# Yoyo Loaches with Mbuna



## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

You guys have any? How do they do?


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## BoilerFan (Jun 20, 2010)

I have 3 yoyo loaches in with my peacocks and haps (75G) and everything is fine. I have 4 yellow tail acei in there as well and they couldn't care less about the loaches.

That said, it probably depends a lot on the species of mbuna you have and the size of the tank.


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Hmm. Didn't know Yoyo Loaches can get that big. Those are bigger than my Clown Loaches. Cooo!


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## BoilerFan (Jun 20, 2010)

They are no more than 5 inches in my tank. I'd love some clown loaches, but I don't have a tank big enough for them when they grow out


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Have you seen them bigger than 5inches?


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

BTW, I enjoyed your video.


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## BoilerFan (Jun 20, 2010)

Thanks! I'll be updating that link pretty soon to show it with my new peacocks I picked up at the GCCA Swap last weekend.

The loaches in that tank are nearly 5 years old. They won't be getting any bigger  I think this particualr species maxes out at around 6 in that's why I chose them originally. I have always loved clown loaches, but know that long term 75G just isn't enough for them. If I ever know that I will be ableto upgrade my tank size they will be one of the first fish I'll go after.


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Really? How big do Clowns get? And what's a GCCA?


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Wow! 16in max! I'll have to trade them when they bigger.


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## BoilerFan (Jun 20, 2010)

GCCA = Greater Chicago Cichlid Association


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## BoilerFan (Jun 20, 2010)

Here's a couple stills I took the other night:


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Nice! :thumb: Now I think I've seen different colored ones, right? A dark green. Also an inverse of what you have - Black with white stripes.

I'm missing my 3rd Clown for a couple of days now. This last one I got was only about 2in long. I'm afraid it got eaten by my sexfaciatus. Although I don't think it would want to eat it because of the barbs and all. I see the other two playing around and all. I can't imagine it hiding for 2 days specially with its buddies galavanting around.


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## pack-rat (Aug 2, 2010)

I had a yoyo loach in a community tank (several different tanks actually) for almost 15 years. He finally died earlier this year during a horrible ick outbreak that nearly wiped out that entire tank. He was about 4 inches. He was in with tetras and angels mostly. I used to breed the angels some but the yoyo would eat the eggs before they could even finish spawning.

I really like the yoyos. Maybe I'll try them in my cichlid tank!


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## BoilerFan (Jun 20, 2010)

There are meny different kinds of loaches, but I have only seen YoYo's with white bodies and black reticulation. You can see the "YoYo" pretty clearly when they are young, but as they get older it look less and less like the word.

They (loaches in general) are happiest and most fun to watch in groups of 6 or moew, but many people have success with them in smaller groups. They make great fry or even snail control. They also do a fair job of sifting a sandy bottom much like peacocks and haps do. Since I switched from gravel to sand my group has been rejuvenated.


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## wakowz (Nov 20, 2010)

I want to get loachs but I am worried about food not getting to the bottom. How do you guys deal with that?


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## BoilerFan (Jun 20, 2010)

I currently feed no extra food for them. They come right up to the top and grab what they can with an entertaining "click-click-click" They have done this with both flake and pellet food. They also sift the sand and find any scraps that are left by the others.

You could always inclde some sinking alga wafers or shrimp pellets if you wanted to, but it has not been necessary in my experience.


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## pack-rat (Aug 2, 2010)

The Yoyo loaches that I have had in the past were pretty aggressive feeders. They learned to come off the bottom at feeding time, all the way to the top if necessary, to get in on the food. Then they would return to the bottom and clean up any leftovers. This was in tanks with tetras and angels mostly though, not cichlids.

Right now I don't have any loaches but I do have syno cats with my cichlids, and i normally don't go out of my way to feed the cats but they are growing and look well-fed. Occasionally (maybe once a week) I will throw in sinking wafers after the lights are out, but I'm not sure it is necessary. I have seen comments from others that their bottom feeders usually seem to thrive without special treatment.


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Yeah, my 3rd loach is definitely gone. I've not seen it for a week. The other two companion is out and about. Last night, I see little bones on the bottom. It's gotta be the loach. It's the only one not accounted for. My only conclusion would be that it died and got eaten which explains the remains. If it got eaten by another fish whole then there would not be any remains. What do you think?


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## pack-rat (Aug 2, 2010)

The yoyo loaches that I have had would definitely scavenge a carcass after it had been on the bottom for a while. If your fish has been missing for several days and now you see bones, then I think it is safe to say that he died and the other loaches went after him. If a big fish swallowed him whole, as you say there would be no bones left over.

Sorry about losing your fish. Loaches are cool, but I have had mixed results. Some have died without explanation and others have lived for many years.


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