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Hey all, this is my first post, I looked this website up specifically because of my rampaging zebra loach! I have a 20 gallon tank ( I think it's 20 gallons, got it from a friend. It's 24 inches long, anyways.). My solitary zebra loach has been in the tank for four days, and its primary activity has been chasing and nipping at my 2 Dwarf Gouramis, the only other inhabitants of the tank. What's the deal? Is this normal? Should I hold off on getting the Cory cats I'm hoping to introduce? The guy at the fish place (I know, never trust the guy at the fish place!) told me it was a butterfly loach, and that it doesn't need to school... any advice would be great! Thanks.

A zebra loach in a 20g is a bad idea. Loaches are highly active anyway and aside from a few species I'd suggest a minimum 29g and a minimum of 4 loaches. If your certain it's a zebra return to the lfs and tell them they sold you the wrong fish. Print out a picture id to show them if necessary. http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-striata
http://www.loaches.com/species-index/botia-histronica/
Then if you want loaches in a 20g get some kuhlis.

Do not try to fit both cories and loaches in a 20g. Pick 1 bottom feeder. No more. Cories need to be in a group of 6+ and take up quite a bit of space in such a small tank because of that. If you stay with light stocking in the rest of the tank you could have a nice school of one of the smaller cories(avoid large cories like bronze) but the tank would have to be mostly devoted to cories.

Thanks sham, the loach is definitely going back

I had four some years back, one of my very few behavioural misjudgements, they were fine with each other, but when they went into community these four 1/3rd grown fish went ballistic , clicking noises came from the tank all night, and in the morning it became apparent that forty adult rainbowfish had their fins nipped in a huge tank with literally feet of water between the mid and bottom layers.

Needless to say, I took them back the following day and had a right go at the shop. Pretty much seen accounts ever since that label them as inveterate fin nippers. They are still labeled as community in most shops though. They shouldnt be. My fish were subjected to a well organised and orchestrated fin nipping campaign during the night, and in no way can that be considered incidental behaviour. Vicious little fish capable and intelligent enough to organise a fin hunt! I acted quickly enough to save all rainbows, and all fin tissue in the forty fish was healed, but the stress on the other fish was clearly apparent, and I have no doubt that over a week many fish would have been crippled and killed if I had permitted it to continue or acted too slowly.

If I ever get lumped with another one it may find itself looking a polypterus in the face.