dojo loaches in Michigan?

[Sambo7475]

I was told today by my lfs worker that dojo's are no longer allowed to be imported in Michigan. They are now considered an invasive species by the Dept. of Natural Resources. Only existing lines are allowed, meaning only in state breeding is allowed. Apparently, the Dojos are highly adaptable, and can survive even the harsh Michigan winters.
Anyone else heard of this? I've been trying for almost 2 years to get a couple more dojos to hang out with LongJohn my lone survivor from the first batch I got about 3 years ago. Now it looks like I won't be able to get any for a long time.

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

Yea they are illegal in some states because of that reason

 

[bettaowner]

Another example of why some people shouldn't be allowed to keep fish. This is similar to the snakehead incident

 

[Oohitsae]

Well, since existing lines are allowed, maybe you'll be able to find a local fish club or breeder with someone that has them for you to buy from?
That's what I would do in that situation.

I suppose they are called the weather loach for a reason, though I never researched why it definitely sounds like it's a plausible reason. Adaptive to different conditions..

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

It's called a weather loach because they say that they will act different or even change a bit in color when a storm is approaching, don't know if it's true though :/

 

[Bichir Bro]

Yes weather does affect them although I have never seen it nor do I know how drastically it affects them. And about the loaches being banned...you can thank irresponsible pet owners a lot of the time for this. . Oscars And pacus i have found are the bulk of the illegal releasing of fishes, that's down here in Texas however so I cannot speak for other states...or countries. And these stupid chain stores sell people these fish that can get huge never asking them their tank size or anything. Being a bichir owner I understand that when I get these fishes you need to prepared for the long haul, you need to have sufficient tank size for their adult size. And I'm just using my bichirs as an example. There are many many other fish that are illegally released I'm just making a statement.

 

[Bichir Bro]

If Kahuli(?) loaches aren't banned try them. They look kinda the same so you may want to consider some of them

 

[Mebbid]

This is the first I've heard of it. That's kind of depressing.

 

[Sambo7475]

I've emailed my brother who worked for the DNR to see if it's true, and I'll post back when he replies.
As far as being called weather loaches, yeah, they do go crazy when a storm is coming. That's what made me like them so much. I was shopping at my lfs when there was a storm coming. They were nuts! I went home, read up on them, and decided to get 3.
I think their reaction might have something to do with a huge drop in barometric pressure. Although for the life of me, I can't figure out why: they're in water, not air, but that's a thread for another day.

 

[Oohitsae]

I've emailed my brother who worked for the DNR to see if it's true, and I'll post back when he replies.
As far as being called weather loaches, yeah, they do go crazy when a storm is coming. That's what made me like them so much. I was shopping at my lfs when there was a storm coming. They were nuts! I went home, read up on them, and decided to get 3.
I think their reaction might have something to do with a huge drop in barometric pressure. Although for the life of me, I can't figure out why: they're in water, not air, but that's a thread for another day.

Betas react to weather as well, they seem to start blowing nests when pressure drops, that's how I always know one is coming, every single one of my guys makes one, pretty cool!
I've never looked into dojo loaches, but it's pretty cool they do the same thing. I may have to get myself a few!