino bristlenose
X7 Diamond tetras
X7 mix of platys & mollys
X2 remaining Burmese border loaches

Sand substrate

Lightly planted

Very nice water movement via two circulation pumps and spray bar the loaches love playing in the current along with the diamonds the platys & Mollys like to swim in and out among the plants

Thank you

 

[Boundava]

Have not posted here in some time just need some opinions from someone who has had loaches.

I started out with 6 Burmese border loaches about a little over about 2 months ago or so I had a tank emergency where my tank sprung a leak I went and bought a new tank and swapped everything over in record time had everything swapped over and up in running in about 4 hours or so my biggest challenge was netting all my fish and putting them in totes until I finished the swap at the time of my swap I only lost 2 diamond tetras and 2 loaches everything else came out fine.

For the past month or so I’ve been trying to track down some more Border loaches with no luck at all I lost another loach about a month a ago kind of randomly then this morning I lost another one also kind of out of the blue my water parameters have not shifted at all I test my water daily so no changes there these loses were kind of out of the blue!

With now having only 2 remaining border loaches and having a hell of a time getting more locally or online my LFS has a bunch of YO-Yo’s I know fish school with their own species I would really like to up my #’s on the borders but just can’t find any.The Yo-Yo’s are about 1/2 the size of my remaining two borders my question is which I kind of know the answer to but would like another opinion!Will yo-yo’s school with borders I know they are different species but they both look so similar in coloring and patterns I just can’t get my hands on any borders I’m hoping maybe I could get 3-4 yo-yo’s I know loaches like to be kept in groups of 4-6 I hate that I only have 2 borders and cannot find any to up my #’s.I am hoping to-yo’s may fill this void until I can find some borders I’m not very optimistic though as I’ve been searching for over two months and have not been able to track any down!

Sorry almost forgot to give you my tank size and stock

65Gallon

X1 rubbernose pleco
X1 albino bristlenose
X7 Diamond tetras
X7 mix of platys & mollys
X2 remaining Burmese border loaches

Sand substrate

Lightly planted

Very nice water movement via two circulation pumps and spray bar the loaches love playing in the current along with the diamonds the platys & Mollys like to swim in and out among the plants

Thank you

So you can keep the two loaches together. I have a large group of them together in my 125. That being said both the yoyos and the Burmese loaches will become very large and will outgrow your 65 gallon.

The majority of my yo-yo loaches are 4 inches.

 

[Magic8]

Thanks Boundava,

My borders are about 2.5 -3 " right now and have been about this size for quite some time now,is there any truth to fish tend to grow to the size of the tank the only reason I ask is they have been this size for quite awhile now.I have another tank I was going to set-up in the spring not much bigger its a 75 gallon tank but it is a 4' tank versus a 3' tank I was going to set up a peacock tank if I went the yo-yo loach route if they do out grow my 65 along with the borders who truthfully seemed to have maxed out at their size as they don't seem to have grown much in well over a year now 've had them for about 2 years or so now,could I move them into the 75 gallon with that extra foot of length?

I am having such a hard time getting borders I prefer to add to my #'s of borders with having only 2 left versus adding a different loach but at this point I just cannot find them so I thought the yo-yo's would be the next best option as they seem to be readily available near me!

 

[Magic8]

getting back to this post I researched the borders a bit deeper and see that they are a smaller loach full grown versus the maxed out size of yoyo's so as much as I would love to add yoyo's you are probably right if I would add them they will eventually outgrow my border loaches and tank!I'll keep on the lookout for some more border loaches as I am happy with them but having just two of them now and having a hard time getting more I wanted to add something with similar coloring and temperament!the yo-yo's as mentioned will probably eventually outgrow my 65 gallon bummer but you are right I will eventually need a bigger tank as even if they stay on the smaller side they will eventually outgrow my Borders by at least 1.5" to 2"