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Troublesome Yoyo's

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  Zephyr 
#1 ·
Hey folks, wondering if you could help me, i've got a couple of Yoyo/pakistani loaches in my tank and one has grown loads bigger than the other (almost twice the size, they were the same size when they went in) and spends pretty much all it's time chasing the little one around the tank. The little one does not seem too upset by this, but is sometimes really pale and sometimes looking pretty healthy. There are plenty of hiding places and caves in the tank, so it's not that. Is this normal or do i have a problem developing here? Cheers!
 
#2 ·
Mating Slinkys said:
Hey folks, wondering if you could help me, i've got a couple of Yoyo/pakistani loaches in my tank and one has grown loads bigger than the other (almost twice the size, they were the same size when they went in) and spends pretty much all it's time chasing the little one around the tank. The little one does not seem too upset by this, but is sometimes really pale and sometimes looking pretty healthy. There are plenty of hiding places and caves in the tank, so it's not that. Is this normal or do i have a problem developing here? Cheers!
Welcome.:wave:

Normal. Small ones always get bullied.;)
 
#3 ·
In general, it's best to keep most all loaches, with notable exceptions, in groups of 5 or more. There will always be an alpha loach, and it will harass any other loaches, but if you have 5, it splits the aggression 4 ways. Also, if you have an even number of loaches, they can group up in pairs with a more dominant/less dominant loach in each, and the aggression tends to get fixed in those pairs. Doesn't always happen that way, but I am told it can. So for best loach behavior, get 3 more (though you'll need 25 to 40 gallons of capacity right there. Yoyos can get up to 6", though 5" is more usual).

That said, with yoyos anyways, it rarely progresses beyond chasing.
 
#5 ·
Try sexing all of your individuals. Generally, there should be 1 male to 2 or 3 females. This prevents bullying, as males claim females and the females go along with it.

Females are fatter and usually larger, while males have distinctly red lips.

Also note that these guys are semi-aggressive.
 
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