PlanetCatfish.com

The tank:
10 us gal, 2 inches mixed sand/aquatic plant soil
NEW SETUP

Furniture:
Large rose quartz rock, overhang shelter at substate level
Lava rock with natural window, overhangs at substate level
Two 1 1/2 inch terra cotta flower pots, on side
Sprigs of cabomba and hygro disformis, scattered

The residents:
One 2 1/2 inch yo-yo loach
One 1 1/4 inch yo-yo loach
Three 1 inch or so paleatus cories

The problem:
aggression on the part of the larger loach

The history:
The bigger botia gave the small botia sufficient grief that I thought to try to distract him with some of my cories. He is now giving everyone greif, but seems more interested in harrassment than in doing damage.

The question:
How long should I give this arrangement a chance to settle down before I decide it is a disasterous idea and remove the cories?

troi

the best way to settle this issue without loosing Corydoras, is to get 2-3 extra Loaches of exactly the same species, and hopefully in size between the big and the small.
it's the "shoaling fish kept as duo"-issue that's happening, and removing one of the loaches won't help.

with a larger group the loaches will spread their agression between themselves and most likely ignore the other fish.

the Yoyo loach isn't a particular nasty loach, most of the time.

sidguppy wrote:the Yoyo loach isn't a particular nasty loach, most of the time.

Thanks, Sidguppy. The bully has tired himself and the cories are "growling" back. Not, as you note, much of a bully.

The plan was to make this a loach tank and add more loaches when the tank settled. I have never seen yo-yos school. But now I think about it and now you mention it...never saw the schoolin' fool clown loaches school in a shop but they sure carry on like a Southern (USA) friend said of her horses: just keeping to together and bickering like an old southern family one they settle in my tank.

More loaches it is. Today. Cories can go back home.

Tank appeared to have changed itself overnight.

True!

I completely forgot about tanksize when I made my reply, and focused solely on the Yoyo's.

I've kept many species of Loaches in the past, including Yoyo's; the last batch was in with a group of Corydoras robinae in a 55G.

DeepFriedIctalurus wrote:While it may take considerable time... 6" long. Sure most get stunted & stay at about 4" for years,

Not to worry, the tank/fish size disparity is just one of those things that happen when "fighting fish fires" with no thought for tomarrow. I am looking for a used 40 gal as we speak.

The little guy died. The big "Duh" here is that he should have gone into the cory tank for awhile instead of the cories into the loach tank. Cories didn't bother him, but I think he was just used up.

troi

sidguppy wrote: I completely forgot about tanksize when I made my reply, and focused solely on the Yoyo's.

Darn. I thought it was just that you knew I know that.

troi