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I am getting a fresh water Weather loach given to me what are they like and are they egg eaters?

edith

I have no idea if they are egg eaters. They get about 8 or 9 inches long, prefer cold water, love shrimp pellets and are extremely fun to watch. they are very playful, and like the company of other loaches.

-Vincent

Thank you so they wouldn't be good in with angels would they. lol and it isn't getting any friends he is luckey to be having a home lol I don't like snakes

edith

Hi there,
Weather loaches - big fish - 10 inches in aquaria
is not uncommon. They are an opportunistic
omnivore that eats pretty much anything. They will definitely eat eggs, and even fry.
They are hardy in temps from 60-86F.
They definitely should be kept at least in a pair.
A highly social fish that can actually die of
loneliness if kept alone.
Does not tolerate salt in the water, will not
tolerate copper, dyes (like malachite green, methylene
blue, potassium dichromate, etc).
Very peaceful, very active, a great community fish for
any tank large enough. Needs a minimum of
40 gallons or larger of space, preferably with at least
4 feet to run in.
Looks much more like an eel than a snake.


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Here's a link to a great source for information on loaches of all kinds. I've found the information provided very useful and informative.

http://www.loaches.com/index.html

And here's the link directly to their info on weather loaches.

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/wloach.html

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

I'm not a fan of these fishes, as I've already stated in another thread. They have a tendnecy to go mad when barometric pressure changes (hence the name "Weather Loach" and their frantic dashing about can stir up substrate pretty badly once they go into full-bore berserker mode. They don't actually inflict any harm on other fishes directly, but their mad dashing about can cause problems if they are inappropriately housed. Given their eventual adult size, I'd choose a large aquarium for them.

Their temperature range is actually very wide - they're sold here in the UK as coldwater fishes, and will live outdoors in a pond here, surviving even a fairly cold winter if the pond is deep enough to allow them to hibernate in the substrate (3 feet deep or more). They can survive in a pond down to 40 degrees F, and in the summer can survive 85 degrees F with no trouble at all. Very hardy in that respect, but very sensitive to medications as Sneaky has stated above.

Thre are MUCH better choices of Loach for a tropical aquarium in my opinion. Botia sidthimunki is probably the best of the lot - nice small size, active without causing the owner to develop a facial tic, friendly and well-disposed toward the majority of other fishes. The only disadvantage this species has is the horrendous price that is charged for them because they're endangered in the wild and captive bred stock is hard to come by.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002