What Is A Weather Loach?

[fishnovice]

I've been offered a weather loach which the owner no longer wants. Photo on google looks like a cross between a snakehead and a catfish, like a snake with whiskers!
Is it a kind of catfish and if so will it get on with plecs and goldfish? What do they eat? I was told it's a coldwater fish and they currently keep it with goldfish

 

[Bebobb]

I'm pretty sure that it is a cold water fish. However, I think that they like to be in groups. Reading a few care sheets and then comming back with questions would help.

 

[drobbyb]

Yes, agree with Betta Boy. They are cold water fish that do best in groups. They like to bury themselves in the gravel and wait for food to pass by. Really fun fish.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi fishnovice

I love weather loaches (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) and have been trying to replace mine for the last two years with no luck. They used to be common but now I just can't find them in my area. I kept mine in an unheated 55 gallon tank with my corys. It grew about an inch longer than you see in this picture. They also come in albino coloration too.

They are peaceful but tend to be fast and active swimmers which makes them fun to watch. They will eat a variety of foods including flake, frozen bloodworms and live blackworms. Their activity might be disruptive of smaller fish if they are confined in a small tank. I never found this to be a problem.

This is an old thread that you might find interesting:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=28251&view=&hl=tornado&fromsearch=1

 

[Bebobb]

Hi fishnovice

I love weather loaches (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) and have been trying to replace mine for the last two years with no luck. They used to be common but now I just can't find them in my area. I kept mine in an unheated 55 gallon tank with my corys. It grew about an inch longer than you see in this picture. They also come in albino coloration too.

They are peaceful but tend to be fast and active swimmers which makes them fun to watch. They will eat a variety of foods including flake, frozen bloodworms and live blackworms. Their activity might be disruptive of smaller fish if they are confined in a small tank. I never found this to be a problem.

This is an old thread that you might find interesting:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=28251&view=&hl=tornado&fromsearch=1

Wow I just read all of that thread. It makes me want to get a few, but I don't have a coldwater setup.

 

[fishnovice]

Hi fishnovice

I love weather loaches (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) and have been trying to replace mine for the last two years with no luck. They used to be common but now I just can't find them in my area. I kept mine in an unheated 55 gallon tank with my corys. It grew about an inch longer than you see in this picture. They also come in albino coloration too.

They are peaceful but tend to be fast and active swimmers which makes them fun to watch. They will eat a variety of foods including flake, frozen bloodworms and live blackworms. Their activity might be disruptive of smaller fish if they are confined in a small tank. I never found this to be a problem.

This is an old thread that you might find interesting:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=28251&view=&hl=tornado&fromsearch=1

Thanks for that post -they sound amazing! I thought the "weather" bit was just a myth. I'm definitely getting it.
Just one question - as they bury themselves in substrate what sort of substrate is best (sand, small gravel) and how deep?

 

[Hokum]

Very fine gravel is best, I'd class them as temperate rather than cold water, the ones we get over here are the Chinese weather loach which requires higher temps than the Russian weather loach which is a banned species in the UK.

What size tank do you have? I ask as they can get to about 12" long so need something more than that width.

 

[didz04]

These are really active and fun fish to watch. I had 4 of these which were kept in a heated tank of no more than 24 degrees which they can live in well but prefer bit colder temp. The reason why they are called weather loach is because every time it rains they go crazy and swim everywhere tangling up on each other, I have witnessed this, just fascinating to watch, and the filter pipe facing down so the water splashes, makes bubbles and where there is a current going down. They love swimming up that current and all of themm will participate.
People get put off by the looks as some you find are brown with darker spots or even a grey colour but try look for the golden weather loach which is really nice and more attractive to loom at. I have only seen the golden ones online but never in a lfs shop. However, once these guys get active people will love them.
Yeah stick to fine gravel as it is easy for them to burrow, however it did have a bogger substrate but they still burrowed in easily, oh yeah also add atleast 1" or 2cm so they can completely cover their body. If you are really thinking about keeping these then think about your tank layout and to add potted plants as these will definitely dig your plants right out floating.

Hope this essay of my experience has helped lol.

 

[Honeythorn]

I've had weatherloaches in the past and they're great fish. They can get really tame and friendly too, my old golden loach would swim round and through my fingers and suck at my hands to beg for food, and would always swim to the surface and feed from my hand too. Beautiful fish.

I would say though that they are horrifically curious. I lost the aforememntioned loach when it swam into a hole dug by my kribs under the leg of a tall roman arch ornament ( which I have never used since in a tank with loaches ) . It went up the leg of one side and obviously couldn't get back down. My tank is heavily planted so I had no idea it had done that, and for weeks I thought he'd buried himself. Until I removed the ornament to clean it and his poor body floated out of the leg

So If you have ornaments of that sort I wouold remove them before adding the loach.

 

[didz04]

I've had weatherloaches in the past and they're great fish. They can get really tame and friendly too, my old golden loach would swim round and through my fingers and suck at my hands to beg for food, and would always swim to the surface and feed from my hand too. Beautiful fish.

I would say though that they are horrifically curious. I lost the aforememntioned loach when it swam into a hole dug by my kribs under the leg of a tall roman arch ornament ( which I have never used since in a tank with loaches ) . It went up the leg of one side and obviously couldn't get back down. My tank is heavily planted so I had no idea it had done that, and for weeks I thought he'd buried himself. Until I removed the ornament to clean it and his poor body floated out of the leg

So If you have ornaments of that sort I wouold remove them before adding the loach.

Actually thats how one of my weather loach died because he got stuck in the castle hole so I had to take the ornament out just incase others end up having the same problem. So be careful with that as they like trying fitting into small holes.

 

[tom130691]

Very fine gravel is best, I'd class them as temperate rather than cold water, the ones we get over here are the Chinese weather loach which requires higher temps than the Russian weather loach which is a banned species in the UK.

What size tank do you have? I ask as they can get to about 12" long so need something more than that width.

can u clear up witch is banned and why?

 

[MrNiceGuy]

weather loaches are awesome. they're more active in groups but will survive alone. they're much more active at night. sand is ideal because they like to borrow, but rounded gravel will work (preferably very small). they might up-root all your plants, but if the plants are well established and well rooted in gravel they may not. they might jump out of your tank so a lid is a good idea. they'll get pretty big... 12 inches like others have said is pretty unlikely, it'll probably be more like 10 inches. Theres a gold variety that will usually grow smaller, around 8 inches max. 20 gallon tank should be the absolute minimum.


great fish, should work with goldfish and plecs. good luck.

 

[didz04]

Never add any shrimps in with weather loach even with the shrimp at size of 2" like a bamboo shrimp.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

Never add any shrimps in with weather loach even with the shrimp at size of 2" like a bamboo shrimp.

really? i have mine in with a group of ghost shrimp and they get along fine. the shrimp can have a really quick jump reflex and the loaches have horrible eye sight so they never really seem to know where the shrimp go once they jump away.

 

[didz04]

Never add any shrimps in with weather loach even with the shrimp at size of 2" like a bamboo shrimp.

really? i have mine in with a group of ghost shrimp and they get along fine. the shrimp can have a really quick jump reflex and the loaches have horrible eye sight so they never really seem to know where the shrimp go once they jump away.

Well you are getting away with it well, as for all 4 of my bamboo fan shrimp all got eaten with all of their legs gone and left with bit of their head, sorry not a very good picture to think of. I think the reason being is that fan shrimps aren't as active as and when I got my first 2 bamboo shrimps at about 5cm, we saw the weather loach swim by them with their mouths touching the the shrimp and I think they realised that there is a tasty meal sat there lol. Then thats when I saw the weather loach hit the tail and head at the shrimp which he just got knocked out still alive but lieing on his back and they just start eating him. On that same day it happened we bought another 2 before they killed the first 2, and they were some expensive meal which worked out £18 for all 4, £4.50 each
It depends really, how big are your weather loaches? Mine were 5" and they have a thick body like a bircher.