# Whats your favorite loach and why?



## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

What is your favorite loach and why? I am pretty much an all around bottom feeder lover, mainly my Otocinclus, corydoras and LOACHES! Im basically on a constant quest to find new and interesting loaches. I have quite a few, but I know theres probably a lot more out there. As well as any information as to where I can buy some would be much appreciated too.
Thanks!


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

I love Kuhli Loaches (they also happen to be the only ones ive personaly kept) mainly because they are really cute and i love the snakelike appearance they have.

Ive also heard that Horsefaced Loaches are very interesting as they will burrow into the sand untill only their heads are exposed.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

i am also a bottom feeder lover. as for loaches go i have to go with the tiger hillstream loach. other favorites would be striatas, peppered, red tail sand botia, gold dojo, skunk, horseface, and dario. theres more but i just cant think of them right now.


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Ive kept some of them, actually most I still have, I havent tried skunks yet and our store just got them in, I noticed the were quite stubby. Are they active like as active as stripped or bengals/queens?


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

AquariumTech said:


> Ive kept some of them, actually most I still have, I havent tried skunks yet and our store just got them in, I noticed the were quite stubby. Are they active like as active as stripped or bengals/queens?


skunks hide all the time and they are pretty aggressive especially towards other loaches!


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

O wow, they look like the most harmless loaches lol. Thats actually really hard to believe, of course thats just going on past experiences with loaches. So will the skunks will attack each other or just other loaches? Will they attack a fish like for-instance corys?


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

AquariumTech said:


> O wow, they look like the most harmless loaches lol. Thats actually really hard to believe, of course thats just going on past experiences with loaches. So will the skunks will attack each other or just other loaches? Will they attack a fish like for-instance corys?


they will most likely go after corys since they are a bottom feeder also. but idk about attacking eachother at work when we have had them in the past we kept them together.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

over the years i have kept about 20 or so species of loaches..skunks are probably meaner than great whites..
my favorites are clowns ; sidthimunki ; and angelicus..


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

My favorites are brown dojos and kuhlis 
We have a horseface and he is pretty interesting but we rarely see him out of the sand.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

oh yeah sidthimunkis are amazing and burmese borders.


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## sbetsy (Apr 6, 2010)

angelicus. maybe clowns too but only with enough room!


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

O ok do you guys know a good place to get rare loaches from online?


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

I went and checked out those loaches, man, I love those angelicus ones. Good looks, do you guys know any where to buy some?


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## sbetsy (Apr 6, 2010)

My local petsmart has them. Also a lfs a few hours away gets them in from time to time. I'm sure that they are available online too but I don't know where.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

aquabid.com and liveaquaria.com


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## someonefishy (Oct 14, 2010)

I like my Weather Loach (Dojo). I think he's cute. A little on the shy side, but energetic when he does move around. He has nice little caves to hide in.

-- someonefishy


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Thanks appreciate it Rev., dont have much experience buying online figured I'd try it. 
To the last one my fish store has them and I think all loaches are cool, just personally I dont like the snake like ones, I dont know why, at least look wise. One thing I dont like about them behavior wise is (seems to be the ones with the snake like bodies the most) they are super shy and hide all the time, I like mine active in such, in fact my botia darios (aka bengal or queens) pretty much eat right out of my hand. I could never get khuilis, dojos, or sumos to do that. They do look really cool when they do swim though I have to admit its more fun to watch them move around.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

AquariumTech said:


> Thanks appreciate it Rev., dont have much experience buying online figured I'd try it.
> To the last one my fish store has them and I think all loaches are cool, just personally I dont like the snake like ones, I dont know why, at least look wise. One thing I dont like about them behavior wise is (seems to be the ones with the snake like bodies the most) they are super shy and hide all the time, I like mine active in such, in fact my botia darios (aka bengal or queens) pretty much eat right out of my hand. I could never get khuilis, dojos, or sumos to do that. They do look really cool when they do swim though I have to admit its more fun to watch them move around.


really my experience is complete oposite. my gold dojo is super active all the time same with my peppered and my red finned stream loach. i was the same way i never like the snake looking ones at first til i forced myself to get a gold dojo and his personality is amazing ever since he got settled in the tank he is so curious all the time poking and nosing around everything.


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## someonefishy (Oct 14, 2010)

Probably looking for food ....


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

My personal favorite is the blue & yellow modesta loach. They're not spazzy, they live for years, look great, and get along with everything.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

I have a group of 11 kubotai (aka angeliicus) loaches in a 75. The tank is loaded with driftwood, java moss, and Najas, but with so many there's usually a couple visible most any time. Tank also houses 2 pairs of Gymnogeophagus catalan and 1 growing juvie, apparently the sole survivor of a spawn. A couple of young green severums, 3 L-204's, 6 or 7 L-134's, a single curviceps, and an adult pair of Australoheros oblongum.


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Revolution1221 said:


> really my experience is complete oposite. my gold dojo is super active all the time same with my peppered and my red finned stream loach. i was the same way i never like the snake looking ones at first til i forced myself to get a gold dojo and his personality is amazing ever since he got settled in the tank he is so curious all the time poking and nosing around everything.



Yea my friends Kuhili Loaches that are like that but his dojos and Sumos like never come out (Which is weird its usually the sumos and dojos in my experience that are more active). My first ones were Kuhilis then I continued with other ones like mentioned, at first I liked the whole snake thing. I had those Loaches too like I said but they were quite shy (not like super shy but deffintly less active than say, a botia straita/zebra). I also keep all my loaches in at least groups of 5 with each other; of course though we are talking about one of the most unpredictable things in aquatics there is. Every fish will do what it does, its called I guess you could say personalty.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Our old Golden Dojo used to eat out of our hands... our newer brown one is a bit shy but will do it on occasion. Our peppered loach, on the other hand, is very skittish.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

hXcChic22 said:


> Our old Golden Dojo used to eat out of our hands... our newer brown one is a bit shy but will do it on occasion. Our peppered loach, on the other hand, is very skittish.


you ended up getting a peppered loach?


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## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Dang everywhere is out of those angelicous (dont know the spelling) loaches. Dang they must be pretty popular or hard to find, but I could see why.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

not hard to find but def popular and sell fast. our distributor likes to screw us over and a lot of times when we order them they send us gold banded loaches i think they are called instead.


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Revolution1221 said:


> you ended up getting a peppered loach?


Not really, funny story about that. I went to our LFS and bought what I thought was just an unusually patterned Dojo... but the more my husband and I looked at him, the more we started to lean towards believing that he's a peppered loach. We're still no sure, honestly. But his body shape is slightly different from our Dojo, even though he's about the same size. And he's a lot lighter colored with dark spots.


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

hXcChic22 said:


> Not really, funny story about that. I went to our LFS and bought what I thought was just an unusually patterned Dojo... but the more my husband and I looked at him, the more we started to lean towards believing that he's a peppered loach. We're still no sure, honestly. But his body shape is slightly different from our Dojo, even though he's about the same size. And he's a lot lighter colored with dark spots.


is he more silver colored?


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## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

Revolution1221 said:


> is he more silver colored?


He's not completely silver with spots but he is much more silvery than any Dojo I've ever seen. Here's one of the pics I took of him.


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