How aggressive are YoYo Loaches?

[mitche8359]

I've had three yoyos for several years. A few months ago, the wife got two smallish angels which ended up dieing within a week. I suspected it was the quality of the tank, stress, or other.

We bought a LARGE angelfish, a medium angelfish and a small angelfish over the weekend. It appears that the yoyos are overly aggressive toward the angels. The medium and small angel are aggressive enough that they would fight back but the large angel is still adjusting.

I have searched the forum and other sites and read that yoyos are generally peaceful. Anyone see issues with these loaches?

 

[evercl92]

I didn't have issues with mine when they were with tiger barbs, RTBS, little oscars, or now: cardinals, pristella tetras, glass cats, rainbows, danios. Mine just sorta do their own thing.

 

[coldmachineUK]

I've seen evidence of yoyos being fairly aggressive, but only with one another, not with other fish (not even other loaches). Sometimes fighting so badly that fish were injured in the process (fleeing into decor like wood and so on).
Of all the botia, I think the lohachata are among the more highly strung

 

[hsherman1986]

i have a school of six, and have not had any problems yet. I have had them for just over a month now. They are housed in a 20g with 3 GBRs and 9 red cherry shrimp. They leave the GBRs alone, and chased the RCS when I first put them in the tank. They left them alone once they realized they weren't food.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I think the lohachata are among the more highly strung

They are definitely high strung.

I have 4 in my 55g and have had them for around a year now. They live with tetras, cories, a bolivian ram, an angel, and a bristlenose and have never bothered any of their tankmates. They dart across the tank and I've seen them "following" the angel at times, but they've never nipped or hurt the angel.

I think they could add to the stress of new fish though. Their energy level is very high and mine chase each other from end to end of my 55g, so I could definitely see them stressing a new fish out.

 

[Zagz]

My yoyo's get aggressive to each other but not to other fish. They are highly active and can frighten the other fish though.

 

[Lepomis]

YoYo and other loaches can be aggressive and nippy at times. I think it is common practice to keep multiples so that aggression in between the loaches. My striata bicker amoungst themselves but never bother other tank mates.

 

[maxwell1295]

I've seen them get nippy with other fish. I have some in a tank witha betta. Those fins must be inviting because they have shredded them to the point where I have to pull them from the tank. They were very small when I got them and were only going to be in there for a short while anyway. They were too small to put into a more aggressive tank. I think they're ready now...

 

[mitche8359]

I watched the yoyos for several hours yesterday. Yes they are highly active fish. I did see one actually nip the veil of the large angelfish, but it's not like he was constantly doing it. The hyper activity of being buzzed by the yoyo's is adding to the stress for the angelfish though.

 

[bubble bobble]

I have one kept singly, and he terrorizes everything else in the tank, he will soon be finding himself in someone elses tank with other yo yo loaches.

he's only 2" long, but he put a hole in a blue ram (which later died) and is constantly chasing the corys, SAE, oto & endlers...

 

[kaz]

mine does not bother anyone else unless they try to go next or inside his house.

 

[darren323]

yoyo

i have one of these about 3" long and he is a real character lately i have noticed he is going to the top of the tank and making clicking noises as if he is gulping air. anybody had this problem? as far as aggression goes i have had no problems. housed with two large mollies, three small platies, five clown loaches, two small angels, medium plecky, and medium golden nugget. in 190 litre juwel with fluval 405.

 

[93MSB]

I have 5 botia kubotai (angelicus) with two angels. It's interesting because the loach are the only fish that the angels will not retaliate against. My large female will swim along side the angels and chase them around the tank. I have never seen her nip them though.

They are VERY active and VERY social, they have a pecking order where the dominate female runs the group. If I had to take a guess I would say that 3 is too few to have and like tiger barbs if they don't have enough of their own kind to form a pecking order then they will spread the agression out to other fish. The absolute minimum I would keep is 4, 5+ is best