Loaches ?

[sculptor]

I have never owned any before, so I could do with some help please. Will they keep my MTS population under control, and which species are the smaller ones ? Are they compatable with Corys and B Pleco ?

[Lana Bollers]

I have not owned loaches before either, but was told that most loaches will not control the mts population due to their hard shell.

I was told the only way to get rid of them is to clean out the tank literally... and start fresh...

I have also read to use some form of copper, but I am unsure if there is a product safe for fish...

What do you sculp?

I am a horse lover too,

I have as of this morning 21 beautiful horses.

I am expecting a new arrival any day...

We will see she is racing with another mare...LOL

[Vallisneria]

I have zebra loaches in my planted tank with MTS. I've noticed a bunch of empty MTS shells in the gravel so the loaches must be eating some of them but there are still a bunch of MTS that are alive too.

So i'd say they do eat them but they aren't as good for controlling MTS as they are for other snails like ramshorn.

[FishyFishy!]

Loaches are truely awesome! I absolutely love them. My favorite are Clown Loaches, but they get very large, and will eventually need a large aquarium. The YoYo Loach is smaller, but can still reach about 5-6 inches in length (at their largest), however they are much slower growing and if bought young, may be kept in a smaller aquarium for a number of years.

Once again, at a smaller size, they are certainly compatible with cory's. They will be fairly large at one point, and therefore not compatible with cory's at a larger size. Pleco's will be just fine with Loaches.

Your MTS population will go missing with loaches, unless they are large. I'd say anything smaller than a twoonie size will most likely go missing. I've seen one of my clowns rip an apple snail out of its shell that was about the size of a nickle.

If you like loaches, you could certianly try Kuhli Loaches. These are fantastic to watch, have bright coloring and also have very serpentine like bodies. They also stay small, and rarely pick on snails.

I guess a good start would be asking, how big is your tank?

Here is some good info on Loaches:

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/LoachesBotias.html

[Baos]

My clown loaches seemed to keep a few snails as pets. They would even pick them up and right-side them at times. But if I forgot to feed the loaches for a day the snails were dinner.

[Kronosdelsol]

I have a pair of botia rostrata and they eat snails. They make a mess out of any carpet plants, thats for sure. They also reach 6 inches (maybe 8 one day), but then that is only 1 inch smaller than your bristle nose.

Another way of removing the MTS is by anchoring a fresh uncooked piece of lettuce in just before lights out. Then take it out the next morning. You will capture a lot of them.

[robin]

my yo yo loaches and kubotai loach kill off the mts. my kuhli loaches are so peaceful and shy, they bug no one, not even the littlest of mts. the yo yo's are best at keeping my mts at bay. my cory's are much happier with the yo yo's out of the tank, they were just a little more aggressive than the other loaches, who mix fine with the cory's.

[Lana Bollers]

What are loaches like with cichlids?

I have African cichlids. Also where did you purchase them?

[sculptor]

I have zebra loaches in my planted tank with MTS. I've noticed a bunch of empty MTS shells in the gravel so the loaches must be eating some of them but there are still a bunch of MTS that are alive too.

So i'd say they do eat them but they aren't as good for controlling MTS as they are for other snails like ramshorn.

Thanks for the info- I have looked at some photos of Loaches now and quite like the looks of Zebra type- how large are yours?

[sculptor]

Loaches are truely awesome! I absolutely love them. My favorite are Clown Loaches, but they get very large, and will eventually need a large aquarium. The YoYo Loach is smaller, but can still reach about 5-6 inches in length (at their largest), however they are much slower growing and if bought young, may be kept in a smaller aquarium for a number of years.

Once again, at a smaller size, they are certainly compatible with cory's. They will be fairly large at one point, and therefore not compatible with cory's at a larger size. Pleco's will be just fine with Loaches.

Your MTS population will go missing with loaches, unless they are large. I'd say anything smaller than a twoonie size will most likely go missing. I've seen one of my clowns rip an apple snail out of its shell that was about the size of a nickle.

If you like loaches, you could certianly try Kuhli Loaches. These are fantastic to watch, have bright coloring and also have very serpentine like bodies. They also stay small, and rarely pick on snails.

I guess a good start would be asking, how big is your tank?

Here is some good info on Loaches:

http://www.americana...chesBotias.html

Thanks for your reply & info. I have had a look at that site, the Zebras look nice, plus I found info on 2 other smaller ones- Striata 2" and Kubotai 2.5". As my tank is only a 67 gal, (36"x18") lots of plants and wood- and has 2 Sterbi Corys, 2 Elaganse Corys and a young male Bristlenose already as bottom population, I wonder which type if any ? The sites seem to all say minimum of 3 for company.

[Gman44]

Loaches are great for keeping the snail population down in your tank...I've had all kinds mostly Clowns.

My guys have even eaten Apple Snails the size of Golf Balls.

[sculptor]

my yo yo loaches and kubotai loach kill off the mts. my kuhli loaches are so peaceful and shy, they bug no one, not even the littlest of mts. the yo yo's are best at keeping my mts at bay. my cory's are much happier with the yo yo's out of the tank, they were just a little more aggressive than the other loaches, who mix fine with the cory's.

Thanks for your information- on sites that I have now looked at, Kubotais seem to be the size that I have been thinking of if they do only grow to 2.5". I don't think that Kuhli Loaches will do if they don't keep the MTS 'at bay'.

[James (Western Canada)]

Trust me, Kubotai's get bigger than 2.5", the only one that is going to stay that small is Sidthimunki.

For all you ever wanted to know about loches and more, go to http://www.loaches.com/

and there is a forum as well http://forums.loaches.com/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=dd377c89c96f450b25c8905d318f559c

Oh, and three should be considered a minimum....five is better:)

HTH

James

Thanks for your information- on sites that I have now looked at, Kubotais seem to be the size that I have been thinking of if they do only grow to 2.5". I don't think that Kuhli Loaches will do if they don't keep the MTS 'at bay'.

Edited April 21, 2010 by James (Western Canada)

[heff]

I've heard that a reliable fish for eating MTS are dwarf puffers.

edit: ha, just realized this post is three months old. fantastic.

Edited July 14, 2010 by heff