Labenator65000
Aquarium Advice FINatic
What is the best practice? Should Loaches be able to co-exist with Mbuna?
Mbuna with Loaches?
- Thread starter Labenator65000
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Convict2161
Aquarium Advice Addict
As you know I have loaches with mine and there doing fine. The cichlids don't bother them at all. If anything, I've seen my Botia loaches trying to attach themselves to my fish.
I've had the loaches since day one and they made it through everything. Tough little guys. Actually looking to add more since changing over to black sand.
I've had the loaches since day one and they made it through everything. Tough little guys. Actually looking to add more since changing over to black sand.
OP
OP
Labenator65000
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Your mention of them in your conversion to sand thread instigated this discussion. I didn't want ho hijack your other thread. So how long have you had them in your tank with your Mbuna? I know you have a few rather aggressive Mbuna in your tank, so that is encouraging to hear that you have had no issues so far. I had a bad experience with a CAE with mine, so I'm trying to do my due dilligence before deciding to pick one up. Thanks for thei links in your other thread to the specifics of yours, BTW.
Convict2161
Aquarium Advice Addict
No problem, glad I could help 
I have CAE also and the Botia's and they are all doing fine. My Cichlid's aren't bothering them at all and haven't. Only thing I did was drip the Botia loaches and there all fine.
And like you said my tank is pretty aggressive and they've left all the loaches alone.
I have CAE also and the Botia's and they are all doing fine. My Cichlid's aren't bothering them at all and haven't. Only thing I did was drip the Botia loaches and there all fine.
And like you said my tank is pretty aggressive and they've left all the loaches alone.
Jacobsal91
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Ive gotten away with keeping clown loaches with my mbuna when they were small. When i bought my aratus that whole idea of keeping them went right out the window lol
severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sometimes you get lucky for a few months, sometimes you might even get lucky for a few years... but loaches and Malawi cichlids are not a combination I would recommend. The majority of loaches in this hobby are still wild caught, and may not adapt well to the harder water you'll want for Malawis. Also, the way Malawi cichlids eat, it's going to be difficult to get any food to the loaches.
If you are absolutely set on giving it a try, I'd recommend some of the nastier Botia species... B modesta or morleti might work.
If you are absolutely set on giving it a try, I'd recommend some of the nastier Botia species... B modesta or morleti might work.
garfy
Aquarium Advice Addict
severum mama said:
+1 couldn't agree more.I would avoid loaches if I were you.Synodontis catfish are much more suited to life with Malawi cichlids.In the end your loaches will be bullied and maybe killed.I learnt the hard way and it's not nice finding your fish half eaten.
OP
OP
Labenator65000
Aquarium Advice FINatic
This is exactly the info that I wanted to hear...both sides of it. I guess for my "little" 55 and with the CAE incident, I'll stick without my Syn.Euptrus and new BNP and leave the loaches for my community tank. Thanks folks.
HUKIT
Aquarium Advice Addict
This was the problem that I always experienced, the aggressive mbuna would outcompete the loaches at feeding time. Then after swithcing them into a new world set up they started to pack on weight and actually started growing again. Occasionally I would see a nipped fin or two but never any deaths as a result a attack, but there are much better options than loaches in my opinion.
Malawi Freak
Aquarium Advice Addict
severum mama said:
I disagree. My loaches have been with my cichlids for years. They all are right up in the pack when it's feeding time and never once have I seem a cichlid chase any of them. Even with my red zebra who has profusely claimed the center section of the rocks, he will guard it from any cichlid that goes near but my horseface loaches are always in there with him.
severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
As I said... sometimes you get lucky. Still not a combination I would recommend.
HUKIT
Aquarium Advice Addict
As its been clearly stated already there will always be instances in this hobby of imcompatable fish being housed together successfully and just as many if not more that fail miserably. I see people driving down the expressway at 100mph as well but would I recommend that probably not, it's your tank and your life.
I've seen someone here with Clown Loaches and Red Terrors. I can't remember who. But it looked beautiful. We are not all hung up on specific area biotopes, mind you I have a quasi Tanganyica biotope. But I am still a hobbyist the back bone of the aquarium trade. We care just in different degrees. Loaches are ok with cichlids. Just have to be carefully selected and watched. Enjoy your tanks and learn.
HUKIT
Aquarium Advice Addict
That would be me, I'm ceertainly not hung up on biotopes bt there are things that just work better together than others. I've always kept a rainbow shark in all my Malawi tanks with great success along with loaches, but they've(loaches) always thrived better with new worlds over old.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Labenator65000
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Well I've gone against best practices a few times and paid the price nearly every time. Thanks again, folks for the feedback.
HUKIT said:
There is just certain fish that each of us like and we try to make it work in all our tanks. I value your knowledge and not trying to be challenging. But if the clown loach is bigger along with the tank being adequate, with decent comparable water parameters. Don't they look great. My weak spot is the clown loach, red tail shark, and now Denosini Barb "red line". I just want to see them in all my cichlid tanks. I know you are partial to at least two of them and we all know your affinity to cichlids.
